Bath edit: The Raven

We went to visit The Raven on recommendation from a friend of mine who went to uni in Bath. Knowing I am a fussy eater, she said that this was a great place for simple, local pies.

When we arrived, we walked through the door and felt a little bit like we had walked into a local pub that we wouldn't be welcome in. However, we avoided the downstairs bar and headed upstairs, where we found a delightful, relaxed upstairs section. 

It suited everyone; tourists, students, businessmen on a lunch, and someone who just fancied sitting a reading a book. It was out of the way and quiet, run by locals and clearly the staff were happy. 

There was a jolly barman who took our order, when we asked him which pies he recommended he had clearly tried all of them and had lots to say about each - it always makes me feel happy knowing the staff have eaten the food. 

I ordered the locally produced Raven Ale pie (apparently the most popular) made with their own ale, along with the ale and onion gravy and chips. It was lovely and meaty, with a good combination of vegetables and the pastry itself was crumbly and soft, beautifully cooked. I was offered gravy on the side or on the pie - and was told you got less on the side but nevertheless ordered this anyway - and it was plentiful! 

D had the free ranger pie (chicken and leek) with Sage and Onion gravy and chips. I had a little try of his pie - it was lovely and creamy with lots of flavour. I was most impressed by the amount of meat they put in the pies, not lacking whatsoever, a great ratio of filling to pastry. 

Overall the relaxed, friendly atmosphere and simple menu equalled great food and a delicious meal. I enjoyed the fact that they didn't overdo it with the menu - there was just the right amount of choice which meant they had put a lot of thought into the dishes on the menu. 

Simple yet effective! 

Prices - £10 for a pie with gravy and potatoes 

8/10

Paigey x

Bath edit: Sotto Sotto

Last weekend, D and I took a trip down to Bath for a couple of days. What a beautiful city! I have only been there briefly in the past, to visit a friend at uni, but we had the pleasure of 2 days to see the sights and try all of the local delicacies that there are to offer. So in the next few posts, I shall indulge you with the good, and the down right incredible. 

A friend of ours recommended Sotto Sotto, and if you research around it you will find that it is currently the No1. Restaurant in Bath, and No7. In the UK. My goodness does this place deserve it! I have never been so excited about a restaurant that I want to tell all about it, and for everyone to have the opportunity to go and try this delightful little restaurant. 

I phoned a couple of weeks in advance, and they only had tables available at 9pm. I politely declined the offer, and they put me on a waiting list for an earlier table. Had I known how incredible this place was going to be, I would have taken any time they wanted, even if it was 3am! 

On the day, the restaurant phoned me to inform me that they had a table at 8.30pm, I know it's only half an hour earlier but that makes all the difference sitting at 8 compared to 9. I happily accepted. 

When we walked into the restaurant, we were amazed by how beautiful it is. Clearly an old wine cellar, you go down some little steps into a contemporary bar where the waiters take your coat. We sat for 5 minutes whilst the waiters got our table, which was coincidentally ready 10 minutes early. As we walked through into the main restaurant, I wanted to explore! It was warm, with mood lighting and a pleasant and romantic atmosphere. All the diners seemed happy, and there were plenty of staff milling around. 

The waitress came to our table, told us the specials and went to get us a bottle of wine. It was a sight to see watching the staff in the restaurant, as they all had only a couple of tables which meant you felt incredibly well looked after. We ordered our food and sat back to relax, when another waiter came to the table.

He introduced himself to me by name, remembering that I was the person who he phoned that morning to give the reservation to, a perfect little personal touch. He was extremely friendly - his name was Charlie, and I felt like he had made it his personal mission for us to have a good night.

The menu was extensive, but there was not too much choice that it overwhelmed you. I saw a few dishes that sounded scrumptious. 

D and I both ordered the bruschetta to start, which was light and refreshing, a perfect opening to the meal which didn't fill you up before you got to the main. The tomatoes were sweet and plentiful, whilst the bread had the perfect combination of softness and crunch that you want from a bruschetta. We were glad we ordered one each, as it was reasonably small! 

For the mains, I ordered a chicken and chorizo dish, with a side of mustard mash. 

The sauce that the chicken came in, a balsamic vinegar was zingy and bold, and as I am a fan of vinegar it was just what I liked. The mustard mash was also quite strong, which it didn't mention in the menu but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Fresh Italian sausages completed the meal, full of flavour and different to the bog standard pepperonI you get in chain restaurants. 

D had the chicken and chorizo pizza, which naturally I had to try. It was very similar to the dish I had, but with a perfectly cooked thin crust and plenty of mozzarella. 

Unfortunately, there was no way either of us had room for pudding, but it certainly had an interesting dessert menu. 

When we ordered the bill, it came out with 2 shots of limoncello to refresh our pallets, a lovely way to end a perfect evening. 

