“Midsomer Norton, though? Isn’t that a bit of a long-haul, off the beaten track?” Imagine a Londoner living in Hammersmith saying that about Finsbury Park, or a Brooklyn-dweller talking about a flit into central New York: it just wouldn’t happen. Okay, so the only direct comparison between the journey from Bath to Midsomer Norton isContinue reading “Soyful’s Kitchen, Midsomer Norton”
Author Archives: Melissa
The Prandial Playground’s ‘…beyond’ Foray #1: Bournemouth
Friday The number 7 features highly on the Bournemouth fun facts list; the historic resort town in the borough of Dorset boasts 7 miles of sandy beaches, attracts 7m visitors a year and gets an average of 7.7 hours of sunshine during the summer months… …or not, as the case may have been when weContinue reading “The Prandial Playground’s ‘…beyond’ Foray #1: Bournemouth”
Montagu’s Mews at The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa, Bath
“There’s a kind of hush all over the world, tonight…” Well yes, of course there is… because we’re at a table on the Royal Crescent Hotel and Spa’s brand new heated, covered terrace overlooking the gorgeous garden; if you can’t feel at peace here, you’re unlikely to feel at peace pretty much anywhere else. TheContinue reading “Montagu’s Mews at The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa, Bath”
The Griffin Inn, Monmouth Street, Bath
The Griffin Inn – the smart little hostelry on the Monmouth Street/Princes Street axis with a history that dates back to 1730 – is thriving again… and I know for sure that I’m not the only Bathonian to say cheers to that! In recent years, history hasn’t been kind to this mellow oasis of cityContinue reading “The Griffin Inn, Monmouth Street, Bath”
The Mint Room, Bath
Have you been watching MasterChef 2023? I have – and I’m all too aware that I’m watching it all too often as I have, apparently, started to channel MC judge John Torode, even if I’m eating eggs on toast, at home: “the whites are just set, the yolks are creamy, but everything is over-seasoned; ifContinue reading “The Mint Room, Bath”
The Marlborough Tavern, Bath
I’ve lived in Bath long enough to remember the bad old days when The Marlborough Tavern was a rather tatty, unloved boozer, most definitely not in-keeping with its lovely location just a hop, skip and a jump away from the Royal Crescent, directly opposite the green lushery of the Royal Victoria Park golf/footgolf meadows. I’veContinue reading “The Marlborough Tavern, Bath”
The Architect, Orange Grove, Bath
If you’re a fan of grand designs, The Architect – formerly (and for way too long) a rather unloved branch of the rather unloved British casual dining chain Garfunkel’s, that dominated the ground floor of the former Empire Hotel in Orange Grove – has got it all going on. If the approach – a massive,Continue reading “The Architect, Orange Grove, Bath”
PLATE at The Bird Hotel, Bath
Plush crushed velvet; juicy pulled pork bonbons; friendly faces. Cool contemporiana; cosy nooks and crannies; coffee salted caramel. An alfresco terrace offering splendid cityscape views; sticky jus; a sparkly bar specialising in sparkly cocktails: gosh, there’s so much going on PLATE – the deliciously quirky, super-stylish, flamboyant yet still somehow distinctly down-to-earth restaurant on theContinue reading “PLATE at The Bird Hotel, Bath”
Bandook Kitchen, Milsom Place, Bath
Milsom Place – the heart of Bath’s ‘Milsom Street Quarter’, don’cha know, and currently at the heart of a major B&NES remake/remodel/refurb discussion too – could be described as the Bath equivalent of, say, London’s Covent Garden, or Liverpool’s Georgian Quarter, or Edinburgh’s Stockbridge: an ancient-meets-modern urban sanctuary (in Bath’s case, based around a historicContinue reading “Bandook Kitchen, Milsom Place, Bath”
Pieminister, Westgate Street, Bath
I don’t really trust people who says they don’t like pies. Okay, fair enough, if they’re referring to potato- or meringue-topped versions, or latticed pies, or flaky, lid-only aberrations that, to me, are pies in name only, I get their point – there’s a fair debate to be had here. But real, proper, actual piesContinue reading “Pieminister, Westgate Street, Bath”
The Prandial Playground, Bath and Beyond... 