Rooted. 2/8/23

New Bridge Rd, Bath. BA1 3JX,

We have been in the Bungalow now for about 7 years and we haven’t really done anything to it.

Originally we bought it because there was nothing else on the market (in our price range) and we felt pressured to get out of our old Bungalow as we had agreed to sell it to some people we knew.

However, when it came to finding a place to move into, we couldn’t find anywhere that we wanted and instead of staying put and waiting, we bought this place, because we felt pressured into moving.

At the time Georgia was living in Australia and had announce that she would ‘never move back in with us again as she was too used to having her independence’.

So we planned to rent the bungalow out and use the income to go traveling.

However, not long after we moved in, Georgia changed her mind and came home.

So the place never got rented, we never got the income and we never had the enthusiasm to renovate the place.

Jaki has always wanted to sell up and move some where else. She hates being on a corner, she hates the busy road at the front and she hates our neighbour, who is a real jobsworth.

He is a bit like Boris Johnson, he dresses up in different workmen’s outfits.

For example, he has a complete outfit that he wears when he is cleaning his Car or even worse, his Caravan which only leaves his drive for two weeks a year when they drive down to the Bay of Roses in Spain. The rest of the time its parked like a stranded white Whale on his drive.

He wears a different outfit when he’s Gardening and yet another when he’s cleaning and he cleans a lot, the roof, gutters and the UPVC windows. A job he does regularly.

Each outfit comes with an appropriate hat that sits at a Jaunty angle on his stupid head.

We did re-configure the Kitchen when we first moved in but we used the old kitchen units that were here, we just moved them around.

Now they are looking really old and tired and we have reached a point where we just can stand it any longer.

So it’s time for a new Kitchen.

But, to do that successfully we need to move the boiler out of the kitchen which will free up space for a little dining area with a small table and a few chairs.

We struggled to find some one to move the boiler but eventually we got a quote and agreed a price, so next Tuesday the Engineers will arrive and the boiler will disappear to its new home in the cupboard in the hall.

That meant taking up the Laminated flooring in the hall and part of the Kitchen to expose the floor boards which then had to be cut and lifted in the relevant areas, in order to get at the water pipes below.

I did that last week, which was a bit of a nasty job as it left us with an un-even floor full of holes, splinters, stuck out nails and trip hazards which `Blake wont be expecting’. A hazardous situation.

However, after I had finished I realised the plumber wasn’t coming for another week. I had misread the diary and taken the flooring up prematurely so we have to live with this mess much longer than necessary.

Our plan, once the boiler has been moved, is to relay the floor but we were considering different options including an AMTICO floor in the Kitchen, which would be easy to clean yet would look exactly like a ceramic tiled floor. We were considering Oak Parquet in the hall and then Oak planks in the two bedrooms, so we needed to visit Interior Harmony in Bath to look at the options.

We spent an hour discussing the various choices with my mate Cary and eventually settled on Parquet for the hall and Oak planks for the Kitchen and bedrooms. Job done.

Once that was over we wandered down Chelsea Rd to Rooted, which was a Vegetarian Restaurant last time i visited but is now more of an Organic Healthy eating venue that still offered Veggie options, but not exclusively.

This is a great little place that is always busy and attracts an eclectic mix of customers.

They have a nicely covered Patio at the front which offers outdoor eating in all weathers and the inside, though not large, is comfortable and spacious.

They seated us at a very small wooden table and produced two menu’s whilst taking the drinks order.

Breakfast Tea £3.00

I made the mistake of ordering a Breakfast tea which came in a small pot with a quirky cup and saucer, but I’m sorry to say, it was ‘one of the worst cups of tea I’ve had in ages’. It was all milk and I couldn’t get any colour or flavour no matter how hard I stirred the Pot.

I needn’t have bothered with the Tea as they provided a jug of water and my meal ‘The all day Full Indian Breakfast’ (£11.95) came with home made Mango Lassi which was delicious and took me back to our time in India, some thing every person should do, at least once.

The Lassi was good.

This was a strange combination. The pot of Dhal was extremely mild despite the Green chilli and Black mustard seeds. I have no Idea what a Masala Egg is? The two eggs on my plate looked exactly like two Fried eggs except there was a slice of red chilli on each Yolk.

Small dishes held the Tomato Patcha chutney, the Green chilli chutney and some sort of Coconut sauce but the portions were so tiny you could hardly taste them and they weren’t strong enough to influence the dish in the slightest.

They were delicious in their own right and had they not been so frugal with the portions this would have been an amazing addition, but they were such small portions it wasn’t worth the bother.

I had to suspend my Low carb diet and eat at least one of the Paratha’s or I would have staved.

Jaki made a much better choice with ‘Mothers Chana Dhal’ (£10).

Basically she had a bowl of Dhal with Brown rice on the side. It was far more substantial and she wasn’t able to finish.

When the bill came they had added 12.5% service charge automatically, however, it says on the bill a “Discretionary 12.5% is added for 2 people or more”.

Why they do this, It really winds me up ?

It just hikes an already expensive bill by 12.5% . They rely on you being too embarrassed to ask for it to be removed. The total bill came to £28.06.

The service was OK, but not exceptional.

The seating was comfortable if a bit squashed on our small table, once all the bits and pieces arrived and the atmosphere was convivial, it was made all the more interesting by the customers sat next to us. They were very dapper.

But the food let it down, not the flavours just the portions, they would have been fine as a starter but not as a main.

Would I go back again?

Nah, probably not. It wasn’t good enough to warrant the drive all the way to Bath and with a Cafe and a Deli in Chelsea Rd as competition I didn’t think Rooted did enough to win me over.

I did like the Dahlia on our table though.

The scallop shell. 17th March 2022

We were meeting up with some friend in Bath  to see Beautiful at the Theatre Royal.

When we agreed to go along to see a show I had no idea what it was,I just agreed without giving any thought to the show itself.

Then, a few weeks ago Jaki and I were Trolling through the TV channels on a Friday night, trying to find some thing to watch and we came across the Carol King Story. I suggested we watch that as I ‘Love Carol King”.

