Monthly Archives: December 2013

Vegetarian Delights at The Gate in Hammersmith

Posted on 2013-12-05 by tikichris

A few weeks back, I attended the reopening of The Gate in Hammersmith after it had closed for a refit. It had been a few years since my last (and only other) visit to stalwart of the vegetarian dining scene, I was pleased to discover the same high standards and a still tasty menu. Continue reading →

Posted in Food, London, Restaurants | Tagged HAMMERSMITH, London, Queen Caroline Street, restaurant, restaurants, review, the gate, the gate hammersmith, vegetarian, vegetarian cuisine, vegetarian restaurant, W6, W6 9QL, west london | 2 Comments

Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway: DOK Dall’ava Prosciuttificio in San Daniele di Friuli

Posted on 2013-12-05 by tikichris

Prosciutto made in San Daniele is protected by the EU as a PDO product. With the Alps to the north whipping the area with cold mountain winds and the Adriatic sending warm air up from the south, San Daniele has a distinctive microclimate which results in singularly sweet and savoury cured meats. Second only to Parma with respect to popularity and recognition (you decide for yourself which tastes better), San Daniele hams are pretty easy to come by in much of the world. One brand to look out for is DOK Dall’ava. Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Italy, road trip, Shopping, Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway, Travel | Tagged Friuli, Friuli Venezia Giulia, ham, Italy, prosciutto, San Daniele, San Daniele di Friuli, San Daniele ham, San Daniele prosciutto, Италия, イタリア, 意大利 | 1 Comment

London Daily Photo: Untitled

Posted on 2013-12-05 by tikichris

Posted in London, London Daily Photo, Photography | Tagged LDP, London, London blog, London Daily Photo, London Photographer street photography, Photography, photography blog, Лондон, ロンドン, 伦敦 | Leave a comment

Doing Northern Italy’s Dolomite Loop (OneTravel)

Posted on 2013-12-04 by tikichris

This post is being written with a rear view perspective of a fantastic week I recently spent traveling across northern Italy. To be sure, I intend to blog plenty about my trip and thought I’d start out sharing a suggestion … Continue reading →

Posted in Beer, Drink, Food, Italy, OneTravel, Travel | Tagged alps, artisanal beer, bar varmost, beer, CRAFT BEER, Do the Dolomite Loop, dolomites, Drink, Foglie d'Erba, Food, Forni di Sopra, Friuli, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Gino Perissutti, ham, Italy, northern italy, Parco Naturale delle Dolomiti Friulane, proscuitto, restaurants, San Daniele, San Daniele di Friuli, sauris, Travel, Udine, Италия, イタリア, 意大利 | Leave a comment

Barista Skills (espressoCrazy) #illyschool

Posted on 2013-12-04 by tikichris

Recently, I helped organise and host an intimate coffee tasting and training session for a select group of London bloggers. Leading the event was Marco Arrigo – Head of Quality for illy Coffee in the UK – who provided our guests with a hands-on chance to hone their skills making perfect espresso-based drinks, along with a fun and informative ‘beans to cup’ lesson about the history and chemistry of coffee. Marco has trained hundreds of baristas throughout the UK. His course usually takes three days, but he crafted this this one to be a three-hour crash course session especially for bloggers. Continue reading →

Posted in Blogs, Coffee, Drink, espressoCrazy, London, Shopping | Tagged #illyschool, Blogs, cafe, caffe, cappuccino, cappuccinos, coffee, coffee blog, coffee capsule espresso, coffee capsule machine, coffee capsules, coffee machine, coffee machine review, coffee machine voucher code, coffee maker, Drink, espresso, espresso crazy, espresso maker, espressoCrazy, espressocrazy.com, flat white, francis francis, Francis Francis X7.1 IperEspresso Machine, Fuss Free Flavours, Hot & Chill, illy, illy coffee, iperespresso, IperEspresso Machine, latte, lattes, London, London blog, marco arrigo, Sainsbury's Magazine, Swallower of Lives, University of Coffee, urban pixxels, Whatleydude, X7.1, Y1.1, Y1.1 touch, Y1.1 TOUCH IperEspresso Machine, Лондон, ロンドン, 伦敦 | Leave a comment

London Daily Photo: Guards Museum, Birdcage Walk

Posted on 2013-12-04 by tikichris

Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway: Speck-tacular Views and Smoky Brews in Sauris

Posted on 2013-12-04 by tikichris

Day two of my foodie odyssey had me saying goodbye to the Dolomite gateway town of Forni di Sopra and heading even higher (and deeper) into the Alps to the tiny Germanic enclave of Sauris for a taste of the local delicacies and to take in the sweeping views – all of which elicited some form of audible and involuntary whoa or wow from an overwhelmed me. Continue reading →

Posted in Beer, Drink, Food, Hotels, Italy, Restaurants, road trip, Shopping, Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway, Travel | Tagged artisanal beer, bacon, beer, CRAFT BEER, Drink, Food, ham, hotels, Italy, northern italy, proscuitto, restaurants, sauris, Shopping, speck, Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway, Travel, travel blog, travel blogger, Италия, イタリア, 意大利 | 2 Comments

