Week Fifty Two
Hello again fans and I start off with some sad news. This will be the last ever blog post as I feel the time is right to finish, what better way to sign off than at the end of the calendar year. It is with regret the blog 'a new place every week' will be no more. I am and still will be going to a new place every week and who knows I may return with a new reformatted blog one day....
In the final edition, I will do a very quick review of Turtle Bay which I went to with friends in Leamington Spa and then we will have an overall review with various awards, stats and moments of nostalgia from 2014. So put on the saddest song you know folks while you read the final blog post.....so sad.
Summary of Turtle Bay
Name: Turtle Bay
Type: Caribbean Restaurant
Location: Regent Court Centre, 28 Livery Street, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, CV32 4NG
Date Visited: 27/12/14
Price: Ok
Rating: 3.3/5
Review
Due to the fact I had food poisoning on this evening it was not one of my favourite nights. Despite not feeling sharp, I was still taking note of the surroundings (such a professional) and I liked them. The circle bar situated in the centre of the place means it keeps everything sociable and adds to the atmosphere nicely. In addition there are tables on the outskirts for people who are eating, which again works well.
The gang at Turtle Bay
The Turtle Bay have got the set up right and I imagine its a popular dating spot in Leamington Spa due to it doing food, cocktails and having a decent atmosphere. Lighting was also spot on too. Only criticism was the bouncer/bar staff wouldn’t initially let our group of guys in, due to there being too many guys/they were "too full". Madness when you have 15 people wanting to spend money on a particularly quiet night in Leamington with it being Monday 27th December. Once Chris Kroeger ‘calmly’ explained this, we were allowed in. Other than that not bad and the cocktails were pretty nice too.
Final Special Shoutout
Winner: Briony Jones
End of Year Review
Total Number of Places Reviewed - 123 different places (2.36 places per week on average)
Total Number of Hits/Views - 12,586 hits/views (246 average readers per week)
Funniest moment - Night out at Hard Rock Cafe in Sharm El Sheikh with Paul and Diane from Middlesborough (Week 44....click here to view)
Most Exciting moment - Tom Goldwater getting a 180 in darts (Week 26...click here to view)
Weirdest Moment - Either accidentally visiting Man Bar (Week 19...click here to view) or the man in a gorilla suit hosting bingo with a Tina Turner impersonator at Kaff Bar (Week 3....click here to view)
Messiest Night - Bex's birthday meal out at Jak's (Week 14...click here to view) on a par with The Swan (Week 4...click here to view)
Blog entry read the most - Week 45 - Radio Rooftop Bar and STK (click here to view)
Blog entry read the least - Week 16 - Riverside (click here to view)
Number of different special guests - 153 different people
Special Guest with the most appearances - 1. My biggest fan Chris Hazell (17 caps) 2= Tom Wright and Will Matthews (15 caps)
Pub with the best beer garden - The Garden Gate in Week 10 (click here to view)
Best Value for money - Big Easy, all you can eat Fajita night! Week 20 (click here to view)
Biggest Disappointment - Maddox Club. Week 27 (click here to view)
Best burger - Oli Leech's homemade burger surprisingly was never bettered
Best Sporting Occasion/Arena - The Ryder Cup at Gleneagles. Week 38 (click here to view)
Best City visited other than London - Madrid. Week 8 (click here to view)
Now on to the big awards....
The Hall of Fame Top 5
1. Goodman Restaurant - 4.8 (Week 30)
2. Jaks - 4.7 (Week 14)
3. 34 - 4.6 (Week 15)
4= Big Easy - 4.55 (Week 20)
4= L’Entrecote - 4.55 (Week 28)
Hall of Shame (Worst Places of 2014) Top 5
1. WC. -0.8.... Absolutely horrendous (Week 31)
2. Meat and Shake -1.2 Appalling place. Like a fast food restaurant. No alcohol served (Week 37)
3. The Malt House - 1.6 The service slow and food poor. Also hospitalised Oli Grove. (Week 35)
4. The Brewmaster - 1.7 Dingy (Week 11)
5. The Kafana Cafe - 1.8 Nothing was right with this place apart from the chips. (Week 5)
Most Loyal Reader/Supporter - There have been many contenders and all deserved. To decide who was number one was tricky but Luke Chopper Harris gets the title. He reads it every week from start to finish and gives words of support and encouragement throughout. He deserves to win this honour as I back him as the only person who has read every single word of this blog. Bex Murphy a very close second.
Notable mentions - Now there a lot of people who deserve a final mention. Oli Leech for being an early champion of the blog. The Financier of course for financing much of the blog and taking me to some fantastic restaurants. Bex Murphy the competition winner and keen blog advertiser. JJ Dargan for his silent but appreciative weekly reading. My biggest fan, Will Matthews and Lefty must get a mention for simply coming to many of these new places with me. Ed Cracknell and Nick Farkas of course and to our overseas readers Chris O Brien and Cramphorn. Tom Goldwater, Will Wright, Mike Sedcole and Chloe Bushill of course too. There are many others who deserve a shout out too so sorry if I've missed you off. Thank you all.
10 things we have learnt?
1. Bun consistency is key and the most important factor when it comes to a good burger.
2. I love burgers.
3. Wooden tables are extremely important to success, especially when it comes to a pub.
4. If you have a restaurant always get a round table…..so much more sociable.
5. Don’t play live music on a Friday night but if you insist then get the volume right.
6. Beer gardens are awesome.
7. Going the extra mile with service does make a difference.
8. Nicknaming your Dad the Financier and getting him on board with blogging increases the amount of nice restaurants you get to visit...for free
9. I have terrible grammer…
10. Writing a blog is time consuming
What Now?
One day I aim to return with the blog (so 2015) in a new format. Maybe one blog post a month would work. However breath a sigh of relief as I won’t be filling up your timeline on a weekly basis anymore. For now....This.Is.It. I am still visiting a new place every week and will continue to do so for the rest of your life (Good for you!)
The Final Poem
Finally the year is done
And with that the blog has too
Every type of place reviewed
Except a museum or Zoo!
A Few Select Photos
One of the funniest all dayers of 2014
The Financier
The accidental selfie of a random fellah in Clapham
Cracking night at Bloomsbury Lanes
Unbelievable Jeff. 180 from Goldwater
Accidentally stumbling on Manbar
The Gorilla hosting Bingo in Brixton
No words needed
Superb meal in Madrid. Big weekend
Farewell
Thanks so much for all the support. Over the past year there have been many kind words (amongst the bad) and all the messages of recommendations and support were all very much appreciated (put the violin down). Lets finish with an old cliche….without any of you guys none of this would have been possible (your milking it Jack!). It’s been quite a journey. Do please continue to recommend places to me as I am always keen to try out new places!
I'll ask for the last time...Remember to please like and share for one last time!
Goodbye fans
Viva La Blog
x
Follow me on Twitter @jackgravestock and Instagram @jackgravestock
If you have any recommendations do please email me them to jackgravestock@hotmail.com
