Latest news with #Hooked
Western Telegraph
5 days ago
- Business
- Western Telegraph
Award-winning Fishguard chippie celebrates 10th birthday
Fishguard's Hooked@31 turns ten this week and to celebrate the award-winning chippies is offering two portions of fish and chips for a tenner, or one portion for £6. The take-away is also celebrating the fact that National Fish and Chip Day also turns 10 today (Friday, June 6). (Image: Hooked@31) The celebratory deal includes two five to six ounce saithe fillets cooked in Hooked's signature crispy batter along with a portion of chips for just £10. 'Saithe is from the cod family, has a stronger flavour and darker flesh. It's well worth a try,' said Hooked@31. If you don't want to do the double, you can have a single portion of Saithe and chips for just £6. Hooked has made a name for itself for producing quality fish and chips. In 2020 the Fishguard fryers were whittled down from 10,500 chippies across the UK to be named one of the top ten in the UK. The chippie was also ranked among the top two in Wales. They gained the accolade in the National Fish & Chip Awards, a UK-wide competition celebrating true excellence in the fish and chip industry. In the run up to the finals, Hooked@31 gave away free fish and chips, which saw hopeful locals queuing down the street for their portion. The business stayed open during the lockdown, providing delicious home deliveries to grateful locals. When restrictions eased, it was common to see long queues of customers all eager for Hooked's deep-fried fayre. The following year Hooked@31 was named as one of the best in Wales as part of the 2021 edition of the Official Guide to the UK's Quality Fish and Chip Shops. The chippie is also well known throughout Pembrokeshire for its famous homemade ice cream from local Morfa milk. It also produces vegan and dairy-free ice cream. In 2023 January owners Charlette and Gethin Rand said that the business would be taking a new direction and would not be opening its doors in the new year. However, the chippie was soon back in business, this time as a pop up venue opening on selected days rather than year-round. The pop-up concept has proved a hit with customers and Hooke@31 is open for three days a week throughout June with another gluten free evening planned as well as other special events. To celebrate its tenth birthday this week Hooked@31 is open from Wednesday through to Saturday from 12pm to 2pm and from 4.30pm to 8pm. Other tasty treats are on offer as well as the saithe two for £10 deal. You can order at the counter or pre-order at linked above.
South China Morning Post
01-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Drink in Focus: Oyster Shell at Socio
Where other concept menus often lead with esoteric ideas or atmospheres that contextualise their signatures, the front cover of Socio's new menu hits us with just facts: it introduces their community-driven bent, which focuses on reusing waste ingredients from other restaurants and bars in SoHo. Advertisement Upcycling spare/waste ingredients – usually by way of centrifuging, redistilling, using sous-vide or other means of processing – is not a new concept. The question is always whether a waste ingredient still yields enough flavour to produce a delicious drink. This is what we immediately wondered with Socio's Oyster Shell, which reuses about 4.4kg of oyster shells monthly from Caine Road fish eatery and market Hooked. The exterior of Socio at 17 Staunton Street, Central. Photo: Jocelyn Tam 'The shells don't have a lot of flavour,' says co-founder Amir Javaid, 'so we actually add vinegar to bump up the savoury and saline notes. We do a distillation to remove any of the shells and make it a cleaner spirit. You could just infuse the shells, but this is more hygienic.' The rest of the drink leverages those amplified saline and savoury notes. Taking inspiration from the porn star martini, the cocktail batches a mix of the oyster and vinegar – distilled in vodka – with Roku gin before fat-washing it in cocoa butter. The drink is completed with cardamom bitters, passion fruit and lemon juices, then topped with sparkling wine to serve. The result is an effervescent, refreshing reuse of what is usually associated with sea salt and brine. 'Just because we named the drink 'Oyster Shell', people expect a strong taste, but the idea is just that we're using ingredients and we build around them, so it's never going to be the main flavour,' Javaid explains. Advertisement It's taken time, but it's safe to say the group project approach to using oyster shells in drinks has been as successful as it is intriguing. You could start your evening with oysters at Hooked, then walk downhill to Socio to enjoy the rest of that dish in a drink. 'I used to go for fish and chips [at Hooked] and then I got to speaking to the owner,' says Javaid. 'At first he was a little unsure about why I wanted the oyster shells. As we developed the concept, it took some time to win people over.'
South China Morning Post
28-04-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Are zero-waste bars actually feasible?
For Amir Javaid , founder of Socio on Staunton Street, running out of stuff is kind of the whole point. Each cocktail on the bar's menu features waste products, or, more palatably, upcycled ingredients, from a nearby restaurant. There's Butter down the street, Hooked on Caine Road and Uncle Miguel on Peel Street. Advertisement Sustainability is a term often thrown around in haughty circles while Hong Kong bars like Socio have been implementing green practices with little fanfare all along. Javaid says he likes 'the idea of not being able to make a drink because there's not enough of something'. It's an idea that has seen Javaid build a community of F&B venues that, through his cocktails, reduce food waste in their neighbourhood. The furthest collection point is a five-minute walk, he says. Two months ago he launched an eight-drink menu, each tipple featuring an upcycled ingredient from a different SoHo establishment. Ezra Star, owner of Sheung Wan's Mostly Harmless. Photo: Mostly Harmless Ezra Star , owner of Sheung Wan's Mostly Harmless, thinks sustainability starts with community. 'A lot of times when people open bars, it affects the entire neighbourhood and puts smaller places out of business,' she says. Instead, she prefers to work with local businesses such as traditional Chinese medicine shops to source herbal ingredients for concoctions such as non-alcoholic versions of fernet and chartreuse. The bar also sources everything locally, as opposed to using imported products, thereby reducing their carbon footprint. Advertisement Mostly Harmless is testing the waters as Hong Kong's first bar to serve only mocktails , and Star leases the whole building, which enables the bar to develop most of its ingredients in-house. For many other Hong Kong bars, however, space is scarce.
