Author: Paul Southgate
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Gigi Pizza, Bristol: A Slice of Cool in the Coolest of Cities
Pizza. It’s no longer just food, is it? It’s a way of life. A cultural moment. Where once you’d pop out for “a pizza,” now you find yourself wading knee-deep in existential questions. What sort of pizza are we talking about here? Is it artisan? Sourdough? Neapolitan? Detroit-style? Vegan? Bristol, the city that could gentrify…
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A Christmas Miracle at The Granary Club
Picture the scene: it’s the office Christmas party. You know the type. The “celebration” where enthusiasm is proportionate to the amount of Pinot Grigio consumed, and nobody really wants to be there except Sandra from accounts (until she’s crying in the corner). The buffet is a fluorescent homage to beige, the wine a choice between…
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From Downton to Downtown: The Andaz Experience
When you’re nipping into London for a quick overnighter, location is everything. Schlepping across the capital like some 18th-century explorer, map in hand, is a waste of valuable time you could be spending doing literally anything else. So, you want a hotel near a major tube station—a station that’s basically a public transport Swiss Army…
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One Aldwych: Quietly Exceptional in the Heart of London
Here’s the hard thing about being a luxury hotel in London: standing out. Honestly, who isn’t spoilt for choice? You’ve got the big-name establishments with their red-carpet entrances, top-hatted doormen, and an air of aristocratic pomp, servicing those who like their luxury served with a side of flash. Then there are the multi-national chains—slick, polished,…
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Twice Blessed at Bentley’s: A Week of Unimaginable Indulgence
There are weeks when the heavens part, the stars align, and the gods of gastronomy beam down upon you. This, dear reader, has been one such week for me. Not once, but twice I’ve graced the hallowed halls of Bentley’s in Mayfair. First, hosting a client Christmas lunch in the Mersea private dining room, and…
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The Breakfast Club: A Review by Someone Who Knows How to Plan Ahead
Gen Z’s are famous for their desire for instant gratification—except, it seems, when it comes to queuing outside the latest Instagram restaurant. Unlike most of them, I can make a plan and stick to it. So, instead of standing in the rain with the hopeful hordes, I booked a table. Yes, it’s called being an…
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Shaken, Stirred, and Cloaked in Mystery: Manetta’s Bar Unveiled
Tucked away in London, where cobbled streets and whispered secrets meet, lies Manetta’s Bar. You know the type. One of those subterranean jewels you have to “accidentally discover,” as though stumbling across Narnia through the back of a wardrobe. No natural sunlight, of course. Carpet so thick you immediately reassess your own home’s threadbare offerings.…
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The Gate Hotel, London: Style Without Substance
The trouble with hotels is this: they face two challenges—the building and the service. Separately, neither means a thing. The finest architecture without warmth is just a shell; impeccable service in a soulless box feels like being hosted by a robot. The Gate Hotel, sadly, is a masterclass in missing the point. At first glance,…
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Fujiyama, Nuremberg – Sushi in a Sauna, Drama on a Platter
Travelling is all about discovery, isn’t it? Those moments when the unfamiliar beckons, and you step off the beaten track into something extraordinary. That’s exactly how we found Fujiyama, a sleek little sushi spot tucked into Nuremberg’s old-world heart. It was one of those nights when the chill seeps through your coat, and the only…
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Review of The Castle Inn, Castle Combe: An English Roast with All the Charm of a Titleist Pro V1
There are a few rituals that are quintessentially British, the kind of things that cement one’s English credentials. A Lord’s Test match, afternoon tea at The Ritz, changing of the guard – or the ever-present queue, which we endure even if it kills us. And, of course, there’s the post-defeat “chin up” ritual after every…
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The Travel Critic 