Just the Ticket

Happy New Year!

The first day back at work after the festive break is always hard to take, and today was no exception. It didn’t help that when I stepped outside the office I was greeted by wind and rain, in moderate but irksome amounts. But I’m made of stern stuff, so toddled along the road to Just the Ticket, a smashing looking little place (a ticket office in a previous life, presumably), which opened for business in September 2011.

The interior is stylish and modern, and there was evidence of it being very family friendly, as there was a high-chair and some toys lurking in one corner. It was pretty quiet, today (I have a feeling I’m going to be saying that about a lot of places in January), so I was immediately served.

From the selection, I chose the soup of the day, which turned out to be parsnip, and a chorizo and salad roll, which was freshly prepared for me, as I waited. Financial business transacted, I was returned to the horrifying outdoors, to amble my way back to the office.

Upon being returned to the warmth, I contemplated my victuals.

The soup was thick and hearty, and as with the southern-style soup from Pret a Manger, you could stand your spoon up in it. Whilst not quite achieving the level of the magnificent parsnip soup from the Whiski Rooms, I was extremely pleased with it. It was full of parsnippy goodness, and was a really fitting dish for such as nasty day, filling me full of the kind of satisfying warmth that I often crave.

The roll, a brown multi-seed bun, was a touch on the small side, but it worked pretty nicely, as it had a great fresh-baked aroma, and the filling, although simple, was tasty.

What you get from Just the Ticket is a really nice blend of the traditional and the modern. The setting is full of character. It’s just the kind of place you’d like to sit and listen to stories from your chosen aged relative, while sipping at a pot of tea, on a relaxed spring afternoon. Also, given the abundance a good looking cakes on their counter, I think the Cake Questers might quite like this place, as well.

Overall, I was impressed. Their soup was very good, the welcome very friendly, and the surroundings entirely conducive to whiling away an afternoon. Their menu lacks a “killer dish”, but maybe their cakes play that role. I can see this place playing a role on my various training walks, over the next few months, as a welcome stop-off point for a nice cuppa and a heat.

Scores

Blythe scores the Just the Ticket:
3.5/5 for food
3/5 for presentation
3.5/5 for service
3.5/5 for setting
giving an overall 13.5/20

Today’s lunch quester was: Blythe

I ate: parsnip soup, chorizo and salad roll

I drank: nothing

I wore: auld claes (the parritch comes later this month, when MJ returns)

Total bill: £4.20