The Independent
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Why women love crime-romance novels – and what it says about our society
The thrilling, morally dubious world of crime fiction and the emotionally charged realm of romance novels may at first glance seem incompatible. But the blending of these two popular genres makes for compelling reading. Romance novels generated almost US$1.5 billion in revenue in 2022; with 82 per cent of readers being women. Because crime-romance is relatively new, little research exists as to how many readers it specifically attracts, but it's safe to say its readership is predominantly female. (Women also read more crime fiction than men.) In crime-romance novels, female empowerment is heightened. The heroine often finds herself in perilous situations – sometimes as the target of a killer, a witness to a crime, or as an investigator – but these threats do not define or limit her. Instead, the added layer of romance provides another dimension: she might save herself, take down the villain, connect with someone who deeply understands her, or all three. The dangers she faces magnify the stakes of any romantic involvement. Her bravery is amplified, her vulnerability is authentic, and her triumph doubly sweet. Though there is a long tradition of novelists combining crime and romance (queen of crime Agatha Christie published six romance novels as Mary Westmacott, and often included romance subplots in her crime fiction), crime-romance novels, marrying a mystery to solve with an emotionally satisfying love story, began to take off in the 1990s. They have become increasingly popular in the last decade. Nora Roberts (also writing as J.D. Robb) is perhaps the most prolific writer of these novels. Roberts has achieved remarkable success with her In Death series of more than 50 books, featuring Eve Dallas, a 'feisty' 'hardboiled heroine' with a tragic childhood. She is a 'tough cop for whom doing the job right and standing up for the dead' is the only reason for existing. Until romance comes along. Also popular in the crime-romance genre is Janet Evanovich, best known for her bounty-hunter heroine Stephanie Plum. In a series of over 30 books, Plum has numerous relationships, along with flirtations with her on-again-off-again boyfriend, her ex-husband and other bounty-hunters. (Other characters also have various romances.) The Plum novels made crime-romance mainstream. One sub-genre, dark romance, typically features morally complex main characters, exploring themes such as kidnapping, stalking, and often controversial or taboo topics related to relationships and sexuality. Books such as Hooked by Emily McIntire and The Ritual by Shantel Tessier receive hundreds of thousands of reviews by readers online. We surveyed 233 readers (72 per cent of whom were female) from around the world, including Australia, to explore what's behind the popularity of crime-romance novels. A key ingredient for many readers was when the romantic leads worked together to solve a crime while simultaneously falling in love. Said one: 'I like the bond that takes place between leads who are solving a puzzle together.' One participant said quite bluntly: 'normal romance is too boring'. Another described these books as 'more exciting than normal romance. They have some nice suspense and interesting stories.' These responses point to a common criticism of romance novels, that they can be formulaic and repetitive. Said one person: I don't like it when romance stories are too sweet and cheesy, so the addition of crime usually makes it more pragmatic and realistic […] instead of rehashing the tropes constantly. The twin jeopardies of the romance and crime narrative arcs lead to a more satisfying experience for the reader. As one respondent said: Crime is thrilling and evokes my curiosity […] Romance is soft and cute […] Together these genres also balance and enhance each other. Participants often used the words 'excitement' or 'thrilling' to explain their interest in the genre. For some it was the crime element that created the thrill, especially when contrasted with their everyday lives, suggesting these books fulfil an important emotional function, allowing readers to experience the danger and intrigue of crime, safely between the covers of a book. Gender is also a factor in understanding why this genre is popular. The majority of serial killers are men. And the majority of their victims are women. Women may be drawn to crime fiction as a way of exploring safety, power dynamics and even justice. Romance readers, in contrast, are often looking for what romance novelist Maya Rodale has described as 'entertainment, relaxation, and escape'. Crime-romance offers both experiences. Most of the readers we surveyed said they liked 'sexy' crime-romance novels as opposed to the darker side of the genre. Interestingly, men who read crime-romances do seem more interested in the crime aspects, appreciating the thrills and the pursuit of justice. Some said the romance narratives were of lesser interest. Of those we surveyed who also read straight crime fiction, Agatha Christie was their favourite crime novelist. Nora Roberts was the most popular crime-romance writer. Our research shows crime-romance offers readers intellectual stimulation, emotional catharsis, and the satisfaction of seeing justice done and characters thrive against the odds. Lisa J. Hackett is Senior Lecturer, Sociology & Criminology, University of New England
