Other, Bedminster, Bristol restaurant review

I should have guessed from Other’s vivid blue and orange colour scheme that they’re no shrinking violets when it comes to flavour.

From the first mouthful to the last, everything packed a whopping punch. 

Located in the Bristol suburb of Bedminster, Other is the debut restaurant from Zak Hitchman and his partner Emma. Zak’s was previously head chef at the Michelin-starred Casamia before it closed in 2022 and prior to that he was sous chef at Ynyshir, one of the most acclaimed restaurants in the UK. Not a bad CV then. 

With Other, Zak has ditched the formality of lengthy tasting menus and moved towards a more laid-back cooking style.

Despite Other’s striking use of colour, it’s a surprisingly cosy spot. We sat at a long communal table that takes up half the restaurant but had plenty of room to stretch our elbows. 

Other’s name comes from its eclectic style of food, with influences from across Asia, America and Europe. The compact menu is divided up into small and larger plates and we ordered pretty much the whole lot to share between four of us. 

From the dinky wine list, we chose a couple of bottles of red to share and both were lovely - a red berry packed The Notes Gamay (£36) with light acidity and a richer Sabina Tempranillo (£28) with a hint of spice.

The first small plate to arrive was a first-rate riff on sesame prawn toast (£8), which saw chicken mince replacing crustacean that was then topped with fresh and cleansing slivers of lime-pickled cucumber. The kicker was a potent brown crab hot and sour mayo.

I'm always in the game for smoked meat, and Other's seven hour smoked hogget (£8) was up there with dishes from the best smokehouses I've visited. Meat and smoke intensity combined in stupidly tender nuggets of shredded meat that were crisped up nicely around the edges. Levity, acidity and chilli heat came from a corker of a roasted pineapple and ancho chilli jam.

Tempura grey mullet (£9.50) was my least favourite small plate, but it was still very good. Meaty pieces of fish were coated in an excellent light batter and topped with a potent punch of harissa and slithers of fragrant blood plum. Slices of raw miso scallop slightly jarred in texture and temperature for me. 

Onto the larger plates, and Other clearly knows how to cook a killer bit of meat.

Outrageously rich smoked beef cheeks (£22) had an excellent bark and beautifully tender, smoky flesh. Garnishes, which had been piled on top, all hit the mark too - a good squirt of citrus mustard, slices of sweet onion, and umami rich beer braised tomatoes. 

A corker of a crisp-skinned, juicy and well-rendered fat pork chop (£25) was topped with a crispy panko crumb and accompanied by a five spice fragranced char sui sauce and a crisp and fresh white cabbage salad.

Other’s veggie option (£17) looked like a plate of leaves at first glance, but it delivered just as much flavour as the meat dishes. Buttery soft slow-roasted aubergine pieces were the vehicle for a whopper of a red curry glaze, the freshness of mint and coriander, and the crunch of crispy onions and ginger. 

Finally, a fish special (£22) saw meaty and salty mackerel fillets (I wonder whether it might have been slightly cured) paired with golden beignet-like crab cakes and sweet and cleansing tomatoes. The clincher was a curry spiced butter sauce that was a cross between something you’d get from the chip chop and a fine dining French kitchen. 

Sides were all belters too. Ridiculously crisp deep fried layered confit potatoes (£7) were dusted with roast garlic salt and ancho chilli and accompanied by a pot of lightly honking aioli. I think this might be my favourite style of potato as it delivers the most crunch per mouthful. 

Sweet and soft roasted carrots (£8) were a mess of deliciousness muddled together with crispy chickpeas, salty nuggets of feta and a vibrant salsa verde.

Even a wedge of lettuce (£7) was zhushed up by the addition of everything bagel seasoning, lettuce pesto and a lemon dressing.

Other’s menu recommends ordering both desserts to combine together like some kind of dessert Megazord. I can see why. 

A sourdough doughnut (£5) was light and soft and sweet and salty with the complexity of brown butter and toasty charred edges from being finished on the barbecue.

