Melissa

Dinner at The Gainsborough Bath Spa

Enormous, glistening prawns (‘Dancing Prawns’, no less!) – crispy on the outside, soft and juicy within – drenched in a glossy, citrus-infused, Asian-esque emulsion and dotted hither and thither with sweetly nutty crystallised walnuts. A trio of meaty, chargrilled skewers (chicken, lamb and beef), each one tasting of their very best selves, served with aContinue reading “Dinner at The Gainsborough Bath Spa”

Sunday Lunch at The Griffin Inn, Monmouth Street, Bath

Where shall we go for Sunday lunch in Bath? That’s probably the most-asked question on my X/Twitter (@ThePigGuide) timeline, at all times of the year. You’d be forgiven for thinking that it’d be the easiest question to respond to, too; after all, multiple pubs, restaurants and even bars in Bath offer multiple twists and turnsContinue reading “Sunday Lunch at The Griffin Inn, Monmouth Street, Bath”

Flute, George Street, Bath

As the Anglo-Irish satirist and author Jonathan Swift once said, “he was a bold man that first ate an oyster.” Indeed; I mean, they’re a bit weird-looking, aren’t they? But I was once that bold (wo)man, eating an oyster for the very first time almost two decades ago (at the start of a cookery class,Continue reading “Flute, George Street, Bath”

The Sepoy Club, Broad Street, Bath

Funky boutiques, upmarket nail bars, down-home takeaways. A friendly, independent coffee shop here, a late-night convenience store over there, a dedicated knob shop across the way: if you’re traversing the route from The Podium to George Street, Broad Street – worlds apart, in character and personality terms, from the prosaic parallel line that is MilsomContinue reading “The Sepoy Club, Broad Street, Bath”

Lunch at Montagu’s Mews, the Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa

What does lunch mean, to you? If you work in town, the answer to that question might mean packing up a leaking box of last night’s leftovers, or grabbing a miserable meal deal that definitely isn’t much of a big deal at all, or buying a sweaty supermarket sandwich to eat on a bench outsideContinue reading “Lunch at Montagu’s Mews, the Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa”

Green Park Brasserie, Green Park Road, Bath

I love Green Park Brasserie. Okay, that’s hardly an original thought; the lively, multi-faceted restaurant, bar and live music merrymaking zone situated on the buzzing Green Park Road/James Street West intersection opened its doors in Bath back in 1992, around the same time I too made a home for myself in the city. While GPBContinue reading “Green Park Brasserie, Green Park Road, Bath”

Bikano’s, Widcombe, Bath

There are multiple reasons for going out for dinner: excitement, indulgence, bonhomie, celebrations… escapism. But the impromptu “let’s just put our going out clothes on and go out for something to eat” is one of the best reasons of all. Now I’m not saying for one moment that Bikano’s is all and only about simplyContinue reading “Bikano’s, Widcombe, Bath”

Baba’s Mezze, Barton Street, Bath

Baba’s Mezze didn’t host a flashy opening night party, or promote a soft launch week on social media, or send me a lengthy press release telling me what to write when I was bribed to write about it. It just simply opened its doors on Barton Street (which is, in itself, turning into one ofContinue reading “Baba’s Mezze, Barton Street, Bath”

Indian Temptation, Bath

“Is everything alright with your meal?” In this instance, nobody asked – and to be frank, I don’t think anybody cared. I don’t want to be one of those power-tripping pompous people who highlights every minor service deficiency (usually in a very loud voice). I don’t want to write reviews that put people off eatingContinue reading “Indian Temptation, Bath”

Velo Lounge, Moorland Road, Bath

Back in 2002, good friends Alex Reilley, Jake Bishop and David Reid spotted a big gap in the merrymaking market. Basically, they noticed the lack of neighbourhood/’third space’ café-bar affairs that they themselves would want to go to… so they decided to create one in their home town, Bristol. Today, there are multiple Lounges acrossContinue reading “Velo Lounge, Moorland Road, Bath”