“God, the pressure, choosing for you, you have no idea what it’s like,” says M, Head Clerk of an cracking set of barristers’ chambers we use all the time. “Honestly, I’m sure it will be absolutely fine, really”, I say, not sure about any such thing.
Author Archives: Nicky Richmond
June
02
Loch Bay and other stories. The Isle of Skye.
posted by Nicky Richmond
You may ask yourself, how did I get here? Well, quite easily really; a flight to Inverness and then a three-hour drive through some of the most magnificent scenery I have ever seen. Like all of the proverbial best-laid, it didn’t go quite to plan. Booking The Three Chimneys on the strength of its reputation […]
May
28
Six Portland Road. It’s the real thing.
posted by Nicky Richmond
Foreword: I’ve been told by an eminent QC that I’m losing my touch and am being too nice in my reviews. “I like the ones where you hate it”, he says, “far more entertaining”. I cited in my defence a number of my less than glowing reviews but to no avail. Whilst he was only half […]
May
20
Something for the weekend? The joy of Bristol’s bistros.
posted by Nicky Richmond
In an effort to spread my dining net further afield than my two usual stamping grounds, central London and South Oxfordshire, I decided to go west, specifically to Bristol and even more specifically, the Clifton part of Bristol. I think that Bristol may now be the second food city of the UK and it is […]
May
13
Coya. Peruvian/Japanese Roka-style mashup.
posted by Nicky Richmond
I’d tried to get into my standby, Roka Mayfair and the voice-without-warmth on their reception told that I might be able to get a walk-in, if I was lucky. It seems that even if you go somewhere at least once a week and you and your colleagues take clients all the time, well, they still […]
May
02
A Jewel in The Crown at Burchetts Green.
posted by Nicky Richmond
At the weekends I am often to be found in south Oxfordshire, supposedly relaxing and cooking wholesome food from scratch, hoping to justify my ever-expanding collection of cookbooks. My inner restaurant addict is having none of that.
April
27
Pitt Cue. Sheer piggery.
posted by Nicky Richmond
Last time I went to Pitt Cue I flounced off in a huff. Too much queueing, too little communication, too much chaos. There is only so much I’m prepared to tolerate for a plateful of pulled pork, even if it’s from a furry, fatty Mangalitza pig, their porky USP. My queue strop happened when they had that […]
April
13
45 Jermyn Street. The Fountain Room gets a facelift.
posted by Nicky Richmond
I once bunked off a school outing to that London. We were meant to be seeing the Treasures of Tutankhamun at the British Museum. My partner-in-crime Jacques, so much more sophisticated, not to mention three years older, took one look at the snaking queue and suggested hot chocolate and an ice-cream sundae at Fortnums. I’d never […]
April
02
Ellory. Doesn’t quite live up to the name.
posted by Nicky Richmond
We’d like a big white please, we said. What do you mean, a big white, he said, as if a sommelier wouldn’t know that. You know, we said, like a big Burgundy, or a Gewürtz; something aromatic, we said, in unison. There was a suggestion of something orange, but whilst we are sufficiently adventurous to travel to […]
March
25
Noble Rot. An affair to remember.
posted by Nicky Richmond
On entering, there is triggered a dim and distant memory of a rather louche afternoon spent here some time ago, in the entertaining company of a rather reprobate lawyer. This was before we all became slaves to modern technology and when you could just go AWOL for the afternoon, without someone thinking you were dead […]