London Daily Photo: Parfums

Posted on 2013-12-03 by tikichris

Posted in London, London Daily Photo, Photography | Tagged east london, hackney, LDP, London, London blog, London Daily Photo, London Photographer street photography, Photography, photography blog, Лондон, ロンドン, 伦敦 | Leave a comment

Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway: Forni di Sopra and the Dolomite Loop

Posted on 2013-12-03 by tikichris

Situated within the Parco Naturale delle Dolomiti Friulane, Forni serves as excellent base for outdoor adventure with plenty of nearby (and even in-town) opportunities for skiing, climbing and hiking. And as I discovered, It’s a fantastic place to have a drink as well. Here, the stereotypical Italian bella figura yields to a rugged and independent spirit. In Forni, I came across men with beards of mythic proportions and drank some of the finest craft beers I’d ever tasted. Aside from the snowy Alpine surroundings and the absolute quietude of the night, the scene was enough to have me wonder if I was back home in Hackney. Had I stumbled upon a secret hipster heaven? Continue reading →

Posted in Beer, Drink, Food, Hotels, Italy, Restaurants, road trip, Shopping, Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway, Travel | Tagged al gris, Albergo Taranda, alps, artisanal beer, bar varmost, beer, birreria, bombardino, Coton Hotel., CRAFT BEER, Do the Dolomite Loop, dolomites, Drink, Foglie d'Erba, Food, Forni di Sopra, Friuli, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Gino Perissutti, hotel, hotels, Italy, northern italy, Parco Naturale delle Dolomiti Friulane, restaurants, Shopping, Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway, Travel, travel blog, travel blogger, Италия, イタリア, 意大利 | 4 Comments

Good Stuff

Posted on 2013-12-02 by tikichris

Good stuff and lots of it! Here’s the low down on some yummy treats I’ve recently come across and thought were worth sharing with you. Enjoy! Copas Turkeys 2013 saw the third Thanksgiving in as many years with a Copas … Continue reading →

Posted in Beer, Christmas, Drink, Food, Good Stuff, London, Shopping | Tagged apricots, beer, bootlegger, christmas, copas, copas turkeys, crazy jack organic soft apricots, Drink, Food, good stuff, London, Meantime Brewing, Meantime London Smoked Porter, pâté, Pâté in a Jar, spelt, Stress-Free Christmas Day masterclass, The Patchwork Traditional Food Company, turkeys | Leave a comment

London Daily Photo: Albert Embankment by @LONvistasbook

Posted on 2013-12-02 by tikichris

Photograph (taken by permission from Lord Jeffrey Archer’s penthouse on the Albert Embankment) by Graham Edwards. To find out more about Graham’s work and his newly published book, London Vistas, go to londonvistasbook.com.

Posted in London, London Daily Photo, Photography | Tagged albert embankment, graham edwards, jeffery archer, LDP, London, London blog, London Daily Photo, london photographer, london vistas, london vistas book, lord archer, lord jeffery archer, penthouse, Photography, photography blog, vistas, Лондон, ロンドン, 伦敦 | Leave a comment

Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway: Ciao and Grazie!

Posted on 2013-12-02 by tikichris

Over the next several days I will share highlights from my adventure in a Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway miniseries of posts featuring entries about the following phenomenal destinations – Forni di Sopra, Sauris, San Daniele, Udine, Collio, Trento, Torino, Parma, Modena, and Bologna – all with tips and suggestions to help you plan your own delectable itinerary. Continue reading →

Posted in Beer, Drink, Food, Hotels, Italy, Parma, Restaurants, road trip, Shopping, Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway, Travel, Wine | Tagged 7th chamber, bologna, Collio, Drink, emilia romagna, Food, Forni di Sopra, Friuli, Friuli Venezia Giulia, ham, hotels, Italy, Modena, northern italy, parma, Piemonte, proscuitto, restaurants, San Daniele di Friuli, sauris, Shopping, speck, SPONSORED POST, Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway, the 7th chamber, Torino, Travel, travel blog, travel blogger, Trentino, Trento, Udine, wine | 1 Comment

London Daily Photo: Battersea by @LONvistasbook

Posted on 2013-12-01 by tikichris

Photography by Graham Edwards. To find out more about Graham’s work and his newly published book, London Vistas, go to londonvistasbook.com.

Posted in London, London Daily Photo, Photography | Tagged battersea, battersea power station, graham edwards, LDP, London, London blog, London Daily Photo, london photographer, london vistas, london vistas book, Photography, photography blog, vistas, Лондон, ロンドン, 伦敦 | Leave a comment

Georgians Revealed at the British Library in London (OneTravel)

Posted on 2013-12-01 by tikichris

A newly opened exhibition at the British Library in London – Georgians Revealed: Life, Style and the Making of Modern Britain – takes an in depth look at the lives of people living in Britain during the Georgian era (roughly the early 1700s to … Continue reading →