A BRAT January

It’s not so much a bucket list as a saucepan list; all those restaurants that we want to visit. And a base in Shropshire is not the easiest starting point for so many of them, although we would urge anyone and everyone to go to Docket 33 in Whitchurch. So a recent trip to London was an excuse for adding another tick to the list with a visit to BRAT, where Tomos Parry’s love of Wales, Spain and fire all come together to glorious culinary effect. And if you imagine that Michelin starred dining is all formality and pretension, then a trip to BRAT would see those prejudices go up in smoke on the charcoal grill. The ambience is convivial with nearly every table full on a cold Wednesday evening in January, the décor, with wood panelled walls, is reminiscent of a much loved pub and the service both friendly and efficient.

Whilst wine writer Fiona Beckett was, contemporaneously taken aback to be charged £18 for a glass of grüner Veltliner at another one of the capital's eateries, we were very happy with ours at a more realistic £9 a glass.

But what about the food? After all, that’s what we went for. There is no hours and courses long tasting menu, there is no strict dividing line between starters and mains, just a list of delicious sounding dishes, roughly grouped by plate size and price, with an emphasis on sharing. The choice, however, is the hardest part – so many tempting dishes and only finite stomach capacity! A clever tactic, as now we want to return for all the things we couldn’t fit in last time.

For the record we had the bread with anchovy, onions and Spenwood cheese; kalettes and goat’s curd; Dover sole; squid rice, winter leaf salad and cheesecake – one portion each, definitely not shared.

Everything was delicious, as was the feeling when the squid rice arrived at the table in a Netherton Foundry prospector casserole, one of many in use both at BRAT and Tomos’ other ventures, Mountain in Soho and BRAT v Climpson's Arch.

If we lived locally and our budget permitted we would, no doubt, be regulars. Of course it isn’t cheap, but in the opinion of these country mice, it represents outstanding value for a Michelin starred, London restaurant. You can easily spend the same amount elsewhere and be very disappointed.