The Primitivo Pheasant

Undecided about where to eat that evening we realised we hadn't eaten French for a while, so decided to go to Côte on Exeter's Cathedral Green. It was a gorgeous evening and we were seated upstairs so were treated to a sunset view of the Cathedral, perfect.  To drink, we chose a Chateau des Gravieres 2014 Graves. It was a lovely choice, very enjoyable and extremely drinkable...  For starters, K chose the steak tartare and I the chicken liver parfait. The parfait came in a miniature kilner jar with slices of toasted brioche tucked into a folded napkin and spiced apple chutney on the side. As you can see, I was so hungry that I dove straight in, forgetting to take the photo before I started! The rest was soon devoured.  For the main course K went for the roast duck with shredded cabbage with a cherry sauce and a side of parmentier potatoes. This did look particularly tempting, I liked the cherry twist, and I almost wished I'd picked that! ...

Anton Piotrowski, winner of Masterchef: The Professionals 2012, previously of the Treby Arms, has recently opened 'Brown and Bean' restaurant in Plymouth city centre. I was in Plymouth one lunchtime so decided to pop by and try it out with my friend Fifi. The decor was stylish and rustic with numerous photos of the proprietors on the walls, giving it a cosy, family feel. Napkins covered the newly printed menus so viewing it was like uncovering a surprise. And what a surprise it was. Some fantastic options, with enough details to intrigue but not too much that you can guess what it'll look like! Being lunchtime and having a drive back to Exeter ahead of us, we just stuck to water to drink. The bread and butter came out and was announced as homemade sourdough bread with marmite butter. Marmite and butter in one lovely smooth combination? Yes please! I then had to fight the urge not to make the classic mistake of filling up on bread, normally a simple task, but with the ad...