Our table quickly turns into a trading floor with us negotiating and swapping the variations of fried chicken joy. We’ve got jerk-fried Gravy Baby Wings, Nashville Neville Strips that crank the heat dial up an extra two notches with a hot and spicy dredge… READ MORE
Wonderfully densely meaty frankfurters with a quiet kick of chilli that builds slowly. And credit to the curry sauce that offers no more sophistication than generic curry powder. It’s perfect and exactly as I remember it in Berlin, although they’d be goose stepped out of there with a price tag of £16.50… READ MORE
It’s a thick and rich, meat-laden stew, with different textures from the softness of pork belly, seared crusts and the sheer comfort of braised meats all making themselves known. A lightly truffled mash is an immaculate companion, with the sweetness of fried onions and peppery tingle of spring onion oil … READ MORE
My envy is over within two forkfuls of a perfectly cooked slab of seared hake, sitting on a bed of sweet cauliflower puree, encircled by nutty, roasted cauliflower florets. It sits in a bath of Grenobloise; clarified butter with capers, parsley and lemon, butter soaked ‘croutons’ and flecks of seaweed… READ MORE
And then those two ordinarily scene stealing plates of pasta find themselves outshone by tonnarelli, brown crab, cacio e pepe with the rich, sweetness of brown crab proving to be the dream date for the creamy, salty and peppery spiciness of cacio e pepe… READ MORE
Its flavours are pushier than a time share salesman without even mentioning the venison sauce cooked with cherry beer, milk stout and finished with dark chocolate that could well bring on gout, although that wouldn’t stop me scraping up the last evidence of it on my plate… READ MORE
My roasted saddle of Gower salt marsh lamb is a wonderfully tender, thick slice of delicately sweet-grassy and samphire-salty, rolled loin cooked perfectly pink. There’s nothing on the plate that’s not contributing to a full massage of the palate both in terms of flavour or texture… READ MORE
My perfectly slow cooked confit duck leg is meltingly tender under paper-thin crispy skin. It sits on an indulgently creamy white bean cassoulet brought into line by a sassy herb-rich sauce verte. Confit duck must be one of the high points of French cuisine and this is heavenly high… READ MORE
Two slices of well done lamb sit on new- and mini-roast potatoes with date stuffing that’s gorgeously sweet and light caramel. There’s a very drinkable minted gravy and I’m self congratulating myself on my choice when the Yorkshire puddings land, sending me into a spin. They are pure Aunt Bessie … READ MORE
Thick ribbons of perfectly al dente ‘home made’ pappardelle with the intensified meaty hit of 12 hour braised beef shin ragù and a heavy dusting of 24 month Parmesan. Mopping up brings even more pleasure by accentuating the sweetness of sun-dried tomatoes and oily crunch of the focaccia… READ MORE
I’ve been left with just a third of the courgette tempura. In three fabulous mouthfuls it’s gone and I know I’ve been robbed. There’s light crunch from the batter, sweet juiciness from courgette, a meaty, salty, fiery kick from ‘nduja and fresh cooling, lemon scented creaminess from whipped ricotta… READ MORE
The teriyaki is tangy-sweet but still allows the pulled beef flank to shine through. Crisp, seasoned chips are way above average for loaded fries with crunch and heat from chilli, spring onion, slaw and crispy onions, topped with MSG-loaded kewpie mayo that makes it more addictive than crack… READ MORE
Our only conversation is to marvel at impeccably crunchy and fluffy in the middle roast potatoes; perfectly gnarly Yorkshires, beef that’s every bit the pink, tender fillet you’d expect; subtle sweetness from the roasted roots; and gravy that’s bolder than a drunken stag party… READ MORE
The plate glows with deliciously pink, thick slab of sirloin; a perfectly crisp and gnarly Yorkshire; glazed, caramelised and roasted carrots; crunchy roast potatoes; and buttered greens with leeks. The cauliflower retains bite, in a sparse but cheesy sauce with a crust that cranks up the cheesiness to the required level… READ MORE