“You’ll enjoy the show then”. Says Jaki expecting me to understand what she is talking about.

“What Show”?

“Beautiful, It’s the story of Carol King, set to her Music”.

I couldn’t have been happier. Instead of going to see some dreary old Andrew Lloyd-Webber, I was going to listen to some absolutely Iconic Music.

Result!

Now ‘Friday Nights’ used to be our best night for watching TV. We had a routine.

First, it would be ‘ A Question of Sport’ with Sue, Tuffer’s and Matt (though now they are gone we dont bother watching, it’s just not the same). remember Billy Beaumont, Henry Cooper , Willie Carson and even Frank Bruno?

Then Gardeners world with Monty though even that isn’t so good lately.

I dont want to see people visiting the manicured gardens of a stately home or the window Box of a viewer in Tooting. I want to see real gardening, planting , sowing seeds &  pruning.

Then that was followed by  ‘Would I lie to You’ and before that Not the nine o’clock news?

That was our Friday night sorted. Some times a few Ciders and a Curry, Ten o clock news and bed. Though years ago we would be in the pub till the early hours on a Friday, but thats another story.

Now Friday nights are a Damp Squibb on the box, nowhere near as good, so we tend to watch stuff we’ve recorded throughout the week. Peaky Blinders on a Friday !

We planned to drive to the Park and Ride at Lansdowne but when we checked the time table, the last bus was 2030hrs and we had booked a table in a restaurant for 1830 so there was no guaranteed we would finish in time to catch that last Bus.

We had no choice but to drive.

Bath has never been the easiest place to drive to, through or indeed around.

When we go to Frome (Usually first Sunday of the Month for the Market) its always a nightmare getting through Bath.

I served at Bath Fire Station for a year or so and that was always problematic. The drivers needed to be on top of the Topography in order to get to the right place as quickly as possible.

Though we didn’t always make it. 

I was in a Fire Engine that crashed in Bath Easton and we wrecked 5 Cars, a Moped and the front of two cottages. That was a surpriseI can tell you.

My Introduction to Bath Fire Station

Sports car landed in the Lounge

To add to the problems they have an almost unfathomable one way system, road works and a clean air zone.

So, we checked on line to see if my car would comply.

Luckily it was deemed as clean by Bath (though in other Cities it would incur a charge) so we then looked for the best parking. Charlotte street car park seemed to fit the bill and we headed there.

It was a beautiful spring day though the wind was still a bit cold though as long as we stayed in the sunshine it was fine.

As we were early we strolled around Bath and found some places off the beaten track. We kept a note of the little cafe’s and Bistro’s that we passed, for future reference and checked out the menu’s, some of which looked really interesting.

Eventually we found ourselves outside a ‘Deli’ Come Cafe called “Perfecto Food Market’ and it appeared to have some interesting produce for sale, so we went in to explore. It was a cross between an Indian, a Turkish or maybe even Middle Eastern food shop? They advertise as selling food from 59 different countries and it really was as good a shop as I’ve seen anywhere.

Some of the produce was completely new to us, others were familiar but the quality and quantity was superb.

We decided to stop and have a Coffee primarily because there were Free Sweets on the tables and I couldn’t resist them. The Coffee was a bit too strong for us, like a cross between a flat white and a Turkish Coffee but we enjoyed it all the same.

Our friends texted and said they were on their way to join us and I sent them a map showing where we were in the hope they would enjoy having a walk around the shop. but just as we got bored and stepped outside they came wandering around the corner.

So we strolled up to the Boston Tea party where we found a table outside and ordered drinks. However, this turned out to be a wind tunnel and despite being in full sun it was bitterly cold and ‘Wee Lizzie ‘ started shivering noticeably.

Huge bottles of Wine

Jaki looking envious

So, we made our way up toward the Theatre where a very ordinary singer-guitarist was entertaining a small crowd of Theatre goers who were waiting for the doors to open.

Great Art Deco Wall paper

When they did, we crammed into the Foyer whilst the staff very officiously stood at the top of a small flight of stairs  sealed off by a crimson rope and two heavy brass bollards. When these were removed the crowd flowed up the stairs and into the gallery like the mob in Washington DC whilst we slid into the bar for some extra refreshments.

There was a call to tell us the show would start in 3 minutes and we made our way to our seats.

It was only now that ‘Wee Lizzie’ broke the news that the seating she had purchased had ‘limited leg room’. I managed to fold my legs into the space provided and eagerly awaited the start of the show.

I’m sorry to say I was a bit disappointed.

 Molly-Grace Cutler (Carol King) had a great voice and sounded very much like CK, and her opposite number Tom Milner (of the Voice) played Gerry Goffin and he had a good voice, though he looked a bit ‘cartoonish’ with his over exaggerated quiff.

The rest of the cast were presumably multi talented musicians (if we can believe they were actually playing all the instruments) but the acting was wooden, very stage school. It was like all the female characters were played by Lina Zavaroni and the boys by Jack Wild.

The story line generally told the story of how they first met, fell in love and then broke up, all the while writing incredible songs which became hits.

If I’m honest, I would have skipped all that and just had them sing a medley of Carol King songs with a few encores. 

The theatre is quite small, as is the stage, so the ‘production’ lacked a bit of excitement, using an old wooden step ladder and a few sheets of ply wood, the stage was changes were minimalist but functional as the story progressed.

However, my biggest criticism (apart from the Gents toilets which were, extremely cosy) was reserved for the Piano at which Carol King sat and sang for large parts of the action. They had positioned it as far ‘Stage right’ as it could possibly go (or it might be ‘Stage Left’) and as a result it was completely invisible to anyone sat on our side of the auditorium.

Why, when the whole stage was empty?

So a bit disappointing but none the less, an interesting afternoon doing some thing different.

When we left the Theatre it was still a bit early so we went to a local pub The Griffin Inn for a drink. This was a great choice . It was comfortable warm and very nicely decorated inside.

