I’m not entirely sure that I like seeing items I used just a few years ago (well, twenty years ago) in a museum. This Amiga is in the collection of Birmingham Museum and once belonged to John Court, who has worked in the software industry and learned his skills on this computer.
There are occasions where I don’t look for exquisite craft beers and want a more simple drink. And Hooch, now rebranded for a modern generation (their branding, not mine) is an acceptable drink and I am unanimous in that 🙂
“Hooch is about letting go, having fun, enjoying time with your mates and not taking life too seriously. Let the squares of the world sit and sip their pretentious try-hard concoctions, missing out on life’s simple pleasures and obsessed with image. Good times shouldn’t be complicated.”
The above is from Hooch’s marketing material, and I assume they mean Fosters when they say try-hard concoctions, not delicious craft beer options…
They also say that this is “the beverage of the people”. Sounds like the Greggs of the drinking world. Incidentally, there’s no connection between Hooch and Birmingham, it just happens to be where I had this particular bottle.
This relatively small Indian restaurant was the dining choice for our first evening in Birmingham. As the name suggests, there’s a focus here on Indian street food and this is how the business was first established, from mobile stands. I didn’t like the spelling of Streatery initially, until I realised that it also has the word ‘eatery’ in, so it’s actually quite clever.
The menu, with a specials menu also presented separately. I liked how the member of serving staff also pro-actively explained the menu concept and how it fitted together.
There’s some bright artwork on the walls of various parts of India.
We shared starters, and from left to right these are (i) the deconstructed samosa chaat, the (ii) pani puri and (iii) the chicken chaat. The chaat dishes are what the restaurant say they were founded on, their popular street food which got them started. Although the dishes looked simple, there was a depth of flavour with all of them and the chicken was tender and had a touch of spice to it.
The various roti, with the yellow ones being infused with turmeric and gram flour and the red ones are infused with beetroot.
The dish on the left is the methi chicken and the dish on the right is the house black dhal. The main courses dishes didn’t arrive together, but there was only a couple of minutes wait for the third main to arrive.
Nicely presented, the chicken was tender with the sauce being creamy and peppery. Again, there was a depth of taste to the curry and the portion size was sufficient. The dhal was smooth and had a rich taste, with numerous flavours being evident.
This was the other main which was from the specials menu, which was dhaba chicken, served on the bone and with chilli powders to add some heat. It did have some heat, although it wasn’t over-powering, with the sauce being rich and peppery along with some ginger notes.
As a restaurant, the service was professional and friendly throughout, with no unnecessary delays. We were asked to move during the meal, but this was done politely and it was clear that if we moved the restaurant would be able to cater for a larger group. I preferred the table that they moved us to, so everyone gained from that arrangement.
What has become known as Indian food in the UK is usually now sadly generic and often lacking in flavour and taste. Efforts to serve street food and more traditional Indian dishes seem to be more common now, which is a marvellous trend. In places the restaurant was perhaps a little quirky, but it felt on-trend and offering something a little different.
The first pub of the evening which was another recommendation from the Good Beer Guide.
The interior of the cellar bar which was nearly full when we visited. The beer selection was excellent, with a wide selection of bottles and numerous ciders available at the bar.
Two dark beer options, I went for the Little Giant from the Green Duck Beer Company. A strong taste of coffee in the drink, although it was also smooth and drinkable, all well kept and at the appropriate temperature. The service was polite and prompt, although it was busy so there’s a limit to the engagement that can be offered.
The bar billiards table, not a common sight in these parts, is on free play although it’s the worst state that I’ve seen such a table in.
There was a friendly chap at the neighbouring table who was keen to talk about photography and beer, with the atmosphere in the pub being laid-back and welcoming. There was no food service, although customers are welcome to bring their own food in and plates are provided.
All rather lovely.
Waterbeach railway station was meant to be being moved the last time that I heard, but it now appears to be staying exactly where it is for the moment, just with longer platforms. The local media are saying that the station might now be moved in a few years (perhaps as early as 2021), so the decision to spend £27 million now on Waterbeach and Littleport railway stations to make the platforms longer seems a little wasteful in the grand scheme of things.
Anyway, who knows, whatever happens the town of Waterbeach is soon going to have more trains arriving at peak time and I assume the cost of the new railway station will be part funded by the property developers who are building a new housing and commercial complex in the town. The plans for the new railway station do look impressive and I understand that the plan is that it will be manned.
The two platforms, which are located on separate sides of the road, will both be extended to 167 metres in length. Waterbeach did have a decent waiting room, toilets and station buildings, but British Rail decided to demolish them all and put up a shed for passengers to wait in instead.
