‘Pinchos morunos’- Spanish pork skewers
On July 7, 2014 by The Plate Licked CleanIf there’s one European cuisine that knows its way around every part of the pig, it’s Spanish. Chorizo. Jamón. Morcilla. Lomo. Cocido. Butifarra. Chistorra. Cochinillo. The list goes on. After all, it was Andalucia, not Aberdeen or Amsterdam, which coined the phrase ‘you only part of a pig you can’t eat is its squeal’. But
Pieminister, St Mary St, Cardiff
On May 28, 2014 by The Plate Licked CleanWARNING. If you are hate gangster films, or meat, or terrifyingly grim puns- this post isn’t for you. No hard feelings. Don’t say you weren’t warned, though. You know the scene. Mob boss Leo (the greatr Albert Finney), settled in for the night, newspaper draped over his midriff as he enjoys a late cigar, lies
Sense and Memory, Family and Food
On May 18, 2014 by The Plate Licked CleanThe brain’s a funny old thing. Absolute catnip to your shuffling zombie of course, though these days the ponderous, twitching gait is now no longer the undead’s sole locomotion of choice. Today’s voguish cadavers have a turn of speed which would shame an athlete. For what it’s worth, I’m in the Romero camp. But the
‘Pig Rub’- pulled pork the Hang Fire Smokehouse way
On May 7, 2014 by The Plate Licked CleanApparently one or two regular readers of these meanderings are both keen ‘smokers’ and fans of Hang Fire. If they’ve stuck with this blog for this long (and yes, I know we all hoped we’d have found something better to do with our lives by this point), they might actually find something useful on this
An afternoon in the kitchen with Hang Fire Smokehouse
On May 3, 2014 by The Plate Licked CleanThe pig gets a bad press, doesn’t it? It’s shorthand for personal slovenliness, for indiscriminate gluttony. Its flesh is denied to hundreds of millions by religious prohibition. They don’t even escape in literature. From Homer to Orwell, they are despotic political manipulators or brutish victims, the result of Circe’s enchantments and a vivid symbol of
Pier 64, Penarth Marina
On April 25, 2014 by The Plate Licked CleanIf you set yourself up as a ‘Steakhouse and Wine Bar’, and if your menu is divided into ‘Steaks’ and ‘The Rest’, you have to be confident in what you offer. Especially when your some of your prices stray into Hawksmoor territory, by common consent one of the very best steak restaurants in the country.
This blog is a very simple thing.
I won’t try to sell you any hand lotion, exercise programmes, coffee syrups or Patagonian nose flutes. You won’t find tips on dating, ‘wellness’ or yoga mats.
I write because I love it (and food, as indicated by my increasing girth). Greed happens to be my Deadly Sin of choice, but at least it is never shy of providing me with subject matter.Â
A simple thing, then: all you get is me wittering on semi-coherently about places I’ve eaten at; hence a ‘restaurant blog’ rather than a ‘food blog’, although there are a few recipes scattered throughout.Â
From mezze to Michelin ‘fine dining’ and all points in between.Â