It was only a short walk from there to the Scallop Shell Restaurant.

This is a Fish Restaurant that wouldn’t be out of place in Padstow or Newlyn in Cornwall.

It looked and felt like a good restaurant from the minute we walked in the door.

The open plan kitchen was instantly recognisable and the staff who were busy preparing dishes all looked up and said Hello.

A large bath of ice displayed a selection of fishes which reminded me of the Sea food restaurants in Garrucha, Spain. We were shown to a booth in the front window where we could watch the night fall dark whilst the lights of the restaurant burnt brightly. Some might say too brightly?

Ian did the table cloth test to see if it was sticky and then we set about forensically examining the menu.

There was a good selection of Fishy options, but sensibly they didn’t try to offer too many choices. Cod and Chips was the ‘go to’ main course, though they offered some dishes which were fried (they tended to be battered) and some grilled.

It took a significant amount of debate and internal negotiation to eventually decide what to order.

Ian and Lizzie love their Sea Food so they were in Heaven.

They chose to have River Teign Oysters with Shallot and aged red wine Vinegar (£3.80) plus Grilled Diver caught Scallops with Garlic and Herb Butter £4.00 each to start, whilst Jaki and I went for the Classic Prawn Cocktail with Soft Boiled egg £9.50. My starter was delicious though the boiled egg was a bit of a surprise.

Ian and Lizzie made short work of their choices and declared them delicious.

A Shrimp with sun glasses?

For mains we ordered.

Two Prime North Atlantic Cod loin’s  (£17.95 ) with Fresh cut chips, Mushy Peas and Tartar Sauce whilst I went for the Line caught Pollock with Chip’s, Garlic, Parsley and Olive Oil (£21.00).

Lizzie went for the Smoked Salmon Fish cakes (£15.95) which beat her so she took the remains home in a nice little cardboard box ready to be eaten later. (Sadly that night she showed the first signs of Covid and tested positive the next day).

With a bottle of Picpoul de Pinet (£30) and a jug of house water (sparkling) that completed our meal, none of us could face a pudding.

The total Bill was £152.25 which didn’t include a staff tip.

The service was excellent, polite, friendly and knowledgeable. The environment was comfortable and pleasant even though we were sitting on slatted wooden benches. The lighting was a bit bright but it allowed us to see the food preparation area and watch the Chefs in action.

in Summary this was a very nicely run restaurant that served high quality well cooked fish dishes, but it came with a justified price tag.

Some might say that a plate of fish and chips at £20 was expensive whilst others ( who have been to Gordon Ramsays Kitchen and had his fish and chips) might feel this was a reasonably priced affair. 

As with all things, it’s subjective and all I can say is , I enjoyed mine and would go back again.

By the time we had finished eating it was dark and we walked back into the centre of town to make sure Ian and Lizzie knew the way back to their Hotel. When they recognised where they were we said our fair-wells and walked back to the car.

I nearly got knocked down crossing the road when I stepped out in front of a vehicle coming from a direction I hadn’t expected, which could have put a dampener on the night?

But I lived to eat another day, which was a good job as we have several more meals before we leave for Spain.

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Success can bring its own failure. 27th Feb 2022

We went into Bath to meet some friends we knew from Spain. They were staying in Bath for the weekend and suggested we meet up.

It was a lovely spring day, cold but with blue skies as we got off the park and ride in Milsom street.

Park and Ride

We were early so we stopped at a small coffee shop, bought a drink and sat outside in the sun listening to a busker playing acoustic guitar on the pavement opposite. It was a lovely way to spend half an hour.

Hot Chocolate

When we got to the Coeur de Lion ( the smallest Pub in Bath) Our friends were sat outside wrapped up in their coats. The outdoor seating was in full shade so didn’t benefit from the spring sunshine. Even worse, when Jaki sat on the bench seat it was soaking wet and her trousers soaked up all that lovely water. I think they must have watered the plants on the window sill above and it all ran down onto the bench seating?

It was then she realised she had left her scarf at the coffee shop, so calling my new knees into service i went back to find it still on the back of the seat where she left it.

The Girls in The Ale House Bog Island.

After a quick drink ( I was on Tomato juice) we strolled down to Bog Island ( so named because it had two public toilets) where we found some outdoor seating in full sunshine and stopped to catch up on gossip. However as the sun moved our sunny spot became full shade and we went inside the Ale House, another very small but cosy Pub.

Never forget there is a bigger picture.

Eventually it was time to leave and we made our way back up through the town centre which was much busier than on our last visit. Clearly the tourists were back and the Real Italian Ice cream shop was doing a roaring trade with a queue all the way across the street, even on a cold February day.

When we got home we hadn’t prepared any dinner and decided we would try and get a table at the Rising Sun which we knew had one of their better chef back in the kitchen and the food was good. So en route i stopped outside and Jaki ran in and booked a table for 5.30.

It wasnt long before we were putting our coats back on and walking the short distance to the Sun.

When we got there it was incredibly busy, the conservatory was packed with diners and the bar was heaving. When we announced ourselves at the bar there was some confusion as our booking hadn’t been entered in their booking system but,, hey ho.

We were shown to a table right at the back of the pub up a flight of stairs and to our dismay we would be the only people seated there. It seems they had missed our booking completely and put us up there as an afterthought?

We asked if we could sit in the bar area and eat, which they agreed. Not the best option but better than sitting in the back room on our own, which we could have done at home.

I was surprised that even in the empty dining room they suggested we sit at a small table for two rather than one of the bigger, more comfortable tables that were also empty?

We ordered our food from the menu. I chose the Butterflied Chicken Breast (£12.95) whilst Jaki went for the Rolled leg of Lamb. (£13.95).

Butterflying is a really useful technique to create a uniform thickness throughout a piece of meat, so that it will cook more quickly and evenly. BBC Good Food.

When it came I was very disappointed with my choice which was a small dried up ‘single’ breast of Chicken breast.

It wasn’t ‘butterflied’.

