Oriental City When Oriental City closed, I cried. You probably think I’m exaggerating, don’t you? But on the day the food court sold it’s last bowl of laksa we drove all the way home from a holiday in Scotland… and I insisted we go straight to OC so I could say farewell. I ate. And ... Read more »
L’Anima has been a favourite Italian restaurant of London food-lovers in the know since it opened its doors in June 2008. A translation of the Italian for ‘the soul’, it’s clear that owner Francesco Mazzei has certainly poured his heart and anima into this modern, sunlit space in the City. This Calabrian chef certainly has ... Read more »
A visit to the Lake District really isn’t complete without visiting a few of the many small breweries that abound in this region. So during our week’s holiday to Windermere in July, Pete and I made our way to Coniston’s Black Bull, attached to the small Coniston Brewing Co. The pub is charmingly retro; it’s ... Read more »
Usually for me, the food is the key to a great dining experience. Service is very important too, as are location, price and a range of other factors. But the food is paramount. At Paramount Restaurant, however, the views come first. And the views are astounding, awe-inspiring, breathtaking, extraordinary, incredible, magnificent, stunning, wondrous… and ... Read more »
In one of life’s odd little coincidences I was telling someone about “dishum dishum films” just a day or two before I first heard about Dishoom, a new London restaurant modelled on Bombay Cafés. Dishum or dishoom, however you wish to spell it, is the Indian version of Kapow! – that exaggerated noise when a ... Read more »
I have a sweet tooth. Drinks of choice remain sugary concoctions such as Midori, Pimms & lemonade, Amarula, Dr Pepper, Coca Cola. Yes, really. No, I’m not fifteen. More accepted in adult circles is my deep and abiding love for dessert wines including honeyed French seducers Monbazillac, Coteaux du Layon and the various Muscats, aromatic ... Read more »
I’m generally not fussed about being an early bird visitor to a new restaurant, not because of worries that the food or service might not yet be perfect but simply because I’m happy to wait until the buzz dies down and it’s easier to get a table. And yet here I am blogging about Pierre ... Read more »
Waaaay back in May it was Pete’s birthday. He’s entered his 40th year (ok, technically it was only his 39th birthday) so a little celebration was in order. Thanks to a tip off, I learned about the brewery tours at Fuller’s, over in Chiswick and secretly booked us into their morning tour. Looking for suitable ... Read more »
It’s amazing how many blog posts I’ve still left to write from our short trip to Dorset at the end of May. I’ve already blogged the foraging course around which the weekend away was arranged, our meal at Hix Oyster & Fish House, another at The Wild Garlic and even shared what we cooked with ... Read more »
After screaming in delight at the telly when Mat Follas won Masterchef 2009 my friends and I had a fantastic meal at his new restaurant, The Wild Garlic, during our summer holiday in Dorset last year. Mat also kindly gave me an interview, which remains one of the most popular posts on my blog to ... Read more »
The Place of Onions, in old Lille. After last night’s rainstorm the intense sticky heat has broken and today is cool, breezy, fresh… I love it! A drop of… [more]
We went to Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire at The Void this morning, an amazing VR experience where we got to be Rebel Alliance members going undercover as… [more]