Meeting Ravinder Bhogal and Gurdeep Loyal

My wife and I are on the train back to Colchester. We have spent an amazing evening at Cafe Murano at an evening hosted by food writer Mark Diacono featuring a talk by Ravinder Bhogal and Gurdeep Loyal, including a Q&A session. The restaurant hosts such events most months and after the fabulous night we have just had, we are considering returning next month.

Fighting children

I was a terrible brother at times. I did look after them when they were younger, but I could be inventive when it came to being mean. My children have a much better relationship with each other than I did and do with my brothers. They fight, they squabble but yesterday they went to a place I never went with my brother. 

The Weeping Willow

Our trip back yesterday was mostly uneventful. We stopped at a beautiful restaurant on the way back, but my wife got tired on the A14 when we hit traffic. The kids were glad to see us, Leia being the most welcoming!

Good food, great company and now back at home. The Weeping Willow was an amazing place to eat, good service and great food. The only improvement I can imagine would be having chess sets so that people can play on the tables that have a chess board design! 

Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms

What a meal and what a place. My wife had chosen to come here on her birthday and when she mentioned it to me I agreed, this being a town we have passed through once (possibly) but having a two star Michelin restaurant. We have eaten at a single starred restaurant, well more than one, before. You can taste the difference. Our room is fantastic, the only issue being the shower which is either hot or scalding. The service here is exemplary, friendly and warm. That last bit is important as we have eaten at The Wolseley before and found the service to be efficient, but cold.

My wife, on her birthday had a wine tasting menu to accompany this while I, still tired from our drive here stuck with one bottle of wine. The sommelier recommended a rosé wine for me and after a rest in the garden, we were taken to our table.

The first dish was amazing, as was the glass of wine paired with it. When I say the first dish, it was five tastes. I almost cried when my very posh take on a Pork Scratching crumbled, but luckily my napkin caught the crumbs which I ate after this course. Already we knew we were in for something special.

After this, we had a bread bowl brought to us and afterwards a scallop each. The picture of the bread bowl is missing half the bread as we ate it before I took the picture. Needless to say, it was good bread, very good bread. The scallop was divine.

Our next dish, appeared simple, but was so full of flavour. The potato was sweet, the ‘ash’ it was served with was divine.

After this, it was to the standout dish. Well, I thought that it was at the time. So full of flavour, I did not think that it would be possible to surpass the salmon tart. I was to be proven wrong later, again by fish.

After this, it was a trip into the garden were we were taught about the herbs grown on site and had a sourdough pizza made in front of us. This was probably the least astounding meal of the day, but it was still very good. It was accompanied by an IPA and then we were taken back to our table.

After the salmon, I did not think that I would taste anything as good. When I say that the artichoke did not taste as good, that does not do service to this divine dish. Again full of different flavours that complemented themselves on my tongue.

But now comes the next ‘best dish so far’ this being my fish. My wife chose the lamb, which was good, but my fish was so much better. I probably should have taken another picture once the covering had been partly eaten. I had to leave one bite for my wife and we shared the last bite so I got to taste the difference. She said that I was giving her too much of mine, but the portion size I gave her allowed her to appreciate the dish properly.

Next came the crossover, this dish was not very photogenic. Made using liquid nitrogen, in order to appreciate it, you have to eat all the layers at once. An amazing palate cleanser.

And next was the chocolate. I love chocolate, but my wife loved the olive oil jelly the most. The picture really does not do the dish justice.

And in the final stages, another amazing dish, failed by the picture that I took. The top of this is broken and when done, this releases amazing flavours.

But this dish, eaten as one mouthful, made me have to hold my head. Candy floss with a Thai flavoured centre. They saved the best till last. 

The Crown in Hartest

This pub is in the beautiful village of Hartest which we stopped at on our way to Nottingham. My wife was not sure of the exact route that we should take, the options being cutting to the M11 via Stansted, heading up the A12 and cutting across along the A14 or going on the A134 to Bury St Edmunds and then using the A14. Fascinating I know, but my wife had the choice, on her birthday and let me decide. We did not know if we were to stop in Bury St Edmunds or Cambridge for lunch and shopping so the more scenic route was chosen.

This was without the children who had got cards for my wife in her birthday. For her birthday present, she got a much wanted laptop bag, and of course, the love of her children. 

But back to our trip. We got hungry on the way and my wife picked somewhere to eat, which was closed. Driving down the country roads reminded her of Devon, but I pointed out that the country roads in Devon are much narrower and involve a lot more hills. But the second place she chose looked amazing from the moment we parked. Friendly service with good food, we may consider returning.

For now, we are in Nottingham, the journey, for the most being uneventful. I did make the mistake of not checking out destination before we came which meant cross words in the car in Nottingham as we ended up lost. But we are here now, calmer and ready for a great dinner.

The House of Lords

The matter of the House of Lords has come up with the resignation honours list of Boris Johnson. Too many honours went to those who helped him lie over PartyGate, but not all the honours relate to those who support and supported him over his lies.

There have been calls for an elected second chamber. I disagree with this. The House of Lords is there to scrutinise bills. Amongst its members it has judges, doctors, priests, artists and the like. These people have a lot to offer our nation and I want them to be able to serve our country by offering us their expertise. 

I do think that reform is needed. I think that new peers should be picked based on the vote share of parties, that is above a certain threshold and also based on the nations. Also, I think that experts, such as Baron Winston, should continue to be appointed. In order to be accepted, each peer should be accepted by representatives of the parties, the voting power being based on the vote share. 

So based on the last General Election, that would mean that the Conservatives would have around a 43% say in choosing experts, but that a 50% threshold would need to be met for a candidate to be accepted. Lords appointed on a party political basis would be done so by the vote share in each nation. This would mean that based on the latest division, England would have roughly 84% of lords being chosen, Scotland 8%, Wales 5% and Northern Ireland 3%. Of those from Scotland, the SNP would have about 45% of appointees, Labour 19% etc.

As for the resignation honours list, I would keep it, but limit the numbers to, at the most, ten members to the House of Lords. 

I suspect that I will refine my views on this as time passes, but that is my view for now.

Fathers Day

My children love me. My son got me a Star Wars game, my daughter a cuddly toy which she states is experiencing hair loss like me, and one I can let Leia, our Cockapoo, savage.  I got taken to the Mistley Thorn where I got to drink as have great food. 

Later in the day, it was time for the pub quiz. The questions were much harder than normal and we almost came second, a tie breaker putting us into third place.