It was tough to cut as it had a hard outer crust where it had been over cooked or even worse, kept warm for a long time.

Jaki’s lamb was fine and perhaps the chicken was just a bad choice.

The veg was fine even though the Cauliflower cheese sauce was runny.

After the rave reviews I gave the Rising Sun for their Grill Night this was a bitter disappointment and proves the inconsistency of pub grub.

But here’s the thing.

If you cant sustain the quality of your food, any early success will quickly fade and customers will stay away.

The food in the Sun has had a resurgence since they re-employed a good chef ( she worked for them in the past) and its popularity has soared.

The challenge is to keep pace with the increased demand and one Chef can only do so much.

Unless the rest of the organisation (other Chefs, kitchen staff and servers) are up to scratch, the demand begets its own down fall and standards start to slip.

The pressure of success on a single Chef can become unbearable and as a result they often leave. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen at the Sun.

I hope this is a one off and that my experience isn’t a common one.

It was late in the day (the sign in the bar says they stop serving Sunday lunch at 7pm but the staff told us it was 6) and they may not have been able to cook a piece of chicken fresh at that time.

But would it not be been better to tell the customer the chicken was finished rather than serve up something that was so clearly below par?

That I suspect requires some one to make a decision.

Some one responsible for service, quality and standards.

In a restaurant that position is usually clear but in a busy Pub where the bar staff are more focussed on selling beer, who is responsible for the quality of the food served?

I guess that’s when a good manager comes in?

Success isn’t always measured by the numbers of people who come through the door or the amount of money that goes through the till, it’s often more nuanced than that.

Its about giving the customers the same thing, week in week out and that my friends is hard.

The Mint Room, Bath.

13/08/21

I had a mate from school who opened a restaurant in Hotwells called The Red Herring and for a few years he made a reasonable living, at least enough to buy a huge 5 storey house at auction.

The house was right on the end of the Portway at the junction with Cumberland Basin.

He got into trouble for painting the end wall red without planning permission as it was a grade 2 listed building. Even worse, it is front and centre in many an iconic picture of the Avon with the Suspension Bridge above so they forced him to repaint it cream.

Like many new restaurants the Red herring’s popularity was short lived and it eventually closed but Pete had seen it coming and built a commercial kitchen in the basement of his house from where he ran a small catering business.

He made ‘Quiches’ and sold them to all the local deli’s in Clifton, Kingsdown and Bedminster where there were lots of artisan shops selling niche items of food.

These Quiches sold like hot cakes and he couldn’t make them fast enough.

One time he told me the secret of their success, it wasn’t the look of them although that helped, it wasn’t his own special pastry casing though that was perfect.

The secret, he told me was. “Dont put any flavour in them”.

When he first started he made his quiches using lots of fresh local ingredients. So his Broccoli Quiche had lots of fresh Broccoli pieces in them as well as Broccoli flavouring.

He couldn’t give them away.

When he took the broccoli out, used food colouring instead and just threw a few bits of stalk into the mix to give a hint of authenticity, he sold them as fast as he could bake them.

It’s a bit like the cakes we bought in Sainsburies a few Christmases ago.They looked fantastic but they didn’t taste great and we threw most of them away in the New Year.

This story came to mind after our visit to the Mint Room, Bath.

Their web site proclaims:

“The Mint Room have built a reputation of providing dishes which are daringly different, high-end, with first-rate British ingredients brought to an enticing level of Indian flair. Emphasizing (badly spelt) the luxurious combinations of flavours with a great sense of innovation that draws upon both traditional and modern Indian cuisine.”

Though I’ve eaten hundreds of Curries in all sorts of venues including, India and Mauritius I had never been to the Mint Room so I was keen to give it a try. It has a reputation for delivering high end Indian dining and the promotional material really hyped it up.

My mate Cary booked a table for 4 on Friday evening at 1830 which was a bit early but it was apparently the only slot they had available.

Our first challenge was to find some where to park as there is no dedicated parking and almost no on street parking anywhere near the restaurant. Luckily I found a space on some waste land at the back and took a chance that I wouldn’t get a fine.

When we arrived at the restaurant the doors were opened for us and we were shown into the reception area. We didn’t know whether or not we should be wearing a mask and the guy that greeted us put one on, but then took it off again which was a bit confusing.

When we gave our names they couldn’t find our booking despite them phoning that morning to confirm our attendance. However, they said there was a spare table and seated us in a booth just next to the reception desk.

Our server introduced himself and provided menu’s for food and a separate one for drinks.

I asked whether the food served was generally considered Hot (as in Spicy) or Mild and I was assured it would all be mild.

The next challenge was to read the menu. The fonts seemed to be in different colours against different backgrounds which might have been alright in good light but it was extremely dark where we were sat and none of us could see what was on offer. So we resorted to using our mobile phones as torches.

• 

The Menu was interesting, It had a good selection of items, but only one page was dedicated to traditional Curries as we have come to expect them in the Bangladeshi restaurants we all know and love.

Sadly the Tasting menu (£39 per person) wasn’t available which was a shame as that would have been a good way to sample a range of dishes that were new to me.

We gamely ploughed on through the menu and after some changes eventually we all decided which option we were going for. And we were ready to order.

I’m not a great lover of ‘Popadoms and Pickles’, they tend to be very bland and you can often get better pickles in a jar from our local Indian shop, but I know other people consider this an essential element of a night out at the Balti.

So we ordered one portion to share (£2.50).

The menu described each dish exquisitely in mouth watering terms and sought to emphasise the locally sourced credentials of the Mint Room.

Jaki went for Rajasthani Lamb Chops. £9.95

Free range Welsh Lamb Chops marinated in Kashmiri Chilli, Yoghurt, Cloves and Cardamon cooked in a clay oven. These looked and tasted delicious.

Rachel chose the Anjeer Paneer Tikka. £7.95

Indian cheese marinated with Green Chilli and Cardamon and Cumin stuffed with Fig and Mint Chutney. This looked a great starter and Rachel seemed to enjoyed it.