I have to stress, that whilst the food was great and the place was stunning, everything added together made for an experience which we will not forget in a hurry. The cost was not extortionate, it was similar prices to what you would expect from the high street Italian restaurants (obviously with no vouchers), but well worth the price, and you will definitely want to give a generous tip.  Additionally, the thing that really makes this place is the service, it is above and beyond what you get in any other restaurant I have experienced, there is a personal touch, and the staff clearly enjoy their job and really care about the place. On our departure, Charlie came and thanked us and asked us about our stay, and asked us to come back again. They did make you feel like you were the only people that mattered, and that it was their job to make you happy - something you always want from a restaurant, but barley ever receive. 

We will most certainly be revisiting this place on our next trip to Bath, and I will happily rave about it to anybody that wishes to listen. 

Cost - approx £10-£15 for a main course

10/10

Paigey x

Anstey Hall Cambridge

When I visit Cambridge, I don't often stay there as there aren't many hotels in the centre; and they tend to be very pricey.

However, last week there was a little gem that happened to be in budget, so I thought I might as well try! 

I am so very glad I did, it was a beautiful old house just on the edge of the city, owned by someone who still lives in the house (the receptionist warned me upon arrival, incase there was a "strange man" walking around).

It is not like anywhere I have stayed before, as I tend to stay in chain hotels as I feel safer with the 24 hour reception keeping an eye on me. However, I was assured that there would be night staff, which made me a little happier.

As I drove up to the house, I was astounded by it's beauty, and couldn't believe my luck being able to experience such a beautiful surrounding. It felt like I was driving into Downton Abbey (one of my favorite TV shows at the moment, so you can only imagine how happy I am to feel like I'm joining the Crawley family for the day).

It was very grand, and as the receptionist took me to my room, I was excited to see what it looked liked. Reception was a flurry of activity - there were flowers everywhere as they were planning for a wedding the next day. It really felt like a big holiday home, there was a lounge with open fire, a games room and a bar, which in a very trusting manner you helped yourself to and wrote down what you had to be charged to your room. 

I was not disappointed, my bedroom was at the top of the stairs, just next to the breakfast room. I had huge old bay windows, with a stunning view of the garden, with a great big feature chandelier in the middle of the room. The bathroom was modern (as you would hope) and the room had all of its original features. The only downside was that it was a little cold, but they had a small electric heater for me to use who h was perfectly adequate. 

In the morning, I headed down to breakfast. Whilst I enjoyed breakfast, those who would like a cooked breakfast will be disappointed, it is serve yourself but everything is pre laid out the night before - everything from fruit to cereal and yoghurt to pastries. I tend to steer clear of the cooked breakfast, so I was happy with this, but it might not suit everyone. The hall that breakfast was in is large and echoey, a little like a school dining hall! But it does still have the Manor House feel to it, unfortunately I ate alone (the only person in there), so it did lack in atmosphere. 

After leaving the hotel, I realised that I had left my earrings in the bedroom. Although I had to phone a few times to check, due to the fact that they were busy with a wedding, I was very impressed that they found my earrings (along with my water bottles!) and posted them back to me - so a special thank you as I was quite upset to loose them!

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my stay, it was different to usual and rather adventurous. 

I hope to be visiting there again on my travels to cambridge. 

8/10.

Paigey x

Meat or Fish?

My feelings on Burger & Lobster can be summed up in just one word... nice.

I wasn't overly impressed with my experience, I would say it's a great place to go once, but it is unlikely that I would go back again. The novelty is fun, getting an apron to eat with, and the simplest menu you could ask for, however I really do think there's not a lot to it.

Clearly not everyone agrees with me, as it is constantly rammed and we had to wait  an hour to get a table - you can't book (unless you are a big table) meaning you are forced into waiting at the very expensive bar. They weren't particularly clear (or sure) how long the wait would be, but we patiently waited. They apprehensively suggested approx thirty mins, but it was certainly closer to an hour. 

When we were finally seated at the table, we were treated by a very friendly waitress to great service... Which didn't last the entire meal. She was the hostess and so got back to her job, whilst another very straight faced waitress came and took over.

The problem I find with this place, is that if you eat lobster it is a really great deal, whereas if you want a burger its a really expensive burger. Everything is £20, and I went for a burger. My friend had the lobster and said it was lovely, but my burger was merdiocre. Don't get me wrong, it was a decent burger, but nothing special, which you would expect if you are paying that much. I would rather have ordered a burger from GBK at half the price - they are much better. I get the concept, it's a great idea but if are going to price burgers the same as lobsters you need to make it one incredible burger! 

The nail in the coffin was when our waitress, whilst we were waiting for the  bill decided to take a seat at the table next to us to sit and chat to her friends for 10 minutes, completely ignoring all of her customers when it was quite clear she was not on her break. 

All in all, it was fine. I wouldn't go back in a hurry, and would definitely choose a hundred other restaurants before this one. 

On the plus side, we didn't need to pay a tip due to poor service! 

4/10

Paigey x

My Old Dutch - Holborn

Now Good evening fans! Firstly I would like to take this time to apologise, for my lack of writing lately. It's been a busy few months (some might say I had a bit of writers block), but the honest truth is that I've just been eating out too much to catch up! 

Fear not, I have been saving up all the little gems I've visited, and promise over the next week or so to give you a highlights (and lowlights) of my Christmas and new year period, and I promise I've been a busy bee.

