Author: Paul Southgate
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YOTELPAD Stratford: Smart Money, Slightly Odd Beds
So, you need a hotel for a couple of nights in London and don’t particularly fancy paying £300 for a dubious guesthouse in Kensington, where the carpets have seen three monarchs and the bathroom door doesn’t quite close. The smart money is on looking at Tube stations, particularly when the Elizabeth line is involved. Which…
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Coopers, London: The Restaurant Equivalent of pH 7
So here’s the thing. If you’re a restaurant in London, you have to have a thing. You have to be different, or exceptionally good, or have a stunning venue, or a bit of history behind you. You need amazing produce, a kitchen that can do something extraordinary with it, or at the very least one…
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Oz & Isle, Cambridge: All the Looks, Not Quite the Cooking
Australia gets a lot of things right. Beaches and work-life balance are near the top of the list. Sure, they have their issues. An alarming abundance of deadly snakes, for one, and a rather questionable grasp of Olympic breakdancing. But we can overlook those things because anyone who has visited knows that when it comes…
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The Hobson by Adina, Cambridge: Old Bones, Modern Comfort
There’s something rather satisfying about taking an old building and giving it a new lease of life without completely stripping away its character. Take an old police station, spruce up the stonework, add underfloor heating and furnish the rooms with everything you need for a comfortable modern stay. And there you have it: The Hobson…
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The Ivy: A Saturday Lunchtime Surprise
Anyone who’s read my reviews before will know that I’m not the biggest fan of The Ivy. I’ve had a few visits that have left me wondering what all the fuss is about, and I’ve never been entirely convinced that the name on the door guarantees the experience on the plate. But my mum always…
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Coppa Club, Sonning: Cool Without Trying Too Hard
There’s a fine line between somewhere being modern and cool and somewhere being so desperate to convince you it’s modern and cool that you want to leave immediately. Thankfully, Coppa Club in Sonning sits comfortably on the right side of that line. It’s stylish, contemporary and has a nice atmosphere, but without the sort of…
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The Eagle, Cambridge: A Pint of History, Please
Some pubs you visit for a pint. Others you visit for the history. And then there are places like The Eagle in Cambridge, where you arrive for a Guinness and suddenly find yourself quite happy to write off the rest of the afternoon. This pub was chosen by my father-in-law, who certainly knows his way…
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The Great House, Sonning: A Hotel With a Soul
There is, of course, a tried-and-tested modern formula for establishing a luxury hotel. A sort of hospitality paint-by-numbers for the property developer who wants five stars without the inconvenience of anything resembling a soul. Step 1. Find a beautiful old building with some actual history. Ideally, one with wonky floors, original beams, a few stories…
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Green Street Sandwiches, Bristol: A Case of Pork Envy
You know how much I love a new place that an influencer has decided to tell the internet about. You can generally guarantee it’s going to be one of two things: the best thing that has ever happened to mankind, or an unmitigated disaster involving a £19 plate of eggs and a queue that stretches…
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Bravas, Bristol: The Greatest Hits and One Hell of a New Track
There is a particular moment at a concert when a mega-famous rock band, having spent two hours rattling through their greatest hits in front of 50,000 people, announces that they’re going to play something new. The crowd goes quiet. Someone goes to the toilet. A bloke at the bar orders another pint. It’s not that…
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