#goodbars

[thenaturallane]

GOOD BARS, GOOD?

As an avid 'raw bar, type thing', maker (and buyer) I was so looking forward to trying the 'Good’ Bars to find out just how good, they really were. I hadn't heard of them before which surprised me as I'm allllll over new vegan sweet treats and can often be found trawling the aisles of health food shops looking for stuff to satisfy my super sweet tooth. I was pleased to learn that they are a British brand as my latest challenge to myself is aiming to eat more locally. So there's one tick in the box. Another 2 for vegan and gluten free. And a big FAT tick for the lovely owner Richard Stoker who supports a lot of great charities.

The 3 flavours that I tried, out of the 6 available were:

Cherry Sweet and Cherry Good (cherry and maple)

Very Nutty and Very Good (cashew, hazelnut and almond)

I’m Berry Berry Good (raspberry)

In my part 2 review, I’m planning to try the other 3 available as chocolate is really what I NEED: 

Sun Kissed and Good (chocolate and orange)

Chocolate is Twice as Good (double chocolate)

Cool, Minty and Good (chocolate and mint)

I noticed that they have a new flavour too called 'wickedly wonderful double choc and chilli fruit bar' which pleased me as I thought the other flavours lacked a bit of ‘pizazz’ really and this is a bit more adventurous.

Cherry Sweet and Cherry Good (cherry and maple)

The cherry and maple bar was nice. Not VERY cherry, but nice all the same, probably my least favourite just because I was expecting VERY cherry and it wasn't! 

3/5

Very Nutty and Very Good (cashew, hazelnut and almond)

The very nutty bar was my second favourite. It was tasty. In my opinion it might have benefited from some larger chunks of nuts just to add a bit of texture but it was nice and the saltiness was subtle but noticeable which I liked. 

3.5/5

I’m Berry Berry Good (raspberry)

The berry berry good bar was my favourite. It was delicious but then I do have a bit of a thing for raspberry. It was a nice balance of the sharpness from the raspberries and sweetness from the dates.

4.5/5

I found all the bars were a bit oily to the touch but that can happen with raw bars but overall the texture was good.The ingredients are all the usual suspects - nuts, dates, some juice concentrate but then in the cherry and raspberry one, listed is 'natural flavourings' which I'm curious to know what this is, as it isn't actually named. Hmmm. However it's only 1.5% so no biggie.

The packaging is cute. Silver with images of the main ingredients on and different coloured writing for each one and a description of the flavour. I personally think these could be worded in a bit more of an appetising way, but it gets the job done I guess! 

Comparing them to naked bars, I have to say I prefer these for the taste of the product, and they're cheaper at 85p, but unfortunately I feel that the brand lacks a bit of personality. It's just not very strong in my opinion. I don't know I just didn't really 'get it' if that makes sense? I prefer a brand to be a bit quirkier with its wording and marketing etc and feel like the lovelies at Good full stop...or are they just called 'good'?! are half way there with that. They've tried it but not quite got it. All in all I'd say they are exactly what they say they are. Good. Full stop.

Author: Steph 

Publisher: The Natural Lane   

[zachthomson]

Full Service @ North Star Bar 10/11/13

Nostalgia hits. I think most people wish they were immune to it, but no one is. There is a group of people I really only see when this band comes through town, so the experience of being at their show becomes something transcendent and all encompassing, rather than immediate and visceral. Past present and future all colliding or something like that. I might have had too much beer. But there is something unique in watching a former assistant district attorney of Philadelphia work the merch table while the drummer does a solo like he used to when we were in Jazz quartet together, and we all talk about owning houses and having families and living lives. Something uniquely me across the years.

All that is just to say that my experience of seeing this band will not be like anyone else’s. So this post might not have much utility as a music review.

But Full Service is a very, very good band. Their effortless tightness might be unmatched. Seeing them live feels like sitting in a living room with your friends watching them play music for fun. And I would say that even if they weren’t my friends. There isn’t an ounce of pretension or self-consciousness in them. And I have rarely seen a group of guys play better together, even at Berklee. Also, North Star Bar is a really great venue. There is good beer, a good atmosphere, and room for a few hundred people, but it still feels intimate. I know I’m really late to the party on this but that neighborhood is really interesting.