Bath Eats

Picture courtesy of Comptoir Libanais

If you take a little walk down by the Avon you might spot Ponte Vecchio, a little gem serving delicious Italian food.

The restaurant is named after the famous Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy which houses the cutest little jewellery shops on either side of it.

We were recently invited down to try out some of their food (I'm not sure how we had never been there before). It's close to Pulteney Bridge in Bath which has often been referred to as the Ponte Vecchio of England so you see where they've taken inspiration for the name from ✨

Beckford Bottle shop is a new, modern wine shop & tasting room in Bath with old-fashioned values.

They have over 250 different wines and all of their dishes use British produce, something that they pride themselves on, using lots of locally-sourced ingredients.

Hanora Health was recently launched to address the issues facing society today - processed foods. They have launched not one, but two different products: Kombucha and Raw Chocolate Orange bites.  They kindly sent us a couple of things to try out and today we're sharing them with all of you 🤗.

So, what is Kombucha? You may have heard of it before, particularly if you are interested in gut-healthy foods. It's essentially a fermented tea beverage made with a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. It sounds scary but it's really not.

After a week or longer, the drink becomes naturally carbonated and slightly sweet-tart. Most excitingly, it becomes full of healthy goodness (B vitamins, antioxidants and bacteria/yeast which are great for your gut.)

Located in Montmartre, The Hardware Société is quickly becoming one of Paris' favourite brunch spots. The restaurant originally opened in Melbourne, and made it's way to Paris a few years ago incorporating both Australian and French breakfast favourites into their menu.

Looking for a cosy, modern, award-winning bistro specialising in vegan and vegetarian food? Look no further than The Acorn Restaurant.

Dan Moon at the Gainsborough Restaurant has been awarded an impressive three AA Rosettes and features in the prestigious Tatler Restaurant Guide. The restaurant, located in The Gainsborough Bath Spa Hotel, has a special two-for-one lunch menu on weekdays - an offer we couldn't resist.

Noya's Kitchen, one of Bath's best restaurants specialising in Vietnamese food, has recently launched Pho Tuesdays dedicated to - you guessed it - pho. A Vietnamese soup made with broth, rice noodles herbs and a protein source (beef, chicken or tofu), pho is a street food that has recently become very popular in the UK.

"Why the name House of Small Wonder? Because everyday life is not about the big wonders, its about the small wonders that make things just a little more pleasant."

House of Small Wonder originally opened in 2010 in Brooklyn, New York and then made its way to Berlin at the end of 2014, bringing with it its greenhouse atmosphere, filled with plenty of (beautiful) greenery.

Located on Lower Bristol Road in a super cosy joint, MeatBusters Burger Bar (formerly known as Burgers and Barrells) makes great burgers cooked fresh to order, made using locally sourced ingredients.

Our for Sunday brunch? Want a good place for breakfast? Here are some of the best places the city has to offer 🌻.

Cafe au Lait 

A family-run, independent coffee house serving a range of breakfasts (including vegan & gluten-free pancakes). The halloumi fries are incredible. Click here for our review.

12-14 Dorchester Street
£-££

Located in Green Park Station, Beyond the Kale is hands-down one of my favourite places in Bath. They specialise in juices and smoothies but have so many different breakfast, lunch and dessert options too. Everything is plant based and delicious.

Paris is full of Prohibition-style speakeasy bars which generally serve expensive, but cool cocktails.

For those of you that don't know, the Prohibition was when the USA banned all alcohol between 1920 and 1933. Naturally, 'speakeasies' (secret bars) popped up all around the country and although the Prohibition is long gone and alcohol was never banned in France, Parisians continue to enjoy the concept of the secret bar.

Here are 6 of Paris' secret bars, from secret hotels to Indian train themed establishments, including tips on how to get inside them.

The Marlborough Tavern, one of Bath's post popular pubs, had a menu makeover a couple of months ago, created by their new Head Chef. Marrying classic pub favourites with oriental-inspired dishes, we were super excited to check it out.

Hidden away next to the Premier Inn by Kingsmead Square, a new steakhouse has popped up: Bar + Block.

The New Inn is a recently refurbished pub on Monmouth Place that has a great selection of cask ales and craft beers. More recently, they have launched "Simply KL", a new menu featuring an array of Malaysian Hawker Centre (street food) style dishes.

We were lucky enough to get invited along to their soft launch to try out some their menu. Having lived in Singapore for eight years, a country with strong Malay influence, I was curious to see what The New Inn's version of Malay food tasted like. 

