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Matina Wrap

Matina

I have always enjoyed the Kurdish wraps from Matina in the St Nicholas market in Bristol. The star of the show is the freshly baked flat bread, but the salads and pickles that you get in that bread are also really tasty.

It has been a while since I had a wrap from Matina. Their food is great, I think its for a variety of reasons. They have increased their prices, still value for money, but not the cheaper option for lunch that they were. They have stopped doing their lamb kebabs, which were always nice. They have long queues usually. I think though the main reason is that there is so much choice out there in the street food scene and I don’t get to Bristol that often, so they are on the list, but usually something else beats them.

These are still wonderful wraps, they take their freshly cooked bread, fill it with salads, hummus and sauces before adding grilled pieces of chicken (halloumi also available).

The result is a fresh tasty wrap which is full of flavour. Though you can eat it out of the paper, it can get quite messy, so I “cheat” and take it back to the office to eat with a knife and fork on a plate.

It was delicious and I might not leave it so long next time.

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Tonkotsu Pork Ramen

I was with a colleague at a conference in Luleå in Sweden. It was a Sunday night and most places were closed. In the end we headed to Hachi Luleå. With a choice between sushi and ramen, I went with the Tonkotsu ramen. This was a pork broth with with shashu pork, pak choi, egg and green onion.

Tonkotsu Pork Ramen

It was a very nice ramen, slightly difficult to eat as the pork was quite chewy in places. The broth was delicious and really raised the dish. 

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Complimentary SAS Coffee

Complimentary SAS Coffee

Most times I fly, it’s with EasyJet and I know not to have their coffee when flying. Then most flights I do are about an hour, and I can miss coffee while in the air. Actually it’s not just EasyJet, most airlines serve pretty disappointing coffee. So much so I wouldn’t want to pay money for it.

So, on a recent flight from London Heathrow to Luleå with a layover in Stockholm I flew with SAS. They provide complimentary coffee on their flights.

Well, what do you expect me to say? It wasn’t very good, but I wasn’t expecting anything better. 

It did though get me thinking about if there were any specific issues in having, say proper espresso coffee on board a plane.

Looking online I could see that Air Dolomiti does offer espresso on their flights. It was also apparent that for long haul it is an option for first and business class passengers. So, next time I must fly Air Dolomiti, though it looks like they only fly to Frankfurt from the UK.

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Time for a Mixed Grill

I was staying at the Premier Inn at Heathrow, cheap and next to the car parking I had booked.

I didn’t really have the time (or the transport) to go somewhere else, so I headed down the restaurant for dinner.

They do quite a good value meal deal with two courses and a drink for £19.99, you can throw in breakfast the following morning and it costs £29.99.

I went with a starter and they had bao buns.

For my main course I upgraded to the mixed grill.

This was a sirloin steak, gammon steak, half a chicken breast and pork sausages. Served with beer-battered onion rings, garden peas, a fried egg, half a grilled tomato and skin-on chips. I was given a choice of salad if I wanted to. I went with the chips.

The steak and gammon were really nice. The steak was cooked to my liking and was well seasoned. The chicken I am assuming was pre-cooked and was a little rubbery having been cooked on the chargrill. The sausages looked a little overcooked, but in fact were just right.

The chips were crisp on the outside, but soft and fluffy on the inside.

The only thing that let the plate down were the onion rings which were overcooked and just crunch. I was asked how my food was before I tried one, otherwise I would have probably complained, but even then maybe not, as it was just three onion rings.

I do like a mixed grill and I was quite impressed with this plate from Premier Inn, to be honest my expectations weren’t very high. Compared to the mixed grills I had last year from The Landing Light and the Railway Inn, this was much better. Though it was missing a lamb chop!

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Cheese Scone at Barrington Court

When visiting a National Trust property, my usual go to snack is a cheese scone with a tea (or a coffee). Though with the recent hot weather and I usually gone for a cold drink.

I drove off to visit Barrington Court, a National Trust property in Somerset. I had been there three times before, in March 2017 and November 2017. In both of these visits I was able to go inside Barrington Court. In 2020 it the house was closed for conservation work, delayed by the covid pandemic, the project is still ongoing. I made a visit in February 2025, Barrington Court was still closed, but I did look around Strode House and the gardens.

On this return visit in August 2025, the weather was significantly better, and I enjoyed walking around the grounds and gardens, as well as looking around Strode House.

I stopped at the café for a cheese scone. I chose the meal, so it came with some cheese slices and chutney, along with a hot drink. I had a green tea.

It was a very nice scone, I think I would have preferred a chunk of cheese over the cheese slices. Overall though it was an enjoyable scone and tea.

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Crispy Chicken Bao Buns

I was staying at the Premier Inn at Heathrow, cheap and next to the car parking I had booked. I didn’t really have the time (or the transport) to go somewhere else, so I headed down the restaurant for dinner. They do quite a good value meal deal with two courses and a drink for £19.99, you can throw in breakfast the following morning and it costs £29.99.