All this money for Cambridge railway stations is very lovely, but it’s a shame that some more money isn’t being made available in Norfolk where new railway station plans are being scrapped.
The Hole in One bar in West Runton, situated by the Links Country Park Hotel on the North Norfolk coast.
The bar had one real ale which was Woodforde’s Wherry. It’s all a bit generic and bland for my liking, but it could have been worse I suppose and been a Greene King IPA.
This is better, the Adnams Blackshore Stout which had some rich flavours, including a caramel taste. The dispense was dreadful though, there’s no need to swirl the glass to get a head on any beer, let alone this stout. The swirling simply sent the beer over the top of the glass and wasted their product.
The menus need replacing, they’re in poor condition. And the bar has had this marvellous idea to offer a two for one deal on some of their meals, which is ideal if you’ve come to dine alone. The menu is also perhaps too big logistically for the size of the venue, it’s inevitably going to lead to service time issues.
I noticed that the chefs hadn’t burdened themselves with the presentation of the fish and chips. And it’s evident that the fryers needed cleaning judging by the carbonised particles which came with the fish. However, the fish batter did actually seem fresh and the quality of the cod was also fine, so the core ingredients appeared to be entirely acceptable. The fries were also fine and were served at the appropriate temperature and the peas were acceptable, if rather boring. The tartare sauce may also have been homemade, or at least, it tasted fine.
Incidentally, I’m not entirely convinced about the bar’s policy on dogs, as they have freedom to roam across the dining area and there were barking dogs during my visit.
The service was way below standard, with a wait for food of 68 minutes, which in any restaurant should warrant a staff member alerting the customer to the problem at some stage during the proceedings. The menu size clearly caused problems for the kitchen, trying to cook pizzas, fish, ciabattas and grilled items all at the same time in a limited size area isn’t likely to really work.
For anyone on holiday this isn’t a bad place at all, the slow service isn’t going to make much difference and I’m sure it isn’t usually that long a wait for food anyway. For individuals though there’s limited value given the pricing structure and for groups above four in size I’m not entirely sure that the kitchen could cope with the volume.
Excuse the poor quality photo, it was raining when I left the pub…. One thought about this bar is that I wouldn’t have visited it based on the exterior because the whole set-up gave the impression of a food orientated venue. The only reason that I did go in was because of their entry into the Good Beer Guide and in retrospect I’m pleased that it had that mention.
This set me thinking as to where I had heard of the name before, and it was on my visit to Nottingham in 2017. And, I didn’t go in the pub then because I thought it was food orientated and not just suitable for a quick drink. Unfortunately, this second location from the company closed down shortly after I hadn’t visited it (I don’t link the two events).
The industrial looking interior was on-trend and also surprisingly quiet for a Saturday night.
Bright and cheerful, there was a surprising amount of seating downstairs as well. I didn’t order food as we were already booked in elsewhere, but looking at the menu later on I was quite impressed, there were some intriguing options. I might come again for the food, which is slightly ironic given that I nearly didn’t come in here because I thought it was food orientated.
But, this is the main event of the pub as far as I’m concerned, the beer selection. I couldn’t read this board when I ordered because the bar was busy, but one of the team members was knowledgeable and gave me three recommendations based on my preference for dark beers. There are some really interesting options on these boards, although the ordering of the beers seemed a little random. Not that that matters…..
I opted for the oatmeal stout from Fourpure brewery, which is based in Bermondsey in London. I’m not sure that I’d have tasted the strength of the 5.1% ABV that the stout had as it was quite drinkable and smooth, with quite a chocolatey taste to it. All very drinkable and the beer was also well kept, although just a little colder than I’d have ideally liked.
The sign on the toilets, with the male toilets being on the left and the females on the right. Fortunately for those who don’t want puzzles and games when trying to visit the toilets, there were also more conventional signs on the doors as well.
All in all, this was a pub almost in the style of Brewdog, although I doubt that they’d like that comparison. But, the customer service was friendly, the surroundings were industrial, the beer choice was interesting and everything felt informal and comfortable.
Before walking the Birmingham Canal Canter, it was necessary to visit a few pubs mentioned in the Good Beer Guide. This was one of the pubs en route, the Wellington, which is seemingly well known locally for its range of beers, ciders and whiskies.
Above is the ‘beer board’ which changes regularly depending on which beers are available, with this list also being available on-line. This is perfect and if I ever become King (I admit that this isn’t likely), every pub should have to install something like this. The beer name is clear, the type of beer is clear and the pricing is clear. Marvellous.
I didn’t order the Piffle Snonker from the local Froth Blowers brewery, but I very much liked the beer name.