But to start with, I thought I'd get myself warmed up with a little simple place I visited for lunch with my colleagues in London. 

Meetings in London are few and far between, so everytime my team and I catch up we take this as a chance to grab some lunch. My manager suggested a little cafe called 'My Old Dutch' which specialises in pancakes. now this made sense to me, as when I visited Amsterdam in February of last year, one of the highlights that was recommended to us was a pancake house! So today I tried the UK version. Don't get me wrong, it was nowhere near as good as the ones we tried in the Netherlands, but that could have had something to do with the Dutch beer and what have you. 

The pancakes in London today were a HUGE, unfortunately we were sat on a particularly small table, that didn't really work considering the sizes of the plates. Service was speedy - just what you need for a quick lunch break. I like the idea of savoury pancakes, much lighter than a pizza but very similar. However I can't help but feel they should offer the whole menu in different sizes, rather than as elect few you can get as light options. 

I went for a 'create your own' - feta, chicken, chorizo and sun dried tomatoes. The pancake could have done with a little bit more crispness, and the sun dried tomatoes were a bit odd, but other than that it was pretty tasty. Needless to say I couldn't finish it all, and it left me wishing I'd had a Nutella pancake. 

Generally, it's a good idea, and I'm sure it works for some. I think I shall be sticking to lemon and sugar in the future! 

See you all later,

Paigey x

Woolacombe - The Boardwalk Bar and Restaurant

This looks like the classiest establishment in the village, and it certainly didn't disappoint. We arrived to the Boardwalk approx 15 mins before opening (despite walking along the road above it for about 10 minutes, confused as we had seen it from the beach but couldn't find it along from the apartment... Just look down... Duh!) and they were more than happy to accommodate. If you have a pushchair (which we did) be aware of the steep hill up to it, but easy enough!

We had seen the boardwalk as soon as we arrived in Woolacombe, and agreed we should try it. So before D and I headed home, we did exactly that. It did not disappoint. The staff were extremely friendly, the atmosphere was good, turnaround was quick and they had a great menu, including an excellent kids menu. The only thing I would say is the portions are large, and save room for dessert! 

We were the only people in the restaurant for most of our meal, which meant, in a good way we had all of the staff fussing over us. D is currently obsessed with Camembert (and I must say I'm rather partial), so between the 4 of us, plus H who is probably the youngest person to enjoy a classy starter of Camembert, we shared two portions. Once again, eyes bigger than my belly next time I would be happy with 1 between 4, but it was delicious, and the chutney (though I'm not a lover) was just as everybody liked it. There was a good sized portion of bread, and it was crisp and light so as not to fill your stomach too quickly.  

I feel like I am becoming a burger connoisseur, but once again I went for a burger (cheese and bacon). It was perfectly cooked, crumbly and meaty and quite clearly homemade (in a good way). Although I've been informed they're not allowed to offer you burgers cooked to different levels these days, it was beautifully pink in the middle with lots of flavour and juices. The chips were lovely and crisp, and I just loved the little basket they came in, great presentation! (Are you getting used to the idea that I always want to steal kitchen accessories). 

Despite how unbelievably full I was after all this food, I couldn't resist a brownie. I never thought it would happen, but I actually managed to eat the whole thing. It was so good, gooey and squidgy in the middle and chewy and crispy on the edge, just how brownies should be. It came with thick clotted cream, and although it wasn't quite as good as my stepmums birthday, it was a close second. There was even a little crisp honeycomb scattered on top, which was a great touch. 

We had a great evening, and although we were going home that evening I'm pretty certain the others planned to go back. Everything they did was right, staff, food and atmosphere was all perfect, and of all of the places we tried in Woolacombe it was by far #1.

£15-£20 for mains

10/10

Time for bed,

SD

Paigey

Xx

Woolacombe - Woolacombe Bay Pizza Company

Okay, this is an assumption. On the Sunday evening, the boys went to get fish and chips. Naturally, being a Sunday, all fish and chip shops were shut. So they turned to pizza, and considering there are 36 restaurants in Woolacombe, and this seems to be the only pizza one, I'm assuming it's where they got it from ( I may have had a wine too many at this point to decidedly know where it came from). 

Anyhow, the pizza we got from this place made for a great night. Mainly for the company and games we played, but it was a good pizza all the same. We had a great evening whilst away that weekend, when grow ups became children, and we bought board games! Originally, the plan was to go out. But the sea air and long walks knackered us out, and we decided to stay in at the guys apartment, and get a takeaway. Sadly, I don't have a picture of the pizza, but they came home with a couple of varieties, and they were great. Not too greasy, with a good thick crust and lots of ingredients. 

But honestly the best part of it all was that the boys came home with Jenga, and Kerplunk! (All be it a much more health and safety friendly game than what I remember!). 

We spent the evening playing games, including the aforementioned as well as heads up, which if you don't have as an app on your iPhone now I urge you to download. It was one of the funniest nights I've had in a while, and I give it 10/10 (indulge me please). 

Paigey xx