LPM remind me a lot of The River Cafe. Splendid produce. A real sense of place. A love of good, simple food. Eye-watering prices. I’m particularly bothered by the wine menu. It must be said that there are a handful of wines on there for under £100. But a handful just means you feel self-conscious …
Bruton is a tiny town on the Somerset-Wiltshire border, with two medieval schools and a rural perfection that hasn’t gone unnoticed by a scattered variety of artists, architects and antiquarians who dot the high street but wouldn’t look out of place in a quiet corner of Fitzrovia. It’s also got a Michelin star in Osip, …
We ate at Kota on the day after Boxing Day, as we’d gone down to spend Christmas week in Cornwall. I feel it’s worth saying this as I’ve had a few meals around the holiday season that haven’t turned out as excellently as reviews of the restaurant would suggest… and I wonder if it’s that …
So we took a last-minute weekend down in the New Forest. There was literally one place on booking.com available, The East End Inn, pretty much middle of nowhere. We got there and discovered that slightly bizarrely it was owned by the bass guitarist of Dire Straits and had a (kinda average) seafood restaurant attached. Apparently …
I know what kind of cuisine I like. I like powerful flavours. I like them sharp, sour, bitter, umami. Ferments and pickles. Charring and smoking. Herb and spice. I’m not so bothered by delicacy and cream, butter and elegant simplicity. I think this explains why sometimes my lukewarm reviews of places like Five Fields and …