O perfil de jonnyriches

When you enter the Royal Oak, you can go through a door on the left or a door on the right. Through the left lies an small, old-fashioned snug, with a log fire, plenty of tables, and a bar serving a variety of drinks, including Real Ales - the pub has featured in the Good Beer Guide. Take the door on the right, and you enter a comfy restaurant, with its own separate bar, again a log fire, and a very good menu. The pub also has its own garden at the back with several tables. Well worth dropping in, whether just for a refreshing pint after a walk or a hearty meal.

The Penhelig, as a hotel, is one of my favourite places to stay. Rooms in the main buidling are average prices yet comfortable. However, the nicest rooms are in the Bodhelig building and Penhelig House annexe, both with lovely views over the Dyfi Estuary and sea breezes. Rooms here are large, smart and well-furnished. Meals in the restaurant are also excellent, with an emphasis on local produce and in particular fish. I have noticed a slight decrease in quality since the original owners sold the hotel to SA Brain, but quite a lot of the original, very friendly staff are still there. Well worth a stay.

A tube station might not be the most interesting thing to review, but there is a definite “cult” status surrounding the London Underground and while many stations do feel soulless and devoid of character, others are a bit more interesting. If you’re used to cramped platforms and packed escalators, Tufnell Park is a breath of fresh air: very small and very quiet (at least whenever I’ve been there), with some very nice Victorian architecture and fairly clean for a Tube station.

Downsides are that it has lift-only access to platforms.

A really nice deli in Oxford. On the High Street, Olives is located in a small shop unit, but its shelves are stacked high with tasty treats. Also noteworthy are its delicious baguettes: their best contains parma ham and buffalo mozzarella. As you’d expect for such a shop offering such products, it’s quite pricey, and you’d probably only go in there for a treat, but what a treat!

Beware: because this shop is small, you may well run into a queue of Oxford students having 'essay crises’ needing sustinence…

A very nice new cinema. The snacks and drinks are expensive, but I have gone in many times with bags of food and have not been stopped. Screens are clean and seats are large, with plenty of legroom wherever you sit. Because they have a lot of screens, there is often a good variety of films on, including some films from the past reissued. What’s more, its location in the new Brewery complex puts it in stumbling distance of several restaurants, and some of them will give you a discount if you present your ticket stub.

Very reasonably priced Thai food. Inside the restaurant, it is elaborately decorated, and the staff are excessively friendly. They also offer takeout as well. Their curries are spicy and delicately flavoured, and their sticky rice is just to die for. It’s just a shame I live in Tewkesbury because it’s too far for a regular takeaway, but it’s worth the drive.

As other reviewers have stated, the Mayflower is quite expensive. However, it more than makes up for this in the quality of the food. The restaurant is comfortable and the staff are friendly. It has a good wine list and a selection of other drinks, including a very nice Tsingao beer. Then the food arrives and blows you away. Crispy duck, Chinese spare ribs, and the best crispy shredded beef in chilli I have tasted. Well worth it for a great night out, especially if with friends.

A very good dental practice. The building is new and everything is hi-tech and clean. The dentist, Sia Maani, is exceptionally friendly and specialises in cosmetic treatments, but handles general dentistry as well. He managed to straighten my teeth without invasive procedures. It is private and as such is relatively expensive, but they offer interest-free repayment. Highly recommended.

I’m short sighted, and Specsavers in Tewkesbury is fab. My optician is young and friendly, and my contact lenses are pretty reasonably priced. The other staff are very friendly as well - if you have an NHS voucher but don’t want to use it straight away, they won’t push you but they’ll hold it until you need to. Furthermore, if one of your contact lenses comes out in town and you lose it, they’ll give you a free replacement. Excellent opticians.

Giving blood is so much simpler at a donor centre. The Gloucester centre operates an appointment-only system so you don’t have to wait. Staff are very friendly, and chat with you while you donate. I have only had one aborted donation at this centre, but that was probably me moving my arm slightly between them locating a vein and putting the needle in. They also have a large biscuit-basket for when you are finished, a good selection of newspapers, and they make you a nice cup of tea afterwards.

There are slight problems - it’s a bit of a way out of the centre of Gloucester if you are walking (but it’s in close proximity of the hospital, which is probably a good thing) and it can be a bit hard to get an appointment. But all in all, who needs to wait for ages in a chilly church hall when you can donate at a centre such as this?