A crème brûlée (£9) was a riot of flavour - the creamy custard combining with a sweet and fragrant blood plum jam, the zinginess of lime syrup, and a properly crisp and toasty burnt caramelised sugar layer. It was brilliant slathered over the warm doughnut. 

We had a belter of a meal at Other and Zak Hitchman’s mammoth flavoured cooking is some of the most exciting I’ve eaten this year. Next time you visit Bristol and you’re thinking about visiting another restaurant instead of Other, don’t bother. 

The Details:

Address - Other, 32 Cannon Street, Bedminster, Bristol BS3 1BN
Web - https://www.otherrestaurant.co.uk/
Telephone - 07503 144325

Oma, Borough Market, London, Michelin-starred restaurant review

Someone has taken a chill pill at the Michelin Guide.

I like to think I know the types of restaurants that are generally awarded a star by the tyre people. 

And Oma isn't it.

It's a brilliant restaurant that serves flavour-packed and fairly priced modern Greek cooking. And it's a lively and informal place with down to earth service and delicious house wines that cost just over a fiver a glass.

In summary, it's everything that so many Michelin-starred restaurants in the UK aren't. 

I’m sure there's a certain breed of restaurant snob who’ll visit Oma and be disappointed by the lack of a library-like atmosphere or the absence of dishes that have been tweezered to within an inch of their lives. 

But I digress. Oma has been top of my London list of places to visit for a while, ever since a good friend said it would be right up mine and Mrs G's street. Furthermore, it's owned by the immensely talented, David Carter, the man behind the brilliant Smokestak and Manteca.

Located upstairs from its sibling restaurant, Agora, on the edge of Borough Market, Oma was buzzing on the Sunday lunchtime we visited. The menu, whilst Greek-centred, is unlike those at any of the tavernas we visit whilst on holiday. Head chef Jorge Paredes has elevated classic Greek flavour combinations and thrown in a few global influences too with dishes like tuna ceviche with citrus ponzu (£16) and salt cod XO with labneh (£6). 

Despite having a sizeable 400 bin wine list, Oma’s house wines cost a mere £5.50 a glass.  Both their white and their red from Kokos Estate were excellent, a light yet aromatic Savatiano-Roditis blend and a berry laden blend of unnamed grapes.

Having bickered over what to pick from Oma’s extensive dip selection, we compromised and ordered two. They were both as delightful as each other. 

Silkily potent taramasalata (£6) was studded with cubes of pickled cucumber and nuggets of crisp and roasty carob biscuit.

Creamy labneh (£6) was pepped up with sweet and throat warming hot honey and crispy chickpeas.

Dipping tools were just as well-considered. A super light and squidgy bagel-shaped açma verde (£3.50) was lightly soaked in garlic butter. 

Wildfarmed laffa bread (£3.50) was pleasingly soft with a slight stretchiness.

Onto the small plates, and impeccably fresh and meaty seabass crudo (£13) was dressed with ladolemono, a punchy mix of lemon juice and olive oil, as well as crispy fronds of deep-fried leek.

Oma's signature dish is their spanakopita gratin (£15) and it's a properly naughty bit of comfort food. They've taken a classic dish and turned all the dials up to artery clogging levels. A tongue scorchingly hot pot of creamed spinach, studded with nuggets of salty feta, was delicious spooned over flaky and fatty paratha-esque malawach flatbreads. The effect was unmistakeably spanakopita like. 

We ordered two of Oma’s larger plates. A whopper of a squid skewer (£28) had a lovely lick of char and vibrancy from a green herb, za’atar and confit garlic dressing. Most of the bits of squid were commendably tender but a couple were verging slightly towards the chewy side.

We followed it up with their oxtail giouvetsi (£29), another big flavoured and indulgent bit of comfort food. A clay pot of meaty orzo oozed with melted cheese and was topped with stupidly tender bits of oxtail and a crisp bone marrow crumb. 