I went for the Créme Bearlee from Beartown Brewery who are based in Congleton. This sweet and milky stout did have the taste of the dessert it was named after, with flavours of coffee and caramel, but it was also smooth and very drinkable. The taste wasn’t too harsh and was more of an afternote, I thought that this was a really decent beer.
The interior wasn’t exactly modern, but there was a contemporary feel to the running of the establishment. There was another bar upstairs which was card only, with an external seating area which offers some views over the local, well, street. Unfortunately it started to pour with rain when we were there, but the surroundings were clean and comfortable with a laid-back and informal atmosphere.
One negative. The web-site says that they sell snuff and Bev marched straight to the bar to acquire some. Unfortunately (or fortunately for everyone else) they don’t sell snuff any more. However, it’s clear why this is one of the best rated pubs in Birmingham, it’s excellent.
Marvellous to see this advert being run in The Great Outdoors magazine, the LDWA is an excellent organisation to join!
Benoli is an Italian restaurant which opened a few weeks ago in Orford Street, conveniently (well for me anyway) opposite the entrance to the Bell Hotel. It’s run by Oli Boon, who was a finalist in Masterchef the Professionals and who was also previously Head Chef at Roux at the Landau, a role he held in his mid-twenties.
Anyway, although Norwich isn’t necessarily short of fine dining options, I’m not sure that I can think of another chef in the city with such a glittering CV. I’m sure that Greggs will soon be listed in the Michelin Guide and Norwich will then have several top-rated restaurants, but until then, Benoli is a marvellous addition to Norwich’s dining scene.
The starter, or to be more accurate, the snack before the starter. I was at the restaurant with eight other people in the private dining room, but I won’t bore everyone with the gossip from the other members of Hike Norfolk, some of which would be unwritable (untypeable) anyway.
The pre-starter was Pagnotta bread, which has evolved from being a rustic loaf cooked by working classes in Italy. The exterior is dark and firm, whilst the interior is soft and just a little fluffy. Served with oils, I could have perhaps just have had three courses of this. Rather lovely.
I had to ask the waiter, who incidentally was engaging and competent, what the ‘baccala mantecato’ was. It’s apparently a Venetian dish of salt cod which is mashed and served with the consistency of a pate. At Benoli, this is then served with grilled onions on a sourdough bread.
I can’t say that I’ve ever eaten anything similar to this and I’m not sure that I would have guessed what the dish was if it just presented to me. However, the mashed cod was light in texture but had a rich and pleasant flavour. The onions added texture and the sourdough bread was softened slightly by the cod, but it remained crisp. Again, quite marvellous.
For main, I went for the bucatini pasta served with octopus and flavoured with lemon and oregano. Again, I didn’t know what bucatini was, but the waiter patiently explained that it was spaghetti with a hole inside it. That hole running through the centre means that the pasta picks up more of the sauce and it also makes for a softer taste.
The octopus, and indeed the pasta, almost melted in the mouth and the pangrattato (or bread crumbs) added texture to the dish. The flavours were strong, but the dish was simple in its make-up and tasted freshly made. Perhaps there could have been just a little more octopus to balance the pasta, but I certainly have no complaints.
On which point, the prices. This pasta dish came in at £12, which seems to me, when taking into account the experience of the chef and the quality of the dining environment, perfectly good value for money. Other mains were a little more expensive, with starters around the £8 to £9 mark and desserts were mostly £8.
And, finally, the dessert which was morello cherry sorbet served with an amaretti biscuit and garnished with fresh almond. The flavour of the sorbet was intense and the cherry was very much in evidence, with the texture being soft and not grainy. The biscuit is one of the largest of its type I’ve seen served with a dessert and it had a subtle flavour of almond and a suitably crispy texture.
Partly, writing this post is a bit pointless insomuch as the chef is clearly an expert in his craft and I had to have a waiter explain some of the dishes to me. However, since my only perspective is whether it tastes good, I can confirm that it does. And it was all well presented and at the appropriate temperature.
The service was attentive and professional throughout, with the dining environment being clean and comfortable. In terms of negatives, I’m hard pushed to find any. Perhaps some of the seating in the restaurant is a little exposed and there’s a traffic of customers going by, but there’s still an authentic feel to the whole arrangement. I also like the bar section at the front of the restaurant, so those just wanting a quick snack can easily pop in.
There has unfortunately been a lot of rubbish served up as Italian food in restaurants in Norwich and across the country over the last few years. Mid-market restaurants have opened up, and in some circumstances served some really low quality fare and then tried to get customers in by cheap and even slightly squalid Groupon offers. Fortunately, Benoli appears to be authentic, genuine and informal, based on quality and not generic mass produced pasta dishes. So, how lovely.
