Track Record at the Rising Sun, Redditch

Tony was ready. He’d been training for weeks with his local club for this event, and he was finally ready to make his professional debut on the track. He’d given up on many nights out with his friends in the evenings and he’d put all his family aside to give him more time to train. And now he had to compete against seven other candidates to set his record and earn the right to represent his country. But who were these other people? He’d never seen them before or had a chance to Google their names and find out their personal bests. He knew that tonight he could not afford to hold anything back. All his efforts must go into the next ninety seconds to ensure that he would give his best performance ever. And as the moon began to emerge from behind the clouds, he got the call to make his way towards the track. 

Red Star Weissbeer at the Blackburne Pub & Eatery, Liverpool

The call for food now needed my attention so I wandered over to the Blackburne with Graham in search of a hearty meal. This was a Good Beer Guide pub and we knew some of the people who were staying here and they had recommended the food. As soon as we walked in, we saw crowds from other branches who had full tables and had just commenced munching, but we were soon shown to a conspicuous table in the dining area which was away from the bar and a bit too posh for my liking. The menu was pricey so we both decided to go for fish and chips knowing that we'd get a good northern-sized portion, but there was a fair wait for it to arrive. However, it wasn't particularly special, and the actual fish was only slightly bigger than a supermarket fillet and and it looked towards that too. We politely put it down to a busy pub that was just posh and headed out to catch up with the rest of our gang.  

Little Crosby Sittin' on the Dock at the Philharmonic Dining Rooms, Liverpool

Jim sighed. The sun was setting and he hadn't caught a thing. It had been a beautiful day and he would loved to have spent it swimming in the sea or climbing on the rocks with the other lads, but his instructions from Captain Blue were clear: 'As soon as the Celeste comes into view, run to the Navigation and let 'ol Peterson know.' He wasn't entirely sure, but he thought that an ambush would be likely. He had heard that the expedition had found a chest of Spanish galleons on a desert island while pausing to take on water; though how rumour had come to spread in the pub he wasn't sure. Normally he'd alert the authorities that something was afoot but Captain Blue had promised to pay for his bed and board in full if he'd help him out this afternoon, which was more than the government could offer. And so, he'd spent the entire day pretending to fish while staring out across the horizon. 

Woeful Wagamama

I've always liked the sound of Wagamama. It's a Japanese noodle restaurant and it sounds very quirky. But when I actually got round to visiting, I found out that it just serves overpriced and disappointing food. The staff were very friendly and we made sure that their green tea really was free, and the food arrived quite quickly but confusingly as it was brought my different waiters and no-one could remember the name or number of the dish that they'd ordered. My dumplings were smaller and spongier than I thought they would be. Perhaps because they were fried and not steamed. For my main I had ramen noodles with everything in it. The meat was very nice but the noodles looked like they'd come out of a packet of super noodles and the rest was just a large bowl of soup. I'd even been given a bamboo label to slurp the stuff out of my large bowl. I also had a slice of cheesecake which was very refreshing but was also very tiny. I don't think I'll be going back in a while. 

Great Newsome Brewery Holderness Dark at the Clove Hitch, Liverpool

The Clove Hitch is one of Liverpool's trendier bars. It's set in an old homely Townhouse which instantly sets it apart from a pub, and its primary function is an upmarket cafe that serves food. Drinkers are made very welcome and aren’t forced into purchasing a meal. A small flight of steps leads to a hallway leading to dining rooms either side, and the rear room hosted a bar led by a very friendly and welcoming server who was happy to chat to us. Meanwhile, downstairs is a large basement bar complete with its own bottled beer cellar which allows off-licence sales. It was a shame that I left my suitcase in the railway station's locker room. The bar caters for everyone and sells a large variety of Belgium and craft beers, but the mild that I sampled was one of the best beers that I had on this trip; dark and smooth while not completely overpowering.

Boring Bill

The Horrible Histories’ rendition of the life of William Shakespeare was a huge disappointment. It portrays the idea that Shakespeare simply got lucky and was in the right place at the right time to get his plays performed and save the day at the same time rather than pay tribute to Shakespeare’s genius. The plot becomes even more unrealistic when King Philip II arrives in a landing party of just four men and overpowers a whole squad of soldiers and later kidnaps Shakespeare’s wife. There's no attempt to educate the viewer (much unlike the TV series which has a puppeted rat which acts as a narrator) and the action is just too slow and drawn out. Confusion reigns when the actors double up as other characters as they’re clearly underdeveloped, and the whole thing just seems to be a group of actors who enjoy dressing up in period dress have been given permission to remain in costume for a little bit longer. 

Orkney Three Sisters at the Philharmonic Dining Rooms, Liverpool

It’s great to see that beers from remote areas such as the islands of Orkney are making their way into the cities. But you’d think, after travelling over five hundred miles, you’d have thought they’d have put a bit more effort into their pump clip design to show how far the cask has travelled to make it stand out and more saleable at the bar. It’s just another random beer with bold lettering. Who were the three sisters? How does the drinker know that this beer is a re-designed ‘shilling-styled’ beer or even the people serving it? I never knew that eighty shilling was a beer style until today, or that the traditional Scottish brewers brewed their beers categorically different to the rest of the planet. So how about some facts to educate the drinker to make it more attractive; rather than just slapping it on and hope that it sells?