A fragrant and fresh fennel and herb salad (£6) was an essential order to balance the giouvetsi’s richness. The crisp and citrusy dressed vegetable was tumbled with handfuls of mint, parsley, basil and dill.

We had a superb lunch at Oma and it's another fabulous Borough Market restaurant alongside two of our other recent favourites, Rambutan and Kolae. As long as the Michelin Guide are feeling chillaxed, I reckon they should crack on and hand them a star each too. 

The Details:

Address - Oma, 3 Bedale Street, London SE1 9AL
Web - https://www.oma.london/
Telephone - 020 8129 6760

Georges V - Temple du Welsh, Lille restaurant review

"Welsh is a religion here."

They're perhaps not the words you'd expect to hear from someone in Lille, a city in northern France.

But this friendly stranger wasn't talking about the language, they were referring to Lille's most popular dish, a distinctive take on the Welsh rarebit, known as “Le Welsh” that appears on menus across the city.

Some sources claim that Le Welsh was introduced to France in 1544 by a Welsh guard during Henry VIII’s siege of Boulogne-sur-Mer. However, the fact that Welsh rarebit wasn’t recorded as a recipe until 1747 makes me a little bit sceptical.

Another source suggests that Le Welsh may have been brought to northern France in the 18th and 19th centuries by Welsh miners. In addition, it apparently became more commonplace in restaurants during World War 1 when millions of British troops were stationed in northern France.

If you want to watch an insane 51-minute documentary about the origin of Le Welsh, which fails to really mention anything about Wales, then there’s one right here for you.

Regardless of how Le Welsh arrived in northern France, it’s a very, very big deal.

Georges V, a tabac that was renamed after the King of England following World War 1 in 1920, is Lille’s self-proclaimed "Temple of Welsh".

From hosting the “Concours International du Welsh” a competition to find the best Welsh in the world in 2023 to organising “Welsh Fest” in November 2025, Georges V clearly lives up to its reputation.

Whilst Georges V’s menu features delicious sounding dishes like Flemish stew and Maroilles cheese pie, it’s Welsh which is the focus. They even offer a mini-Welsh as a starter and a Welsh appears on their dessert menu too (just in case!).

Like almost everyone else around us we each ordered the classic Welsh du Georges V (€16.90), and it was a seriously naughty delight.

Earthenware dishes were filled with a beery golden pool of molten cheese. Hidden in its depths sat a piece of crisp toast, slices of ham, and a runny-yolked egg.

It was as if someone decided the cheese to bread ratio in a traditional Welsh rarebit needed tipping significantly in favour of cheese. The result is a fondue meets a Welsh rarebit. 

Rich AF but seriously moreish, it was pepped up nicely with a good dash of Lea & Perrins.

On the side was a well-dressed salad and impeccable rosemary dusted frites.

We also enjoyed a couple of glasses of local beer, both pils and blonde.

So there we have it, who would have thought that the city that's most famous for the Welsh is in France? Certainly not me.

Lille is a lush place that’s most definitely worth a visit and when you do so, guzzling a Welsh should be top of your to do list.

The Details:

Address - Georges V - Temple du Welsh, 104B Boulevard de la Liberté, 59000 Lille, France

Web - https://www.georges-v-lille.com/

Telephone - +33 3 28 04 70 17

Hiraeth, Victoria Park, Cardiff restaurant review 2025

It’s fair to say that Pontcanna is Cardiff’s swanky restaurant epicentre. 

Cardiff's boujiest district is home to Gorse, Cardiff’s only Michelin starred restaurant, the two other Tom(my)’s eponymous restaurants, Heaney’s and Thomas, and a pair of the city’s most exciting recent openings, Ember and Sonder. 

So, despite Hiraeth being just a mile down the road in Victoria Park, it perhaps feels slightly out of sight and out of mind.

However, after enjoying an excellent set lunch there last December, I’ve been itching for a return ever since. 

The stars aligned when friends invited us along to use a 20% off food voucher they’d received through their letterbox to encourage locals to give Hiraeth a go. 

