The Bookshop by A Rule of Tum, Aubrey St, Hereford
On April 23, 2019 by The Plate Licked CleanI love writing about places like this. True, no one is forcing any blogger to share their opinions, but there are times you can’t wait to start writing a place up. When your enthusiasm is unforced, hopefully infectious, because you’ve done that most basic of things: find somewhere you want to share. The Bookshop is
Wilson’s, Redland, Bristol
On April 10, 2019 by The Plate Licked CleanFor Tom Parker Bowles, this was his best lunch of 2018- ‘Once again, Bristol comes up trumps. Dear god, I love this city. And dear god, I worship Wilsons…’ while Tim Hayward in the FT chose it as his best meal of the year, urging his readers to experience ‘something irreplaceably wonderful.’ Jay Rayner’s review
JOL’s, High St, Merthyr Tydfil: fixed-price menu review
On March 12, 2019 by The Plate Licked Clean‘The best restaurant in Merthyr’ might seem like damning with faint praise: the town is dominated by brands, and as you drop down from the A470 at night there’s a familiar gallery of neon-branded big names, the kinds which speckle retail parks everywhere. You can only beat what’s in front of you, though. I was
Bwydiful, Victoria Park, Cardiff
On February 18, 2019 by The Plate Licked CleanRight, let’s get the name out of the way first. It’s Welsh. ‘Bwyd’ is food, and rhymes with ‘fluid’. Visually it’s meant to pun on ‘beautiful’ but you can see the problem, can’t you? It might work as a visual pun but not when spoken out loud; a word which tries to pun in two
Le Bab, Soho
On February 13, 2019 by The Plate Licked CleanAnyone who is tired of kebabs, is tired of life, as Samuel Johnson (probably) said. Who doesn’t love a good kebab? It’s one of those imports which has become absorbed in classically UK style, an end of night staple from Turkey via Germany which always seems likea grand idea at 2.15 am. It’s as British as cricket, drizzle and
Spanish Road Trip day iii: Mannix, Campaspero, Valladolid: asador review
On February 7, 2019 by The Plate Licked Clean(Third in a series of bits from a road trip in summer 2018. The prelude is here; here’s Part One; and Part Two.) Day three: and further into the hot, arid heart of Spain. Today’s mission: we come in search of lechazo. Those three tripping syllables have represented a kind of meaty magic for decades:
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.
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.
From mezze to Michelin ‘fine dining’ and all points in between.