I went with a starter and they had bao buns. Fluffy steamed buns, served with chilli, coriander, spring onions a choice of filling. There was crispy chicken and spicy mayo, halloumi and hot honey, or mushroom and hoisin. I think my first choice would have been mushroom, but didn’t fancy the hoisin. In the end I chose the crispy chicken and spicy mayo. You got two buns each with an individual piece of chicken.

Crispy Chicken Bao Buns

The buns were light and fluffy. The chicken was nice and crispy and you could taste the chicken. The spicy mayo wasn’t too spicy and there was extra spicy mayo on the side. Each bun was garnished with fresh coriander, spring onions and slices of red chilli.

I was really quite impressed. I do like a nice bao bun, and these were really nice.

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Dressed Crab and Grilled Sea Bream at Rockfish

In August when we had the partial solar eclipse I wrote about my visit to Brixham back in 1999 to see the total solar eclipse we had in the UK. Since that visit, I hadn’t actually been back to Brixham, though had visited many other places in that area. I made a plan to go back there, and hopefully get a nice lunch from one of the many fish restaurants that surround the harbour. Brixham has a large fishing fleet, and had the largest fish market in England.

I had looked online before I got to Brixham, and had seen Rockfish, I liked how as well as serving fish, they had a restaurant. I liked the look of the menu too, they had a nice looking set menu, which I thought I might go for.

I hadn’t booked, but they were able to find a table for me. I looked over the menu and had essentially chosen my two courses from the set menu. 

Then the waiting staff came over and asked if I wanted to hear the fresh fish they had in, I went yes. They had an amazing selection of fresh fish choices. It was a little more than the set menu, well much higher!

I thought about it and decided I would go with the fresh fish choices. For my starter I went with the dressed crab, and for my main course I chose the grilled sea bream.

The dressed crab arrived, with both brown and white crab meat, along with some slices of bread.

This was delicious, lovely fresh crab, which I really enjoyed.

For my main course I had the grilled sea bream. This was described as succulent, sweet and gloriously meaty – a highly prized whole fish with clean, white flakes. It came with a tomato sauce and unlimited fries (I could have had salad or new potatoes).

This looked amazing and was beautifully cooked. It had great flavour and I really enjoyed eating it. Obviously it was a while fish, so I did have to fillet it, to eat it. I also had to turn other to get the other fillet.

The whole meal was delicious, I was pleased that I went with the fresh fish choices, I paid more, but it was worth it.

Service was excellent, warm and welcoming.

What was interesting was that you could buy fresh fish from the fish stall at Rockfish and for £6 they would cook it for you.

This was my first visit to Brixham in twenty seven years, after such a nice meal, I think I won’t leave it so long next time.

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Unhappy Cauliflower

I was shopping in a supermarket when I found these sad looking cauliflowers. I certainly wouldn’t be spending my money on these.

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Tricolour Tomato and Burrata Salad

I really like this simple salad of fresh Italian burrata cheese with tomatoes. 

Tricolour Tomato and Burrata Salad

For this salad I took a selection of tomatoes I had in the fridge. They were from The Heritage Tomato Collection, a box of tomatoes I had got from Waitrose.

Sweet Rich Juicy Aromatic Vibrant Fresh. A Carefully Curated Range of Heritage Tomatoes. Bringing Back that Real Tomato Taste. Discover our carefully curated range of heritage tomatoes, grown in the UK for exceptional flavour and authenticity. Our selection changes throughout the season, ensuring you receive the freshest varieties at their peak. Each mix is chosen to celebrate the diversity, colour and rich taste that heritage tomatoes are known for.

I took three different colours of tomatoes, sliced and the dressed with salt, pepper, olive oil, and white wine vinegar.

Burrata is an exquisite Italian fresh cheese with a unique texture. It starts with a pouch of fresh mozzarella, which is then filled with a rich, creamy mixture of stracciatella—shredded mozzarella curds and cream. The name “burrata” comes from the Italian word for “buttered,” which perfectly describes its luxurious consistency. When sliced open, the firm outer shell gives way to a soft, spilling interior. This creates a delightful contrast between the solid exterior and the milky, buttery filling.

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Awesome Bento Box

A Friday lunch break in Bristol took me to the vibrant Finzels Reach Market, where I picked up an incredible bento box from She Sells Streetfood featuring beef donburi alongside tan tan udon noodles.

With the Beef Donburi, the beef itself is incredibly tender and packed with savoury depth.

What really elevates it, though, is the contrast. Crispy fried onions bring a satisfying crunch, while pickled vegetables and cucumber salad deliver just enough sharp acidity to cut through the rich meat.

Another wonderful dish is the Tan Tan Udon. Pure comfort in a bowl.

Soft, chewy udon noodles are mixed with seasoned minced pork and fresh pak-choi, all submerged in a rich, creamy broth. Every single spoonful gives you a bit of everything—no sad, bare bites here. Whatever you do, don’t skip the crispy chili if they ask. That extra kick of heat ties all the creamy, savoury flavours together into absolute perfection.

It was an absolutely delicious meal, rich, balanced, and completely delicious.