In addition to their set lunch, Hiraeth offers an eight (£70) and ten course tasting menu (£90) that changes monthly. We visited for dinner on the last day of the month and so our ten course menu consisted of dishes that straddled both August and September. 

Hiraeth’s cooking brings together big, comforting flavours, inspired by a diverse mix of influences, including Wales, France, India, China and Japan.

Wines were all excellent – a citrusy Vilarnau Cava (£38), aromatic Thomas Stopfer Gruner Veltliner (£38), red fruity Calusari Romanian Pinot Noir (£30) and a glass of Kopke Tawny Port (£7) to round off the meal. 

We kicked off with Hiraeth’s riff on prawn toast and it was a corker of a substitute for a Saturday night takeaway. Sweet fried brioche, a kick of togarashi shichimi and salty pearls of flying fish roe all took it up a notch.

A golden dinky doughnut was glazed with mustard, filled with a pokey Tunworth cheese custard and topped with a sweet hit of red onion jam and a flurry of savoury Old Winchester cheese. 

Hiraeth’s chicken course is a mainstay of their menu, and I can see why. Beautifully executed karaage chicken was gorgeously juicy, marinated in ginger and garlic, and topped with the punch of sriracha mayo and furikake. It was as good as any we ate in Japan.

Light, soft and sweet Japanese milk bread was excellent slathered with umami-rich and meaty chicken skin butter. Finally, a whopping flavoured chicken consommé and dashi blend was a gloriously meaty and savoury comforting bowlful.

Verdant freshness arrived with the next course. A well-judged watercress porridge was essentially a risotto made with oats instead of rice. The grains had just the right amount of bite, were flecked with sweet peas, broad beans and runner beans and topped with crisp nori and creamy frozen goats curd. 

Indulgence returned with our first fish plate. A brilliantly crisp skinned and flaky fillet of gilt head bream was sat in a bowlful of rich and buttery café de Paris sauce seasoned with a warming wallop of curry. 

A meaty fillet of monkfish was cooked precisely with a good meaty texture and a char-licked exterior from its Indian spiced yoghurt marinade. A creamy raita, the sweet spice of dried chillies and raisins, and the crunch of poppadom shards completed the delicious plate. 

Lamb part one was reminiscent of an old skool suet pudding, and I was fully on board with it. A crusty yet soft suet bun was filled with slow-cooked shredded lamb belly, coated in a sticky lamb jus and topped with the crunch of toasted breadcrumbs. The only downer was a pair of gritty cockles that detracted from rather than added to the already excellent dish.

Lamb part deux was an excellent contrast to the sticky richness of part one. Pink and super tender lamb fillet with well-crisped fat was served alongside a sweet and savoury sundried tomato emulsion that was balanced by the lightness of sauce vierge and chard, which had been grown by one of the front of house staff. 

The transition to dessert came with a scoop of light and fragrant mugwort ice cream and the crunch of feuilletine wafer and honeycomb, which were balanced by the cleansing acidity of fresh orange pieces. 

Hiraeth’s riff on tiramisu was a proper boozy boi. A dollop of dark chocolate mousse was flavoured with Kahlua and Cointreau whilst an aerated cream was laced with bourbon and marsala. Throw in the crunch of biscuit crumbs and shavings of dark chocolate and this was an excellent dessert. 

Finally, our cheese course, saw a slice of warm and sweet bara brith topped with a quenelle of perl wen cream and served alongside a blob of plum chutney and crispy onions. Whilst it was very tasty, we both felt the cheese was a little bit too delicate and that the crispy onions tipped things a little too far towards the savoury.  

We had an excellent meal at Hiraeth and I’m a big fan of their fun, huge flavoured and technically accomplished cooking in a relaxed yet slick setting. If you’re looking for a special meal in Cardiff and want a change from Pontcanna then it’s most definitely worth travelling a mile down the road to Victoria Park. 

The Details:

Address - Hiraeth, 587 Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff CF5 1BE
Web - https://www.hiraethkitchen.com/