The latest venture from the Soho House group is an American-style diner with rooms, on the A420 near Swindon – yes, it’s all a bit weird
Mollie’s Motel & Diner on the A420 is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside a soft, sweet burger bun. Why has Soho House opened a Happy Eater-meets-Crossroads motel 16 miles from Swindon, between Littleworth and Kingston Bagpuize? Are the beautiful people secretly drawn there? Are they lured by limestone, the only interesting thing that’s occurred in this postcode since the late Jurassic epoch? And what terrifying debt of honour did Declan Donnelly owe owner Nick Jones that he made the trip to Mollie’s for the opening party?
These questions and more have been on my lips since this attractive, 1950s Americana-themed building opened its doors in February, offering a short, fuss-free menu of burgers, loaded nachos, crinkle-cut fries and trays of rotisserie chicken. At breakfast, there are bacon baps and hash browns. There are fancy ketchups on the tables, Cowshed products in the bathrooms, a DJ playing quietly of a Saturday night and, like most things Jones chucks his weight behind, there is clearly a method in this madness.
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