Cary had already decided on Tawa Scallops. £10.95.

Pan fried King Scallops marinated with Fennel, Star Anise and Turmeric topped with Roasted Peppers and served with a Tomato relish.

I understood King Scallops came with the Roe where as queen scallops were meat only and were much smaller? These had no Roe and were tiny?

I went for the Shami Kababs or Sweet potato Shami as they are listed on the Menu. £8.95.

Spiced sweet potato patties with Ginger and Sautéed Peppers, Served with Green Coriander Chutney.

I’m sorry to say they were very disappointing. They had very little flavour despite the description on the menu. They could easily have come straight from the freezer at Iceland. They were small tasteless veg patties (which I make at home from left over veg and potato) and I am still at a loss to know what happened to the Green Coriander Chutney?

However, we still had the main course to come.

Jaki went for the Keralan Halibut. £17.95.

A Halibut fillet cooked with Coconut, red chilli and raw Mango tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves and Broccoli.

It looked a bit strange with a whole stump of Broccoli led on top of a piece of fish. Sadly she wasn’t very impressed with the flavour combinations. The Fish was delicious and meaty but she would have preferred it served with fresh veg and new potatoes rather than the bland tasteless sauce provided.

Cary chose the Chicken Lababdar. £16

Free range Somerset Corn fed chicken supreme cooked in the House Lababdar sauce, with mixed peppers, Coriander and fresh cream. Served with Saffron Rice.

“Lababdar” means a strong desire of something and complete surrender to it. Lababdar as a term is attached to this dish to signify complete surrender of one’s taste buds to that dish.

This seemed like a good choice but Im still not sure what a Lababdar Sauce actually is but I think he enjoyed it ?

Rachel went for the Roasted Raan. £18.95.

Tender slow roasted welsh lamb shank braised for 8 hours in spices and its own juice with Wilted greens and Awadhi style sauce. ‘

Awadhi cuisine is all about slow-cooking, known as dum in India, much of which is done in the tandoor. ‘This brings out amazing flavours and textures, which when combined with the rich, perfumed flavours from the spices create one of the best cuisines in the world. Apparently.

This was a robust dish with a large shank of lamb but it looked very firm given it had been braised for 8 hours. I know in Spain the Slow cooked Lamb falls off the bone as soon as its touched?

Im not sure the sauce that accompanied it was anything like a curry sauce but Rachel seemed to enjoy it though she left rather at lot at the end?

I chose to stick with the vegetarian options and went for Kadai Paneer. £13.00.

Indian Cheese with Sweet Peppers, infused with tangy Tomato and Fenugreek finished with Kashmiri Chilli and crushed roasted Coriander.

Luckily I had asked them to make this hotter (they added some chopped green chilli) or this would have been completely bland. It really had little to recommend it though the actual Paneer was good, the sauce was lacking any character and there was no ‘tangy tomato’ as far as I could tell.

You can just see my choice in the bottom right hand corner of this photo.

We also ordered a Bottle of Veramonte Caramenere (£26.00) a Vegan wine and a glass of Chardonnay (£4.75).

NB: My friends all had trouble with the wine glasses provided which were a strange shape. They found it difficult to drink without its spilling ?

As the driver I rewarded myself with a glass of non alcoholic Ginger beer. Very Famous Five of me.

The restaurant itself was very modern and I was fascinated by the gold textured wall behind the girls but it was just so dark.

We also had to ask for the air conditioning to be turned down as it was way too cold where we were sat though I suspect people had a different view depending where they were sat.

The seating was comfortable and looked rather swish but the booth was a bit big and I had trouble hearing the conversation at the other side of the table, though there wasn’t a lot of back ground noise.

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• 

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Service was attentive, polite and knowledgeable.

Sadly my food looked good but lacked any taste.

There is clearly a demand for this type of food, particularly some where like Bath where there are lots of visitors happy to part with their hard earned cash. But for me, I prefer my Indian to be a bit more traditional.

I dont need Flock wall paper, Sitar Music playing in the back ground and pictures of Elephants on the wall, but I do like a hot spicy sauce.

Years ago my Mate Raf came to England from Mauritius with his mate Ali. Ali got a Job as a door man at an Indian Restaurant in Corn Street, He had to dress in mock Indian clothing with a Turban and curled shoes. He couldn’t speak much English but told each customer.

“Very Nice, Very Hot, Very Tasty” No matter what they asked him!

The Mint Room delivers a modern take on Indian Cuisine, But Its not an Indian Restaurant and it didn’t work for me.

Like Pete’s quiches, the food looked good but lacked any taste and at these prices, I expected more.

I enjoyed being out, I enjoyed the company but I was underwhelmed with the food.

On the way home we drove through Bath and there were lots of pretty little Bistros with people sat outside on the pavement. The evening was warm and this looked far more appealing than siting in the Mint room with the air con on full.

Next time!

Tagine Zhor, Bath

Tagine Zhor
1a North Parade, Bath, BA1 1LF

Tel. 01225 466437
For Reservations & Enquiries Call: 01225 839822

It was my Mates 60th Birthday and we decided to go out for a meal.

Initially he suggested a Curry (they like the Frampton Balti) but I had seen the Tagine Zhor last time I was in Bath and I fancied giving it a try, so I suggested this as an alternative.

Having been to Marrakesh on holiday I fancied myself as a bit of a convert to Moroccan cuisine so I was pleased to get an early evening booking (6.30pm) though when I called the number on the web site the answer service told me it was a different restaurant which threw me so I redialed to ensure I had the number right? For some reason the short tape recorded message tell’s you you have reached some where completely different, but do not fear, you do get through to staff at the Zhor, but like the streets in Marrakesh, it just goes the long way round.

It was a beautiful spring evening and bath looked absolutely stunning in the evening light which made the bath stone glow mystically.

We managed to get parking fairly close but be warned. The traffic system in Bath is horrendous and during certain times the roads are restricted with bus lanes that are prohibited to ordinary traffic. Plus there is a Clean air Zone in operation and some vehicle will be charged.

