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| Meeting of The Lunar Society at Heathfield, home of James Watt |
Reports in The Caterer as well as in the local press in North Staffordshire inform us that Stoke On Trent is soon to have a fine dining establishment to be overseen by Niall Keating, Head Chef at the two Michelin-starred Whateley Manor in Wiltshire and former winner of The Great British Menu Central region heats. Keating, brought up in Stoke, is partnering with The Great British Experience events company to establish the new restaurant at the World of Wedgwood visitor attraction at Barlaston near Stoke and the restaurant will be named Lunar to recall the 18th century Birmingham-based Lunar Society (named because it always met on a full moon) of which the Stoke potter, Josiah Wedgwood was a member. The Lunar Society was a supper club for the Midlands enlightenment movement and included scientists, inventors and businessmen such as Wedgwood.
The new 120 cover restaurant kitchen will be run by Head Chef Craig Lunn who worked as sous chef under Keating at Whateley Manor and also as chef de partie at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. The restaurant is due to open on 26 November.
Stoke On Trent has not previously been known to be a place of gastronomic excellence. It does not get a mention in the 2021 Michelin Guide. Perhaps it is just about to benefit from a bit of gastronomic ‘levelling up’ and some Lunar Club-style enlightenment (of the gastronomic kind).
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| Niall Keating and Craig Lunn |
Bristol, it has to be said, is not in the West Midlands. It sits at the tail end of Gloucestershire but, while the regional status of most of Gloucestershire county is a matter of debate - a Midlands county? a West Country county? (look at the map, it’s definitely in the middle) - Bristol has had its own county created for it to make its region indisputable - South Gloucestershire which is decidedly in the West Country. But it is only just across the border in its mini-county and I am there from time to time so I am not too unhappy about recording a visit to one of its respected restaurants.
Bristol is a fine city though swamped now with a middle class, socialist elite since the Blairs saw a money-making opportunity in buying property there, that makes it like a vastly larger version of Moseley though in no way as ugly as that Birmingham suburb and of course it is not only a handsome city but it has the quay areas and the river which add to the city’s draw. Unfortunately since my last visit before the first lockdown, the self-regarding middle class denizens have gone mad and there is a great risk of being run over by dim-looking youths on electric scooters and green middle-aged people pedalling away on their bicycles and cars have been expelled to make way for this even more dangerous form of traffic shooting along the pavements. A warning as to what Birmingham will be like in the near future as the environmental fascists establish their new republic of bullying and sneering. Of course these well-heeled inhabitants can afford to eat in style once they’ve pedalled their way around the streets doing their best to kill old blokes with their ageing labradors visiting the city and so the city now has an array of Michelin-listed, -plated and -starred dining establishments.
Not far from my hotel, on the waterfront, looking across the river at a vast, monstrous Art Deco building that looks like Mussolini put it up, on the upper floor of a collection of shops, cafes and restaurants housed by no means inaptly in shipping containers, one finds the Michelin-listed Gambas which the Inspector’s report sums up as, “Set in a lovely first floor location in the bustling Wapping Wharf, Gambas comes with a terrace on two sides and lovely river views. The concise menu of small plates showcases great quality produce and has a seafood slant; dishes arrive as they are ready from an open kitchen”. Well, as I say, “lovely river views” is slightly debatable but being English the precise nature of the view does not really matter as we all like to sit by water, don’t we? and will do so in any weather come rain or shine.
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| “Lovely river views” (Michelin inspector) |
The welcome to the internally rustic-looking restaurant was warm and service was relaxed, informative and pleasing. I chose four dishes from the regular menu and the menu of today’s specials. From the former I picked the pan con alioli which was excellent with the bread being as delicious as any I had had in restaurants with greater pretensions - finely judged saltiness and excellent flavour - and precisely judged alioli with robust amounts of garlic but no bolder than than it should have been. Then came the absolutely delightful tortita de camerones - two delicate, thin and golden, extravagantly crispy, deep-fried sheets speckled with shockingly tasty, sweet little prawns. It was a great pleasure just to sit and admire their visual beauty, look at them so delicate, before purring with the happiness of tasting their flavour and experiencing their texture. I would go back to Gambas just for the pleasure of reliving the tortitas.
The next arrival at my table were some supremely excellent patatas bravas with great swirls of even more alioli and then, from the specials menu, a perfectly cooked (and sized) meaty piece of glimmering hake with mojo verde and the sweetest and happiest little piquillo peppers. This was a very fine and enjoyable meal crowned with an excellent crema Catalan. The chefs in this kitchen really know their stuff. Fine but comforting, the Michelin inspector was right on this one.
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