I am forever in awe of people wearing summery items in single digit weather. April continues to be unseasonably cold, which has me wearing three layers whenever I venture out these days, regardless how bright the sun may be burning. One way to keep warm and toasty, is to well, eat warm, toasty and spicy food. Turtle Bay is…
I review Bistrot Pierre’s latest menu which is chock full of dishes that have guaranteed a second visit in as many weeks. I have my eye on the praline cream Paris-Brest.
Personal work update
*Ad-Gifted What compels you to venture dining out? For me, it is the prospect of a new environment. Don’t get me wrong, I love the four walls of my very pretty flat, but it is the idea of a fresh voice, a new face that is one of the main drivers for me at the moment. The far-reaching,…
*Ad-Gifted Did you know there are 91 days to the US election? I have been known to take the day off work as I watch the results roll in, during the late twilight hours. (I learnt the hard way when one year, I cockily thought I could watch the US elections AND make it into work. That was tough…
It is a brand new year with brand new resolutions and this year I have just the one aspirational goal. I am therefore obliged to embrace wholeheartedly the notion of not being at my desk all the time. It is one of the joys (not) of being a writer, where you spend every gold-dust minute plotting Book Three and increasing…
I had Christmas dinner a few weeks’ ago and feel compelled to hop on and write about it. (I’ve just enough time before Jurassic Park starts, so that’ll be an hour constructively spent.) It was the annual Christmas outing for Derby Book & Cake Club, and the destination was Dolce Salato, Queen Street, Derby. It’s a Bring Your Own Bottle…
Modern British food has never been more popular. Traditional fayre that has been contemporised and served with a twist is a trend I’m seeing in restaurants across the country. There has been a lot of noise about Grafene and its modern menu, with curious critics travelling the breadth of the UK to see what the fuss was about. This latest…
The dining scene in Manchester is mercurial and fast changing. Blink and you’ll miss another opening, which is why my list of ‘Must Visit Places’ is steadily mushrooming. One such place I had earmarked from a while ago was Banyan Bar & Kitchen. It was a balmy evening as we wove our way through the cutesy al fresco dining area,…
There seems to be an emerging trend in restaurants across the country. Eateries are now accentuating the dining experience by giving the diner more choices and embracing eclectic entrepreneurship. One such place is Baresca in Nottingham. This is essentially a tapas, market café and cellar bar, and its covetable larder is guaranteed to make a certain Nigella jealous. Nestled on Byard Lane…