Rice

On our first visit to Rice over 2 years ago I thought “it’s about time!” A great, quirky, independent restaurant that is pushing our local eateries to get better and better.

Rice, located on St.Cuthbert’s Street is tucked out of the way, situated neatly in a small row of shops. No parking available so plan your trip in advance.

The restaurant is well decorated with a modest colour scheme with beautiful flowers situated on each of the tables. It is a small, intimate and bubbly restaurant, probably seating at most 20 people. The staff and charismatic manager Tim are not too intrusive but instead create a warm, relaxed and family feel.

I am pleased to say Rice has avoided the route of tacky cliché memorabilia but instead lets the food do the talking.
To start we order the Garlic Ribs and Tiger Prawn Tempura. Both dishes did not disappoint. The Tempura was battered deliciously, with a non-greasy light texture. The sweet chili dip accompanied the flavours well and we were left wanting more.

The Garlic Ribs were some of the best ribs I’ve ever tasted! The portion, which could feed more than 2 people, was cooked to perfection. The rich, tangy BBQ and garlic sauce gave a new definition to the phrase ‘moreish’!

For our main courses we chose the Thai Red Curry with Duck and the classic Pad Thai Noodles with Chicken.   The Thai Red Curry was a fantastically aromatic dish, well presented and flavoursome.
With a note of tamarind and garlic against the crunchy and salty flavour of the nuts, the Pad Thai Noodles left us wanting more! We also liked the sprinkle of chili flakes on the side… Nice touch!
Our recommendation; Go! Make sure bookings our made well in advance as tables go early on the weekends and plan your travel beforehand.  My personal menu recommendation is the ribs and Thai Red Curry.

BBQ Bobs

Barbecue is big right now. If you are even the least bit foody you will have come across (and probably consumed) plenty of pulled pork this summer and American-style BBQ joints serving authentically prepared ribs, steaks and other hunks of meat have been doing great business in the capital. Bedford, too, with its glut of Indian and Italian offerings, is crying out for a restaurant like BBQ Bob’s on Mill Street and we would like to see it succeed for that reason alone. But having visited several times in the last few months, it’s disappointing to report that the food at Bob’s is a real mixed bag.

‘Authentic’ is the key word here and Bob’s menu really emphasises the fact that all of the meat on offer has been smoked in-house and cooked on the day that you’re going to eat it. When they run out of an item, it says, there will be no reaching into the deepest recesses of the freezer to pull out weeks old bits of chicken. The idea of this focus on freshness and careful preparation is spot on. So when the reality of the food presented doesn’t live up to it, it’s doubly disappointing.

Bob has constructed a pleasingly tight, focused menu but the dishes which should be show-stoppers at any barbecue joint were not good. When we visited with a large party recently, five of us chose the delicious-sounding slow-cooked brisket. It’s no exaggeration to say that it was almost inedible. Dry and tough with chewy fat, it was like they had warmed up and plated slices of some sub-Aldi budget supermarket’s packet beef. Unfortunately it appears this was not an isolated incident—we’ve heard similar complaints about the brisket since. Bob’s pulled pork is ok, with a sweet, smokey flavour, but presented as it is in an uninspiring roll without any of the moist, sticky BBQ sauce (or even mayonnaise) that you would expect, it’s just too dry. So are the ribs which, though they have good flavour, were a bit too chewy.

In short, if the food is being prepared as the menu promises, it just doesn’t always taste like it.

There are positives. The service we received was excellent. All five of our very disappointing briskets were comped, as was a burger that was offered as a replacement. The burger was delicious. Tasty beef steak served slightly pink, it was very succulent and melt-in-the-mouth. The chicken wings were excellent, smothered in a lovely, smokey sauce with the meat falling off the bone. The accompaniments are great, particularly the fries which are seasoned with a nice spice mix. There’s also a strong selection of cocktails and Bob’s home-brewed beer is a nice touch, even if it tastes a little tinny.


So while there are signs of promise, as true meat lovers who were very excited about BBQ Bob’s our overall judgement can’t be a positive one. Some of the dishes need to be tweaked and others completely reconsidered. We hope they are: Bedford’s carnivores deserve the best.

d'Parys

Once a well respected and popular restaurant and hotel, De Parys Hotel as it was once known fell into a sorry state. Worn out carpets, lacklustre staff and an uninspiring menu all colluded in its downfall. But we are pleased to report it has been transformed- quite literally- into something quite unrecognisable and delightful.

d'Parys, as it is now known, forms part of Apostrophe Pubs- a venture by local brewery Charles Wells. It has just undergone what we believe is a £1.3million overhaul and it certainly doesn't disappoint. What had fast digressed into a stale and uninspiring location is now a vibrant, zesty and modern setting that oozes class and style. You can tell a lot of thought has gone in to the interior decoration and it gives the feel you could be in London or another big, metropolitan city. The soft lighting gives an inviting look to the Victorian building from the outside, accompanied by a quirky mural on the side of the building showing what looks like an election in old Bedford. Quite original. The restaurant has a bar to the left that has incredible attention to detail- including a gelato tuck-shop style bar. You then walk into the ‘library’ where you can eat or simply enjoy a drink (as the traditional pub bar is no longer there) and the expansive restaurant offers a dynamic stage but keeps an intimate feel- maybe from the comfortable booths in the centre or the ceiling decorated with different coloured-painted door shutters! The kitchen is visible with a partially-open feel and you can regularly hear a chorus of ‘Yes Chef.’ The back and right side remains glass-walled which I’m sure will be lovely in the summer as the views extend over the grounds of Bedford school and there is eating space outside.

With a restaurant/ hotel so impeccably designed it immediately sets an incredible high standard with the food which unfortunately it didn’t quite hit. The menu choices were nice but with the feel of the restaurant being as though you are somewhere award-winning in the city, the food didn’t quite seem as imaginative. Still finding an identity I’m sure, the choices were confusing – potato skins as a starter conjuring thoughts of pub grub with monkfish tail as a ‘special’. The dessert choice was limited but we were intrigued by the ‘egg n chips’ panacotta and pineapple which aesthetically was delightful. I would suggest a new menu design (both in terms of food and the actual menus) which bridges the gap a little more between the Charles Wells brewery control and what could be quite an imaginative chef who may want more free rein. The decor is far superior to fellow establishments in Bedford yet the standard of food seemed on par with the Embankment or Park Pub. The waitresses were incredibly friendly but in need of vital training; our drinks were delivered and we were then asked what we would like to drink, they didn’t yet have cheese knives yet offering a cheese course, ice cream cornetts being handed to customers rather than served in a bowl, no idea what monkfish tail is, etc. But we would like to add that service with a smile means everything and they were certainly incredibly welcoming and friendly.

In summary – go. The guest rooms are like something from an interiors magazine and you are left with the impression that no expense is spared. But don’t be disappointed when your food doesn’t meet the same standards- whether it’s a teething problem or the direction of the brewery you are left feeling slightly short-changed but this is forgiven for the setting that buzzy, beautifully decorated, friendly and enjoyable.