I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about dining experiences, and how must expectation feeds into your enjoyment of a meal. I’ll be honest: I went to Core with so much buzz and hype about Clare Smyth’s restaurant having passed before my eyes that I was perhaps doomed to go “meh?” when I was treated …
Is “disappointment” meant to be the opposite of “appointment”? If so, my dining experiences in 2018 included a bunch of great appointments and a handful of disappointments. Here they are… Best meal Too easy. The pass bench at Ynyshir. This is the best restaurant in the UK right now (for my money) and I harumphed …
Core is proper fine dining. The elegant room filled with soft lighting on white linen, the miracle thin glassware, the shimmying clusters of waiters bearing the next remove, it’s all there. This is not “casual fine dining” or “modern fine dining”. And that’s lovely. This is exactly the place to come if you want to …
We’re not sure how to pronounce Monica Galetti’s restaurant, Mere. It’s certainly not “meer” as in a watery marsh. It seems more likely to be “mair” if it’s French for mother. But the website confirms that it should be “mary” which is a Samoan pronounciation. The restaurant also aims to be French with South Pacific …
I’m very seldom in a steak restaurant. As I’ve noted before, most times for me the interesting thing about a plate of food – certainly if I’m going to throw £20+ at it – is the chef’s choice of flavours and textures, how they balance, how they pop and how they’re presented. Whereas a steak …