It’s all very confusing and very difficult to understand.
My suggestion is to catch one of the Park and Ride buses ( the one on Lansdowne by the race course is particularly useful) which take you right into the centre of Bath with ease.

There were people sat outside all along the pavement on what is known locally as ‘Bog island’ because the underground toilet entrance was here. (I dont know if they are still in use)?

It looked like Europe, and we were tempted to sit and have a drink before our meal. Sadly all the tables were taken and people were stood around waiting for spare places, so we went straight in to the restaurant where we were seated immediately.

There were already people eating and the smell of food was delicious.

The seating was a bit squashed and there was a large clear screen immediately behind two of the chairs which protected us from the customers on the next table (covid) which made it feel a bit cramped. The solid construction of the tables and chairs was very North African, if a little firm.

• 

• 

The decor was great and it had a real authentic Moroccan feel.

Jaki and I once stumbled into a Restaurant in the Souk in Marrakesh without knowing it was a restaurant. It looked like some one had dumped a few tables and chairs in the middle of a road or on a building site. As it was a dead end we turned to beat a retreat but we were intercepted by the waiter and it seemed rude to leave.

So we allowed ourselves to be seated and had a fantastic if impromptue meal, though we have no idea what we ate, but it cost next to nothing.

The proprietor seemed very happy to have two dopey Brits sat in his establishment and we attracted other such vagrants so we were obviously good for business.

So we looked at the menu with a critical eye.

• 

• 

It took a while for our order to be taken, we could have done with some nibbles whilst we waited or at least a few drinks, but that didn’t happen.

Eventually we were asked for our order.

We went for 3 x two course set dinners which included a Starter and a Main Course at £26.95 each plus a Baba Ghannouj starter @ £5.50 starter and an extra Lamb Tagine. Baba Ghannouj wasn’t on the set menu).

The starters were great. My ‘spicy meat balls in Tomato sauce’ was excellent, it had a strong flavour which I’m not sure i recognised but it was Scrumptious and the sliced almonds added flavour and texture.

Plus two Cold Mezze starters which looked and tasted delicious.

Strangely we all chose the Lamb Tagine which was good and wholesome, very filling and pleasant but didn’t live up to the flavour I remembered from our back street Cafe experience in Marrakesh. It had Prunes in it (with stones, be warned) but it didn’t have the sweetness I expected and it lacked any fire. I could have done with a few fresh chillies or some strong pepper. It had plenty of tender chunks of Lamb but there was a shortage of sauce, which made it a bit dry? Dont get me wrong, this was an enjoyable meal, hearty, well cooked and very filling but it didn’t live up to my expectations.

• 

It came with separate bowls of either Couscous, Rice or Bread and we had all three, though I was the only one to eat the bread. I did have some rice but I’m not a lover of Couscous so I avoided that.

The rice was well cooked and tasty in its own right though the flat bread (Which came in a beat up old straw pot) had all sorts of toppings, though it didn’t have any real flavour. I guess its main function was to soak up the juices of the Tagine, but as I said, that wasn’t necessary as they were quite dry.

We got stuck in rapaciously, enjoying the mix of flavours and the luxury of being able to eat out with friends.

I was driving so I stuck to water whilst the rest of our group shared 6 bottles of Casablanca the moroccan beer.

We all declined Coffee and a smoke of the hubba-bubba pipes and instead we had a last drink in the Cross House, Doynton on our way home.

There was one last surprise. When the bill came and it was just short of £200.

We challenged this and they realised we had been given the wrong bill and it quickly came down to £118.85 which brought my blood pressure down too.

The service was pleasant if a bit slow to start with.

The food was good but not exceptional ( I suspect they cater for American and Chinese Tourists so the food flavours cant be too strong) but the decor and atmosphere made up for it, it felt really authentic with lots of North African artefacts, lighting and fret work.

But what I liked best was the trip to the loo which required navigating some rather steep stairs ( not suitable for disabled) down into the cellar where there was a simulacrum of a Souk Market experience. The route was lined with glass cases full of the kind of stuff you would find in a souk, jewellery, reliquary and some rather attractive Tagine pots.

In summary, we would go back again but, I would order a selection of starters and a selection of deserts and leave the Tagine for the tourists.

Thaikhun Restaurant, Bath. 24th July 2020

The Morning started badly when I went to the local Chemist to collect my prescription and when I got home, I found I had only half the medication.  Another trip to the Chemist with the now compulsory Covid wait outside until there were no other customers and I was told the Doctors had refused to prescribe all the meds and I should contact them.

So I returned home and phoned the GP.

Another tortuous process where I listen to one of the GP’s reading out a long (and rather boring) diatribe about how hard they are working to tackle the Corona Virus and if I was dying should phone 999.

Eventually is spoke to a Nurse who explained that they had prescribed two months medications only a month ago and they couldn’t let me have any more, even though i had run out, because I might be selling them on E Bay or saving them up to overdose.

I explained there was almost no market for Ramipril these days and the plastic bag they came in would make a better suicide attempt than swallowing a hand full of pills designed to reduce the size of your Prostate?

By the time we set off for Bath I was over the worst and looking forward to meeting up with Ian and ‘Wee Lizzie” some friends we met in Spain.

They live full time in Pembrokeshire but travel regularly to Calne in Wiltshire to visit their daughter who has just had a new baby girl.

They are currently basing them selves in Bath ( more as an antidote to being locked down in Pembroke than anything else) so they can visit the baby in the morning and have a wander around Bath on the afternoon.

Jaki and I drove to Lansdown and caught the park and ride (I was able to use my Bus Pas so it was free) which stops in the centre of Bath, a perfect way to avoid the traffic. There were only a dozen cars parked in the P&R car park which is just as well given most of the seats on the bus were out of service due to Covid.

Waiting for the Park and Ride Bus

That didn’t stop one old couple, fully equipped with ‘ill fitting face mask’s’, they got on board, scanned the seating arrangements and then chose to sit in two seats that were clearly marked as “Do not occupy”.

