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Gohan Dubai â Japanese Joy with a Side of Marital Discord
Read full review: Gohan Dubai â Japanese Joy with a Side of Marital DiscordIt came to my attentionâbecause everything comes to my attention, particularly if it relates to food or travel or the steady erosion of my sanityâthat in the ritualistic nightly conversation of âWhere shall we go for dinner?â, there exists a subtle, psychological warfare between myself and the current Mrs Travel Critic (aka my long-suffering wife…
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BrewDog Dubai; Pints, Palms and Punk IPA in the Desert
Read full review: BrewDog Dubai; Pints, Palms and Punk IPA in the DesertThe joys of international travel, we are told, lie in the chance to immerse oneself in other cultures: to haggle for spices in a sun-bleached souk, to ride a camel over sand dunes at sunset, to hear the haunting call to prayer echo off the minarets of an ancient city as you sip mint tea…
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La Cantine at The Delano â A Lifestyle Destination (Whatever That Means)
Read full review: La Cantine at The Delano â A Lifestyle Destination (Whatever That Means)Thereâs a category of modern establishment that sets off the klaxon in my head before Iâve even seen the menu. You know the sort: places described not as restaurants or bars, but as âlifestyle destinations.â La Cantine bills itself as âa vibrant all-encompassing lifestyle destination with Mediterranean dining.â Which, translated from the marketing guff, means:…
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Demon Duck Dubai: Ducking Hell – A Tale of Culinary Regret
Read full review: Demon Duck Dubai: Ducking Hell – A Tale of Culinary RegretI didnât have the duck. Let me just get that out of the way before we go any further. I went to a restaurant called Demon Duck and I didnât order the duck. What was I thinking? I love duck. Iâve always loved duck. Crispy duck pancakes, duck Ă lâorange, duck confit, duck fat potatoes,…
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The Clifton Sausage: A Banger of a Staple
Read full review: The Clifton Sausage: A Banger of a StapleThere are some places that arenât so much part of the food scene as they are part of the actual scenery. Places so ingrained in the local fabric, youâre not sure whether they serve sausages or hold up the street itself. The Clifton Sausage is one of those places. A fixture. A stalwart. A culinary…
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The Riverstation, Bristol â As Close to an Institution as It Gets (and Yes, I Know There Are Loads of Institutions in Bristol)
Read full review: The Riverstation, Bristol â As Close to an Institution as It Gets (and Yes, I Know There Are Loads of Institutions in Bristol)Thereâs a thing that happens when you live in or around Bristol long enough. You start throwing around the word institution like itâs seasoning. The Lido this, The Ivy that. But when it comes to food â proper, grown-up food that doesnât come with a side of TikTok â there is one place that quietly,…
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The Southgate Pub, The Gower â a Narcissistâs Nightmare
Read full review: The Southgate Pub, The Gower â a Narcissistâs NightmareLetâs start with the obvious: this is a slightly narcissistic review. A Southgate reviewing The Southgate? Itâs like David Gower critiquing The Gower, or Brad Pitt doing a documentary on Big Pit. The whole thing already smacks of self-regard, so itâs a shame I have to report that the only thing this pub and I…
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The Windmill, Portishead â Pub Grub No More
Read full review: The Windmill, Portishead â Pub Grub No MoreThere are three things in this country rarer than a competent rail replacement bus: A week of sunshine. A pub with a view worth more than a glance. A pub lunch that doesnât taste like it was scraped off the floor of a 2008 wedding buffet in Milton Keynes. Today, by some celestial clerical error,…
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The Wheatsheaf, Combe Hay â Sunday Roast in Heavenâs Back Garden
Read full review: The Wheatsheaf, Combe Hay â Sunday Roast in Heavenâs Back GardenThose of you whoâve been unwise enough to keep up with my recent reviews will know Iâve been on a bit of a German bender â bratwurst this, Bauhaus that, and enough Riesling to irrigate the Mosel. But today, back on dear old Blightyâs turf, I found myself luxuriating in something so English it couldâve…
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Gilden im Zims: Where Beer Flows, Pork Rules, and Calories Donât Count
Read full review: Gilden im Zims: Where Beer Flows, Pork Rules, and Calories Donât CountIt has, I realise, been something of a week of clichĂŠ for anyone whoâs been masochistic enough to read my recent reviews. A dreary parade of the obvious, the tried and tested, the meat-and-potatoes (and sauerkraut) of travel food writing. And Iâm not about to let you off the hook just yet, because this sorry…
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Fabulous food, stunning stays, honestly reviewed.
Paul Southgate is The Travel Criticâthe kind of traveller who claims to love adventure, as long as it includes 24-hour room service and a spa.
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Paul Southgate: a patchwork of Hughs stitched together with fraying thread. The poor manâs Hugh Grant, all charm on a budget. The thinking womanâs Hugh Laurie, though thinking too hard might ruin the illusion. Heâs got Hugh Jackmanâs kindness, but not the abs, and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstallâs enthusiasm for food, minus the ability to turn nettles into Michelin-starred soup. A wannabe Hugh Hefnerâpipe dreams in a velvet dressing gownâbut in reality, closer to Hugh Bonneville, bumbling through life with a comforting sort of dignity. A man of many Hughs, and yetâŚnone of them.
The Travel Critic 