Located in the heart of Fitzrovia, Sushi Atelier serves modern sushi created by their skilled sushi chefs. Their menu is far from standard, showcasing its creativity with dishes such as their everchanging chef's selection of nigiri and sashimi.

Outside of Italy, Bath is pretty lucky to have such good pizzerias. Here are some of the best ones the city has to offer. 🍕
Franco Manca

Authentic Neapolitan sourdough pizzas (also garlic bread, salads, burrata, dips for pizza crusts, wine, beer, Aperol spritz, tiramisu). Gluten-free bases & vegan cheese available. Our personal favourite - cheap & cheerful! 

12 Brunel Square
£

When Franco Manca opened earlier this year, it seemed that everyone in Bath was excited about it. The reason? Authentic neapolitan, sourdough pizzas for a very reasonable price as well as wine, beer, burrata... you get the gist.

We were lucky enough to get invited to their Opening Party a few weeks later. Here's what we got up to.

First up: starters and lots of aperol spritz

The burrata with sourdough bread and sundried tomatoes was incredible - so creamy. If you're not sure what burrata is, it's basically like a creamier (more heavenly) version of mozzarella.

The cured meats were perfectly fresh.

The aperol spritz' were amazing. It's a traditional Italian aperitif made from aperol liquer, soda water and proseco. Dream.

If you have ever been to Florence or are planning a trip to go there you have no doubt heard about All'Antico Vinaio. Originally a rosticceria (where they sell whole roasted chickens), the place has turned into one of the most famous sandwich shops in the world.

They originally didn't have enough space, so they bought the wine bar across the road which is where their name comes from (the old wine bar). It definitely turned into a success and you can now be sure to always find yourself at the back of a long queue which you can find in Via dei Neri (close to the Piazzale Signoria and the Galleria degli Uffizi), but don't worry - it's worth it!

If you haven't heard of the Scallop Shell yet, I'm not quite sure where you've been. It's arguably (and in our opinion) the best place for seafood in Bath. Its fish and chips are reason enough for a visit, not to mention their nautical-themed interiors. 

Located in the heart of Southgate, Tapas Revolution is one of Bath's many tapas joints.

Noya's Kitchen opened in Bath back last year after Noya had held extremely successful pop-up supper clubs in Bear Flat for years. Due to her success, a beautiful new restaurant was opened on St James Parade (near Bath College) with a menu that changes every week always including both a meat and vegetarian (which is usually vegan too) option.

We were lucky enough to be invited to the preview evening of her new restaurant where Noya explained how she had fled from Vietnam in the 1970s, seeking refuge in the UK and how the flavours in all of her cooking reflected her Vietnamese roots. We also got to sample some of her food that evening, and were invited back a few weeks later to try a full menu.

Aperitivo in Italy is one of the best ideas ever. Traditionally it would be a pre-dinner drink with maybe some nuts or chips but luckily in Italy they have something called apericena (cena is dinner in Italian) which is also called aperitivo: basically a very cheap way of having dinner and a drink.

In Florence, there's normally a set price which is around 10 euros and you can choose any drink with an unlimited buffet. Having previously lived in Italy for half a year,  I have been to a fair few places for aperitivo and I have to say that Tamerò is one of my favourites because it has simple, but good food for under 10 euros.

As more and more people are becoming vegetarian, vegan or just interested in eating less meat, the number of places providing this kind of food in Bath is growing. Better for the environment, the animals and arguably for your health, it's not hard to see why.

Here's a little list of the restaurants and cafés in Bath that cater 100% to a vegetarian and vegan lifestyle.

Nourish Plantbased Eating

Nourish is a 100% vegan restaurant with influences from all over the world best for a sit-down lunch or dinner. Their tacos, laksa and buddha bowl are all verrryyyy good. Click here for a full review.

1 London Road W
££

When the Giggling Squid, a Thai restaurant, opened in Bath earlier this year we were invited to try out their menu. It's on Saw Close, where the Mexican restaurant Chimichanga used to be - you may have seen the beautiful orchids through the windows as you walk past.

I went with one of my friends who is vegan, so we decided to test out their plant-based menu. For a non-vegan restaurant, they had many different options to choose from!

Nestled away in Milsom Place, Le Vignoble, a new wine bar with wine despensers (omg) opened earlier this year. Le Vignoble, 'the vinyard' in French, focuses on a balance between quality and price, therefore promoting small producers and unusual wines. As wine lovers, we were super happy to get invited to go down to Le Vignoble to see what it was all about.