Wavey Bar, The Courtyard, Hastings: review
On February 20, 2024 by The Plate Licked CleanWavey Bar sits opposite Hastings’ True Crime Museum on Hastings seafront. That would be a gift to any writer if it turned out to be a disappointment, an easy but snarky segue into a hatchet job. Happily, this review will be anything but: Wavey Bar is the kind of place which gets under your skin
The Plate Licked Clean: 2023 in review
On December 31, 2023 by The Plate Licked CleanFavourite Cardiff opening (aka the ‘Relieved it’s every bit as good as I wanted it to be’ award): Tukka Tuk Canteen, Poca Parallel appeared as confidently as you’d expect, but my heart belongs to two local favourites who opened long-awaited new restaurants this year. Anand George’s quiet revolution continued as, despite formidable hurdles, Tukka Tuk
Fallow, St James, London: restaurant review
On December 22, 2023 by The Plate Licked CleanA confession- you Proper Foodies, prepare to clutch those pearls- but a restaurant’s claims around sustainability, whether genuine or just PR window dressing, don’t loom large when I’m choosing where to eat. When the language around a place is dominated by ‘sustainability credentials’, I find myself rolling my eyes and muttering YES BUT TELL ME
SEN Bros, Canton, Cardiff: Turkish restaurant review
On December 11, 2023 by The Plate Licked CleanCanton’s SEN Bros is where ‘Hoja’s by SEN Bros’ was, and is moments away from SEN BBQ on Cowbridge Road, but has nothing to do with either. Got that? All clear? Marvellous. It’s the former owner of BBQ- ‘call me Sen’- who built its strong reputation, but sold up last year and now runs Bros.
Tukka Tuk Canteen, Whitchurch Road, Cardiff: restaurant review
On October 11, 2023 by The Plate Licked CleanTukka Tuk Canteen, on that long stretch of Whitchurch Road which is home to a slack handful of Cardiff’s more interesting independents, is a lively proposition. From eye-catching cartoon murals, swathes of rich browns and coppers, and a handpainted sign mimicking those from on docks in Kochi, where fisherman return to sell their catch and
Mesen, Rhiwbina, Cardiff: review
On September 25, 2023 by The Plate Licked CleanI first ate at Mesen in mid-June this year, a few weeks before it opened, in one of those sessions you’re (well, I’m) invited in to try the menu and give some pre-launch feedback. It’s not always as much fun as it sounds: try telling the owner and chef- usually, sitting opposite as you eat-
This blog is a very simple thing.
I won’t try to sell you any hand lotion, exercise programmes, coffee syrups or Patagonian nose flutes. You won’t find tips on dating, ‘wellness’ or yoga mats.
I write because I love it (and food, as indicated by my increasing girth). Greed happens to be my Deadly Sin of choice, but at least it is never shy of providing me with subject matter.Â
A simple thing, then: all you get is me wittering on semi-coherently about places I’ve eaten at; hence a ‘restaurant blog’ rather than a ‘food blog’, although there are a few recipes scattered throughout.Â
From mezze to Michelin ‘fine dining’ and all points in between.Â