Monthly Archives: June 2015

London Daily Photo: King of the Knobs

Posted in London, London Daily Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Summer Festivals at London’s South Bank (OneTravel)

Summertime in London means it’s time to head to the riverside to see what’s up and festive. A calendar full of events scheduled for London’s South Bank aims to delight locals and visitors alike with something for virtually every interest … Continue reading

Posted in London, OneTravel, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Taste of Puglia: Craving for More

Did you have fun reading my series of posts about the great time I had visiting the boot heel of Italy? I certainly got a kick out of my trip! But such a short jaunt of Puglia only proved to be a tease, and now I’m craving to discover more about this sunny region. Continue reading

Posted in A Taste of Puglia, Food, Italy, Puglia | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Jason Manford on Call Centre Frustrations #TodayIwill

Barclaycard has created five videos featuring snippets from the stand-up routine of the comedian Jason Manford sharing hilarious observations about all those pesky money/payment situations we find ourselves in too often these days. Continue reading

Posted in Celebrities, Money, Video | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Recipe: Squid and Chickpea Barley

Sometime during my recent visits to Sicily, Barcelona and Puglia the elements of this recipe starting fomenting in my ravenous mind. Once home with enough time to play around with my ideas, I was keen to create what’s turned out to be a really scrumptious dish: squid and chickpea barley. Continue reading

Posted in A Taste of Puglia, Food, Italy, Puglia, Recipes, Shopping | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

20 Reasons Why Londoners Love Summer (Time Out London)

Time Out published a piece this week in its magazine and online with ideas from “the city’s best bloggers on amazing food, lazy strolls, hazy evenings, hot nights and cool things to do in London this summer.” I’m chuffed to have been asked to contribute with one of my own favourite summertime suggestions. Continue reading

Posted in Blogs, London, Time Out | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Taste of Puglia: Drinking

The last post in my Taste of Puglia series was about the best bites from the region. But what drinks pair well with all that excellent southern Italian food … wine … coffee? Sure! Puglia can be proud of its contributions to these two most significant liquid elements of Italian culture. Continue reading

Posted in A Taste of Puglia, Coffee, Drink, Food, Italy, Puglia, Shopping, Travel, Wine | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

London Daily Photo: 1995

Posted in London, London Daily Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Taste of Puglia: Eating

If a dietician were to design a food pyramid based solely on my most preferred eats, it would have giant tentacles extending from its based and wrapped around it to the top. Squid … octopus … cuttlefish: I had so much of it – along with all sorts of other bounty of the sea dishes – always sumptuously presented but with minimal fanfare while visiting Puglia … and at such low prices (from my gouged Londoner perspective anyway). Continue reading

Posted in A Taste of Puglia, Food, Italy, Puglia, Restaurants, Shopping, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Scents of Summer Afternoon Tea at Intercontinental London Park Lane

A new limited edition Scents of Summer afternoon tea is available now and running until the end of September at the Wellington Lounge of the Intercontinental London Park Lane. The colourfully presented tea features a bouquet of delicacies created by the hotel’s Executive Chef Ashely Wells in collaboration with Edward Bodenham, 9th generation of the world’s oldest family-run perfumers Floris. For a taste (and whiff) of the joys of summer, this afternoon tea offers a luxurious opportunity to while away some and come out smelling like a rose! Continue reading

Posted in Drink, Food, Hotels, London, Luxury, Restaurants | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Taste of Puglia: Sightseeing in the Salento

So as I alluded in the intro to this series about my time in Puglia, my aim is to share the best bits of my time there as well as highlight some Pugliese treats I’ve come across here in London. But where to start? I suppose at the source is as good a place as any, especially when it’s as beautiful as the Salento, the very bottom of the country’s so called boot heel. Continue reading

Posted in A Taste of Puglia, Apps, Italy, Puglia, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

London Daily Photo: Yellow Laundry Line/White Wall

Posted in London, London Daily Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Taste of Puglia: Alluring and Suggestive

