The odd Michelin-starred meal is great, but these honest eateries are more special
The business of reviewing new cars has taken me to more upmarket places over the years. Michelin-starred restaurants in prime riviera locations in Cannes, Marbella and Monaco.
Mountain lookouts in Spain’s Serra de Tramuntana or on South Africa’s Kouebokkeveld. All very nice, but you don’t really want to read about them – and in any case, some of the rougher eateries that you find in just the right locations, and with just the right clientele, are the truly special ones.
Race circuit diners are what I’m talking about. Official and unofficial, nearby and far-flung. Those canteen-style nosh houses where proper enthusiasts loiter on track days and race weekends, often in their fireproofs or leathers, to munch on hearty, carbohydrate-rich fare, tell tales, swap set-up notes, trade banter and cop flak.
The rest of us just enjoy witnessing it all and generally being in the bosom of the hobby-cum-sport that we love.
A recent visit to the Silverstone Museum brought this kind of place to mind. The cafe there is far from typical. It has a suspiciously neat-and-tidy look, mostly because it’s still quite new (only having opened in 2020). It needs living in and scruffing up a bit.
I’m not sure the robot waiter who comes to clear away your empty plate is strictly in keeping. But the view of the old Bridge corner and Farm straight out of the big window reminds you how much the home of the British Grand Prix has changed over the years – just as the museum itself does so well. It’s worth a visit.
An atmospheric location is definitely the right starting point for places like these. The Kentagon at Brands Hatch stands proudly at the top of a hill overlooking the outer paddock below it. From its front doors, you can see right through the apex of Paddock Hill Bend.
You can also point to the place from almost anywhere around the track, so it’s a natural place for people to gather. The chummy staff specialise in loaded jacket potatoes and calorific slabs of lasagne – perfect for settling nervously excited stomachs. There are photos from the circuit’s 1970s and 1980s heyday all over the walls.
All of MSV’s circuits have similar places, but there’s something about the Kentagon (it’s a five-sided building in Kent, so why the hell not?) that tops them all. It’s just that bit more atmospheric; the right kind of place in just the right spot.
Very often, these places don’t need to offer more than a mug of tea and a tray of chips or a toasted sarnie to sort you out. The paddock cafe at Anglesey Circuit has exactly that kind of menu. This place could probably win sustainability awards, since it’s powered by a wind turbine that always seems to be working absolutely flat out and, to judge by the noise it makes, must almost permanently be on the brink of catching fire.
Anglesey is a touch windy, you see. At any rate, the place hasn’t burnt down. It’s not posh, but for unpretentiousness it’s right up there.
It’s surprising to me that there aren’t more ‘destination’ eateries, a bit like Caffeine & Machine, at circuits like Goodwood, Silverstone and Donington Park. Places operating outside of the paddock but in just the right location to feel like part of the place.
To grant a good view of it, perhaps, but be accessible to anyone rather than just ticket holders and competitors. To cater for people who just wanted to come along for an hour or two, rather than the whole day.
They would be popular places, I’d bet. Then again, if they didn’t offer a signature Gerhard burger or a chance to have a wee alongside one of your genuine motorsport heroes, perhaps the appeal wouldn’t be quite the same.