Old people ignore the Social Distancing arrangements

 

What did they find hard about that I wonder?

When we got off the bus in Milsom Street we were amazed to see Bath almost empty.

Empty Streets

There were a few tourists around but it was deserted except for the buskers (who are usually exceptional and one guy really caught our attention) and the Big Issue sellers, one of whom was unable to sell his last copy due in the main, to his erratic behaviour which kept a big area around him completely clear of potential customers.

We had an hour to kill so we set out to buy me some new aftershave.

I have for years worn Kuros but when that ran out, Jaki insisted I buy some thing different.

 

I decided to find a bottle of Eau Savage which I used to wear many years ago.

My mate Raf introduced me to it.

He used to use it as a mouth wash if we had been out drinking all night and we were due on duty at the Hospital where we worked.

He would swill a mouthful around his teeth and gums, spit it out, swear and go on duty knowing his breath smelt of lemons and not Famous Grouse.

We tried Superdrug who had Kuros on offer at £44 a bottle before finding The Perfume Shop where they had hundreds of different after shaves. ( They also have Eau de Toilet, Eau de Parfum, Cologne, Perfume and After shave Splash,) just to complicate things.

We tried several different samples, spraying the air and sniffing has been replaced by a slip of cardboard that they ‘Puff’ the perfume onto and you then sniff, which in effect meant they all smelt faintly of Cornflake packets?

 

We chose two, my old Eau Savage and Leau Dissey which they tell me is ‘Woody.’

It was cheaper to buy them in a Gift Set rather than individually and I ended up buying Jaki a perfume too so the whole thing set me back about £150 and as yet I hadn’t even got in a restaurant.

We took the long way around and ended up in Browns where we had arranged to meet for drinks. Jaki had a white wine as recommended by the waitress (don’t touch the house white was her advice) and I had a rather nice non alcoholic cocktail involving Ginger Beer and Angustura bitters before Ian and Lizzie arrived.

It was a bit of a walk from Browns to Thaikhun Restaurant, Little Southgate, Bath BA1 1AQ, where we had booked a table.

 

Just as we were going in jaki found a wallet (Purse) on the floor and when she picked it up, it had several debit/credit cards, a drivers licence and a student card for a young lady.

We didn’t really know what to do so phoned 999 and they told us to phone 101, which we did. Initially there was a long winded message about Covid then we were given a list of options to chose from.

Option two seemed reasonable, Lost and Found, so we clicked that only to be told they didn’t deal with lost and found and that we should go to our nearest Police Station.WTF?

 

Now given Baths old Police Station is now Browns Restaurant and the one stop shop in Bath was closed we looked for a Plan ‘B’.

We re-phoned 101 & chose another option. After some delay we spoke to a Lady at Avon and Somerset Police and explained the situation.

To our surprise she told us: ” There wasn’t a Police officer on duty in Bath that afternoon”.

So what happens if there is a terrorist incident or some one refuses to wear a mask in Boots?

Eventually we agreed they would get some one to come to the restaurant and collect the purse before we left.

So back to the meal!

The venue was really interesting, full of all sorts of ‘Junk’ that really did remind me of Thailand including the ever present electricity cables that hang down in great knotted bunches on every street. plus the front end of a Tuk-Tuk.

I love Tuk-Tuks and we used them all the time, prefering them to Taxis. I have a great memory of Jaki and I in one Tuk-Tuk and our friends Steve and Kathy in another Racing each other back to our Hotel through the streets of Bangkok. Like the Chariot race from Ben Hur.

It was quirky and amusing rather than authentic but it was certainly a talking point.

We were sat at a table by the window which was folded back allowing the air to flow and menus were provided.

The Pinto menu reminded me of ‘Nandos’ where you pick one item from each section to make up a sort of Combo, or you can order separate individual dishes. It was supposed to be served up in little tin pots (like and Indian Tiffin Box) but due to Covid this had been cancelled.

You pick one Curry, one Stir Fry and then one Noodle dish, all served with Jasmin rice.

There was a bit of confusion about how the menu worked but with a little help from the server we agreed Ian and Lizzie would go for the Red Chicken Curry,  sweet and Sour Chicken and the Vegetable Pad Thai which came with extra Tofu (for some reason we never really understood).

The Red Curry was great but the Veggie Pad Thai wasn’t very popular and they removed all the Tofu lumps (about 2 cm squares ) and put them to one side. They had not absorbed any flavour so were a bit bland. Lizzie ate most of the Sweet and Sour Chicken but there was an awful lot of rice left over.

Jaki and I had the Green Thai Curry (great taste but no ‘Pea’ Aubergines and they are a big part of this dish in Thailand), Chilli and Thai Basil Beef, Noodles with Beef and Jasmin rice.

However we were all so hungry we ordered a Bangkok Street Platter to share and some Chilli Squid which was delicious, perfectly cooked and the Dipping Sauce was incredible.

When the main courses arrived it got a bit confusing as Ian and Lizzies Pinto looked completely different to ours, it was served up differently, but the server assured us it was correct so we got on and ate it.

I found ours to be delicious and I enjoyed every mouthful.

I ate till I thought I’d burst and there was still some left on the table.

Ian and Lizzie weren’t so lucky claiming some of their dishes to be a success and others a bit of a disappointment.

The service was polite and attentive without being over bearing, the environment was interesting and would be great for Kids or a family celebration.

The food was tasty (as long as you like Thai food) reasonably authentic (though Cabbage leaves don’t really replace Morning Glory) and plentiful. You wont go away hungry.

The price reflected the venues location, right in the middle of Bath (a tourist Hot Spot) but when I think how many Chicken Skewers with Peanut Sauce i could get from a street stall in Koh Samui for a £ its outrageous.

By the time we left the Police still hadn’t arrived to collect the Purse so we tried phoning again without any luck.

We looked on line at the list of Local Police stations and were amazed to see they were either closed on a Friday or shut at 5 pm.

As Chipping Sodbury Police Station is on our way home we called in there and found a phone on the wall.

 

Sadly they weren’t able to help, telling us to: “Shove the purse into a safe deposit box, if the station had one.”

Whilst we were on the phone a Police car pulled into the station and I was able to attract their attention before they went through the electronic gates.

A wiry police officer wound her window down and looked at me with suspicion. Her jet black hair was pulled back into a Pony Tail so tightly that her eyebrows had a permanently startled appearance.

They were obviously at the end of yet another long shift (being the only two police officer on duty in the whole of the South West) and weren’t in any mood for a time waster, so when I asked if they “Really were Police Officers” they weren’t amused.

However, we told them our story and they took charge of the Purse and after some insistance, gave us a receipt.

When we got home I found a Text on my phone asking us to: “Leave the purse at the restaurant and the police would collect it later”.

The logic of this bear no examination. What if we had handed it in at the restaurant but later they denied having it or worse used it to withdraw money from this ladies bank account Jaki and I would be under suspicion. What a stupid thing to suggest.

I have since written to the IOPC to complain.

It doesn’t seem right that there isn’t anyone on duty in Bath, that there is no facility for handing in lost property and that Police stations are now  run on a part time basis with opening hours less than your average Oxfam shop.

So far I’ve had no response but we will see what happens.

At least its never dull when the Hendy’s go out for a day.

 

 

 

 

First Trip after Lockdown. 7th July 2020

Hi All,

Well its been a long time since i opened the pages on ‘The Fat Boys Breakfast Blog’ and I’m really missing it, though there are some advantages.

When I first started ‘Blogging about Bacon’ I was a mere 103 Kilos, today I’m 87kg.

Thats not all due to an ‘abstinence of Bangers’ but it has helped.

In my hay day I was eating a fried breakfast at least 4 times a week. I would even cook eggs and bacon at home rather than eat Cereals, which always gave me indigestion.

I told myself that frying in extra virgin Olive Oil, cutting the rind off the bacon and using low fat spread on wholemeal toast wasn’t doing me any harm.

Then I had a Heart Attack and I had to re-think things.

Now I eat Bacon on a Saturday or Sunday only and save myself for when I get to go out with Kev (my mate from the Fire Brigade days) or Maria (my Sister) and even then I find myself being tempted by strange Fruit. Well, alternatives to Bacon and Sausage.

So Tuesday 7th July it was Jaki’s birthday.

I had to go down to Chelsea Rd in Bath to collect some more ‘Artificial Turf’ from my mates shop, Interior Harmony    (in place advertising going on here). They sell it and he had two off cut’s left over from a job which he wanted to get rid off as it was taking up way too much space in the warehouse and i wanted to try it as an alternative to split Flint at home.

We decided to see if we could get some lunch somewhere after collecting the grass and a new Vegetarian Restaurant had opened at the bottom of Chelsea Rd called “Rooted” which has gained a bit of a reputation.

It looked really good with a nice wooden deck at the front but when we went inside all the available tables (bear in mind the new Covid 19 rules and social distancing) were taken (though one guy was sat at a table using his laptop without any food or drink in front of him) so we would have to sit outside.

We took some menu’s to look at but realised it was just too cold to eat outside, not least because the food would get cold too quickly. So reluctantly we moved on, which is a shame because the menu looked amazing.

We set off back up Chelsea Rd and had a look first in the Deli which had some tables outside but didn’t seem to have any customers and then on to Chelsea Rd Cafe at the top of the rank.

They didn’t seem to be as strict on social distancing and we were told to sit anywhere.

The stripped pine tables all seemed to be in the same places as they were the last time I visited and most already had people sat at them.

The Menu was nowhere near as exciting and I have to say the decor and ambiance inside was tired, dated and very much in need of some TLC. It was also a bit cold with the front door wedged open.

We both chose Westcombe Rarebit Toastie with House Pickle ( £5.50 each) and given I’ve had the Tea here before (on many occasions) and didn’t like it, we both went for a Flat white Coffee.

The Coffee (£2.60 each) was fresh made so came ‘one at a time’ and Jaki was half way through hers before mine arrived.

I should have paid more attention as her expression changed when she sipped her Coffee, which looked pretty but tasted ‘awful’.

Now I’m not a great Coffee Connoisseur so It might be that I just don’t appreciate their blend but I thought it tasted awful. It tasted of Chicory.

That awful Camp Coffee my Mum used to keep in the back of a cupboard for when she wanted to impress guests with her sophistication.

But even Jaki winced when she tasted it and neither of us finished our drinks.

We were given a Biro and asked to put our name and contact details on a slip of paper incase we had to be traced. What its didn’t say was the date and time so I’m wondering how this will work?

However, given everyone in the Cafe was offered the same pen to use, I wondered when this would get cleaned as they certainly didn’t sterilise it after we used it and it could easily be ‘the item’ that spread Corona around the Customers?

I didn’t see any hand wash either but I might have just missed that. Luckily we carry our own which we used regularly throughout our visit.

Then our food arrived and I have to say it was ‘underwhelming’.

The Bread was a bit on the dark side and looked like it was two steps away from being burnt. The Pickle was a watery Pink colour but the combination was less than appealing.

Sadly the taste wasn’t any better. In fact it was horrible.

The sandwich had almost no taste of Cheese. It was a ‘Mustard Sandwich’ and given Jaki doesn’t like Mustard in the first place, it was  definitely the wrong choice.

Sadly, it was hard to eat.

The ‘Brown Mush’ that was inside the sandwich looked unappealing and tasted awful.

They would have been better off making ‘Cheese on Toast with Branston Pickle’ rather than this pretentious nonsense.

So we paid up and left.

We wont go back again unless they radically change the decor and the menu.

This was a very disappointing first trip out after Lockdown so things can only get better.

My advice if you head for Chelsea Rd and get hungry,:

Go in the Bakers and buy a pastie or a sandwich if you want to eat on the go, or better still, book in at the Veggie at the bottom of the road. but don’t waste your money in Chelsea Rd Cafe.