Category Archive: Rest of UK

Outside of London

Review: The Mash Inn, Radnage

I had no idea the Chilterns were such proper countryside; only a stone’s throw from London but with proper twisting lanes, bosky woods, hilltop views and bucolic villages. In one of them, Bennett End, is the old red brick Mash Inn, a restaurant with rooms. We stayed overnight in a garden room with dinner and …

Continue reading »

Review: Burnt Orange, Brighton

Brighton has always been one of my favourite places; colourful, eccentric, full of stuff. But it was only after people began thinking of it as a commuter base for London that the food scene really took off. And now you get little home-grown empires of dining to match pretty much anything in London, like the …

Continue reading »

Review: The Palm, Froxfield

Really quick one. The Palm is an Indian restaurant, one of those odd ones that is planted in a totally random location along a quiet stretch of an A-road, in this case the A40 in Wiltshire. The incongruity of the starkly modernist (circa 1990) building with bold colours, magnificent light fittings and abstract wall art… …

Continue reading »

Review: Mana, Manchester

My favourite thing at Mana. They made a fudge by reducing down 120 litres of cucumber juice to a mere dollop. It no longer tasted of cucumber exactly, but still had a green note along with a deep sticky-sweet flavour a bit seaweedy. This blob made a superb relish for some insanely well cured sea …

Continue reading »

Review: District, Manchester

It’s all about the vibe at District, a modern Thai tasting menu place in Manchester. Seriously. If you’re not into the vibe, you’ll hate it no matter what the food. And if you’re into the vibe, you’ll love it and maybe overlook the odd missed beat in the cooking. The vibe is cyberpunky. You’ve got …

Continue reading »