When travelling in Italy, my experience has been that the deeper south I go, the more beguiling the country becomes. This observation held true in mid May when I ventured to Puglia – the heel of Italian boot – for a whistle stop press trip and my first time in this sunny and rustic region. During my few nights visit, things often occurred in manners and for reasons beyond my comprehension. For sure, some of that could be chalked up simply to me being a dumbass. Still, a lot of it – much of it – had way more to do with the place, the people, and the culture. Continue reading

Posted in A Taste of Puglia, Italy, Puglia, Travel | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Coffee in My Garden (espressoCrazy)

You know what’s better than enjoying a perfectly made coffee every morning in my own home? Enjoying a perfectly made coffee every morning outside in the garden of my own home! This post is just a brief update on something … Continue reading

Posted in Coffee, Drink, espressoCrazy, Food, London, Shopping | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

London Daily Photo: River View

Posted in London, London Daily Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Carsten Höller: Decision at Hayward Gallery

Multi-storey isometric slides, flying mushrooms, upside down goggles, roaming beds, and more – all accessed via opaque “Decision Corridors” – artist Carsten Höller brings a large scale interventionist good time to the Hayward Gallery with the promise of a delightful disorientating experience with his show, Decision on now through the summer before the gallery shuts its doors for a couple of years of renovation. Continue reading

Posted in Art, London, Museums | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

London Daily Photo: Profile

Posted in London, London Daily Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Inforgraphic: Kitchen Hygiene

Click here for a closer look at the above infographic Did you know there are more than a million cases of food poisoning every year in the UK? It’s commonly assumed that most incidents arise from eating out at restaurants. … Continue reading

Posted in Food, infographic, Shopping | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Yummy Sophistication in Swish Digs: Yauatcha City, Broadgate Circle

The new 7,220sqft semi-circle restaurant echoes the swankest of design elements of its flagship Michelin starred sister site in Soho – only in shinier new Broadgate Circle digs for easy access to Liverpool Street passers by and for City workers keen to flash cash in tasteful (and tasty) surroundings near their offices. Continue reading

Posted in Drink, Food, London, Luxury, Restaurants | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Whaam Banh Mi, Great Windmill Street, Soho

Man oh man, I love banh mi and the recent years proliferation of places stuffin’ full and thick across London is a delicious thing indeed – and one that just got tastier with the launch of Whaam Banh Mi. Continue reading

Posted in Coffee, Colombia, Daily Photo, Drink, Food, London, Restaurants | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

London Daily Photo: O

Posted in London, London Daily Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Good Stuff #42

Good stuff and lots of it! Here’s the lowdown on some fine things to see, sip or savour – all of which I’ve recently come across and thought were worth sharing with you. Enjoy. Jean-Pierre Braganza Limited Edition Sunglasses for … Continue reading

Posted in Design, Fashion, Freebies, Gardening, Good Stuff, London, Shopping | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Get a Free Side with Your Lobster Roll or Calamari Club at Fraq’s Lobster Shack

Love lobster and calamari? Ever find yourself passing through Goodge Street or around Tottenham Court Road? Like getting yummy stuff for free? Then check this out! I’ve joined forces with PocketHighStreet and Fraq’s Lobster Shack to offer tikichris readers a special discount: one free side order with any purchase of a Boston Lobster Roll or a Calamari Club Roll when you buy your roll online at pockethighstreet.com or via the handy dandy PocketHighStreet app. Continue reading

Posted in Apps, Discounts and Special Offers, Drink, Food, Freebies, London, Restaurants | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lunch at The Angel, City Road/Old Street

A few years ago I used to live just down the road from The Angel. Back then, like so many other things hovering near Old Street Roundabout, the pub was a very different place to what it is now. Following a major sprucing up, the once scruffy old boozer has reopened as a really rather clean and cosy place to have a drink. It’s still a good pub to keep in mind for enjoying a proper pint (now with a craft beer selection), you just don’t need to worry about your shoes sticking to the floor anymore. Continue reading

Posted in Beer, Drink, Food, London, Pubs, