Walking. Gossip. Travel.

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  • Lviv – Puzata Hata

    This restaurant is part of a small local chain where diners collect their food from a buffet counter which offers a wide choice of Ukrainian dishes.

    Part of the salad section. The staff spoke only a limited amount of English, so it was a matter of pointing at the food to order. The portion size is strictly measured, so it’s either a certain number of a particular food item (such as three meatballs), or they weigh some of the other dishes to ensure consistency (such as the potatoes).

    I have no idea what a lot of the items were, some looked rather more appetising than others. There were several of these counters all stocked up with food.

    I went for meatballs, potatoes and a ham salad type thing. And that Ukrainian staple of Fanta. The meatballs and potatoes could have been hotter, but the meatballs were excellent and had a real depth of flavour. The presentation clearly isn’t great, but for the money it represented good value.

    This selection cost just over £2, so it isn’t an expensive dining option. The temperature of the food does though appear to be a problem for the restaurant as it surfaces in quite a lot of reviews. Customers also have to wait in line with their food waiting to pay, which gives another opportunity for the food to cool down further.

    After the main meal, I went back once more looking for desserts….

    The apple pie, which cost 60p. Perhaps ideally this could have been served hot, but it again tasted of a good quality and the pastry was light, with lots of apple inside.

    The dining environment was comfortable and was designed to have an historic and slightly elegant feel to it. Trays were collected promptly by staff and the restaurant seemed popular with locals, although it appears that it’s even busier at lunch-times.

  • Lviv – Varka

    Centrally located is this Varka, an on-trend bar specialising in craft beer. It’s just celebrated its second birthday and is one of the better reviewed bars in Lviv.

    The menu board. I only needed to read down to imperial stout to know which I’d be having. But, an interesting selection.

    The imperial stout cost around £1.50 for the large size, which is no doubt rather high for Lviv, but it’s a premium beer and would cost a lot more in the UK. Indeed, given my experiences of Brighton last week, it certainly cost a lot more in the UK.

    Anyway, the stout was decent, a nice rich taste and it was at the appropriate slightly chilled temperature. Personally I think the head was served too high though. Although it didn’t affect the taste, it did impact a little negatively on the presentation.

    The interior of the bar which was modern, whilst still reflecting the historic nature of the building that it’s in. The environment was comfortable with the music only noticeable in the background so that it didn’t dominate the proceedings.

    The service was friendly and helpful, although the bar seemed quiet and numerous other reviews also noted that. Perhaps the bar is just a little ahead of its time, I’m sure that Lviv in a few years will have a lot of craft beer bars just like this one. Hopefully anyway….

  • Brighton – Evening Star

    The rain decided it would fall quite heavily tonight in Brighton, which meant that I had to do the only logical thing I could of, which was to run inside a pub. By run I actually mean walk.

    This is a tempting little number and the staff member was keen to engage about the options, mentioning there were some bottles of dark beer to choose from as well. The beer had only just been put on (I didn’t guess that, the staff member told me) and it had a sweet taste, but was very drinkable. At the appropriate temperature, it had a surprising number of flavours to it, much better than I had expected.

    I have a rule that if it rains when I’m in Brighton, then I’ll have a dark beer and a packet of Hula Hoops. Since this was a classy pub which sold such delights, I was pleased to be able to meet my rule. Which admittedly is a rule I’ve started tonight.

    Part of the beer list, there are certainly some expensive little numbers on here….

    I really liked this pub, it had a quiet atmosphere even when it was busy. Lots of character, although it’s one of the darkest pubs that I’ve visited. By dark, I mean that it hasn’t got much light, not that customers were taking part in some dark deeds. One customer was sitting directly under one of the few lights so that he could read his newspaper, and it did feel that it was a bit too dark. Anyway, it’s a charming pub and the service was efficient and friendly. and they had Hula Hoops.

  • Brighton – Prince Albert

    This live music and rock pub is part of the Brighton scene and it’s noticeable from the road if only for the graffiti and artwork on the side of it. It’s a bit hidden away at the bottom, but there’s a Bansky work there which is well known, the Kissing Policemen. Unfortunately this is just a copy, as the original was lifted on the pub in 2011 and sold at auction.

    I opted for the Broken Dream breakfast stout and the beer was well-kept and tasted of a good quality. I’ve seen quite a bit of the Siren Craft Brew beers over the last day, although I’m not sure why as it’s not a local company, it’s from Wokingham.

    The pub’s atmosphere felt just that bit tense to me, so I didn’t feel entirely comfortable throughout my time there. I think that’s the first time in 2018, so it’s not a feeling that I get very often. However, it is a vibrant pub and so they aren’t likely aiming to deliver a relaxed and refined ambience.

    I had thought about eating at the pub, but I decided against it given my thoughts about the atmosphere. But the menu options looked interesting, although perhaps just a little on the expensive side.

    The service was friendly and helpful, with the staff member knowledgeable about the beer selection. He also said goodbye when I left, and that sort of acknowledgement is nice to see (well, hear).

    The signage inside the pub for the toilets is excellent, one of the best that I’ve seen in a pub. However, that’s probably necessary as the male toilets are outside and they would be difficult to find without the clear signage. They weren’t in the best state, but outside toilets are not known for their decadent surroundings. The door to the toilets though is a work of art.

    Overall, I liked the pub, with a friendly atmosphere putting aside the slightly tense feel to the whole affair. The beer tasted fine, the staff member was polite and the food offering looked interesting.

  • Brighton – Craft Beer Co

    Primarily a London company, as this is their only pub outside of the capital, the Craft Beer Co have a reputation for excellent beer. They claim that they have the most beers on keg in Brighton with 22 to choose from, along with a selection of 200 bottles and cans. That’s certainly an impressive array of options….

    I asked about the dark beer selection and the staff member was positively enthusiastic about explaining them. I liked that engagement and the staff member seemed knowledgeable about what was available. This is the Sadako beer from the Weird Beard brewery in London.

    It’s a 9.5% imperial stout and so I asked about the price before ordering, and it’s a cool £13 per pint. I chose a third which cost just over £4, but it’s a drink to savour like wine, so the price didn’t seem entirely unreasonable. And it was excellent, with a rich taste and notes of vanilla and coffee. Beautiful and it was also at the appropriate slightly chilled temperature.

    And here’s some more of the beer menu, with numerous other options that were worth consideration. This is what is frustrating about visiting a Greene King pub which has the option of Greene King IPA and, er, Greene King IPA. The pub also serves food which are primarily burger based options, although I visited on the only night which it doesn’t (Tuesdays).

    Tastefully decorated, I only realised that there was an upstairs lounge area as well later on after I had left.

    There was a fire which the staff kept alight (it was meant to be on fire, this wasn’t some sort of Brexit protest), meaning that the atmosphere was nice and warm. It was actually too warm for me, but I like Arctic conditions, so I can’t blame the pub for that.

    I like this chain of pubs and I know I’ve visited one of the branches in London, although I’ve rather unhelpfully completely forgotten which one it was. So that story was slightly irrelevant. Anyway, the prices are expensive, but the surroundings are comfortable and the selection is interesting and pretty exceptional. All that comes at a cost, as no doubt does the competence of the bar staff who were engaging and knowledgeable.

  • Brighton – Pump House

    When we went to the Chequers pub in Oxford a couple of weeks ago, I downloaded the Nicholson’s app when our group ordered food. Roll forwards to my arrival in Brighton today, and I received a notification that I could get a pint for £1 at the Pump House, the Nicholson’s pub in the city. So, being easily tempted, I went along.

    The real ale which was going to be £1 had run out, so the helpful staff member suggested that I have a gin and tonic instead which would also be £1. This seemed like a good deal, so I went for that. I’m not really a gin person, primarily because I never think to order it (it looks expensive is the primary reason), but it’s a fashionable drink and I should really know more about it.

    Whilst I was at the bar I noticed the rather tempting Sweet Dream, so I went for half a pint of that as well. It’s a chocolate milk stout and it didn’t disappoint, with a rich flavour and a pleasant after-taste. It was also served at the appropriate slightly chilled temperature and the only thing really wrong with it was that I didn’t order a pint of it.

    I took a seat by the window and had a good view of the bar area of this historic pub, which apparently has cellars dating to the medieval period. The pub is one of the oldest in Brighton and an effort has been made with the interior, with some impressive mirrors and wooden panelling.

    A lady at the neighbouring table commented to her party that I typed very quickly, which is technically accurate, but she said it loudly enough that I had to acknowledge what she said. Anyway, she was rather lovely and conveniently I was offered some advice on Italy, which was well-timed since I was in the pub planning the 2019 Hike Norfolk trip to the land of pizza and wine.

    The view from inside the window looking outwards to an interesting part of Brighton, which like the pub also feels historic and full of atmosphere.

    The pub was comfortable and felt welcoming, with the two staff members making an effort to engage with customers. I still think that Nicholson’s are one of the better chains, something which the historic nature of their pubs helps with as they’re full of character.

  • Bristol – Zero Degrees

    This substantial brewery restaurant opened in 2004 and was purpose-built to meet the needs of Zero Degrees.

    A view down over the bar area.

    The clever design of the pub meant that we were able to see this brewery equipment, all adding to the character of the location.

    Ready for pizza…..

    Some nice glasses…..

    And the pizza, the sweet and spicy Italian sausage. Very lovely, lots of flavour although I’d have preferred a slightly crispier base. The price was reasonable and the food was brought over promptly, so there was no long wait. We weren’t sure how easy it would be to find a table for five for food in Bristol, but there was a reasonable amount of space here and so we were seated immediately.

    Not that it would have mattered as we were there on a Friday, but the restaurant has resorted to a buy one get one free with Tastecard, a sign to me that a location isn’t performing well. They might be doing perfectly well, but I wouldn’t go back knowing that they were ditching out food cheap like this without it being offered to loyal customers.

    The service was quirky and the server had a rather dry wit, but he came across as friendly and welcoming. The environment was pleasant and despite the harshness of the interior design, it was still comfortable in the dining area.

     

  • Bristol – St. John’s Conduit

    A little bit random, but this is St. John’s Conduit, located at St. John on the Wall Church on Broad Street. This was originally installed to bring water to the Carmelite Friary in the fourteenth century and it is rumoured that it ran with wine during elections in the city.

    The information plaque at the conduit. Part of the original route of the conduit is apparently marked on the pavement by small plaques, but I didn’t know about this at the time to look out for them.

    And a sign nearby informing those passing by that the conduit had been the only source of fresh water in the city during the Second World War.

  • Bristol – The Three Tuns

    The Three Tuns is an independent pub with a comfortable atmosphere, although it proved to be too busy for us to stay too long. I was though pleased with the pub’s thoughts on Brexit which were mentioned on a chalk board on the back bar. There’s also some history to the pub which retains a traditional feel and it dates back to the early part of the twentieth century.

    Some of the beer selection which had been sourced from numerous breweries. I say some of the beer selection although the photo doesn’t exactly show much of the choice, although it does evidence that this was a local CAMRA pub of the year in 2012.

    The Three Tuns also does food and if I were ever to make a future visit, I’d pop along to try out the menu which is mostly themed around burgers and is operated by a separate company in the pub’s kitchen. Given that the pub isn’t that large in size, it seems a sensible choice to just operate with a limited menu.

    A poster in the pub detailing some of the many heritage pubs in Bristol.

    It was a shame that we couldn’t stay for longer in the pub and they did try and find us a table, but there sadly weren’t any available. There seems to be lots of events held here, including quiz nights, film nights and live music, and there was a community atmosphere even though it’s a city centre pub.

  • Bristol – Bag of Nails

    It’s safe to say that this pub is unique, since it’s full of cats, it has a lot of rules and a landlord who has upset a fair few people. But, it’s also marvellous, it’s well-run and at a guess I’d say that most of the people upset by the landlord are probably idiots.

    Some of the pub rules.

    The quirky interior of the pub.

    The toilets are also decorated.

    A port-hole through to the cellar underneath the main bar.

    This is a beard friendly pub. And goodness knows what happened to that phone.

    The nature of the pub’s operation, namely being full of cats, means that there’s a limited opportunity to serve food. Nathan decided to risk a pork pie for £1 and he reported back that they were excellent, so we ordered a few more. He was right, they were a bargain for £1 each, and there was piccalilli to go along with them.

    Some photos of the cats, who to be honest looked perfectly content and happy. They were evenly distributed along the bar and were mostly asleep.

    One of the cats scratched Scott. He deserved it.

    Liam, Scott, Ross and Nathan admiring all of the cats.

    I very much liked this pub although I hadn’t expected to before I went in. The landlord seemed happy to engage about the beer selection, the other staff member was helpful and they were both keen to discuss the cats in the pub. They might be just slightly selective in their customers, not wanting stag groups or anything which might upset the cats, but that doesn’t seem unreasonable. There was also a decent beer selection, with none of that fizzy rubbish, and the surroundings were clean and quirky. All rather lovely.