I was a total glutton last week, which is great for the food blog but probably pretty awful for my weight. Who needs a waist anyway…?
This post includes a few places a little further afield, but I think once you see the grub you’ll forgive me.
The Meat Shack, City Centre
If you followed my adventures last Christmas, you’ll know how much I loved the Santa Shack special from The Meat Shack. Especially when I was hungover – which was all the time. After stalking owner Paul on social media for about two months (I get the feeling I wasn’t alone in doing this) this worldie of a burger is now back on the menu for December. It’s rammed full of oozy, dreamy Camembert, parsnip crisps and fried greens, and it’s still the best burger I think these dons have ever produced. Go get one while you can and thank me later.
The Butcher’s Social, Henley-in-Arden
At the weekend I decided I hated everyone ruining my life via the German Market and left the city for the (very pretty town of) Henley-in-Arden. It may just look like a nice pub from the outside, but The Butcher’s Social is so much more than that. The food was well above par and the atmosphere and service in the restaurant on a Saturday evening were both warm and inviting. You can read about the meal here.
Legna, City Centre
Not content with opening the much praised Opheem this year, Aktar Islam is launching Legna – an Italian inspired restaurant that replaces Mi Amore on Fleet Street. I was given a place at one of the soft launch services and let me tell you, this restaurant and bar is just beautiful. The venue is classy, the food is executed with finesse, and he’s obviously onto another winner. Review to follow upon upcoming revisit.
Roastie Toastie, City Centre
In that bit I never remember the name of, that usually looks a bit like a car park, outside the Mailbox, a mini market has popped up. It’s festive but nowhere near as traumatic as the one we don’t talk about in town. Anyway, within that is a wooden shack selling toasties containing roast dinners – and they’re actually pretty good. Roastie Toasties start at £5 and are worth buying for the little tub of dipping gravy alone that’s potentially the nicest meat juice based thing I’ve ever eaten.
Kongs, City Centre
The home of Burger Theory and retro video games, Kongs has replaced the chav magnet that was Chameleon. We popped in for a pre-dinner beer and to play some old school Donkey Kong – and a driving game which further explains why I’m yet to pass my driving test at the ripe old age of 33. The space is almost too big and it could do with more games to fill it out.
Walton Hall, Warwickshire
This middle-of-nowhere Warwickshire hotel and spa is a popular wedding destination (my friend actually got married there), but this visit was for a girlie day with some of the gals in my family. We spent a few hours relaxing in the on-site spa before heading to the bar for lunch. The service was a bit all of the place but the grub was pretty decent and good value for a fairly swish hotel.
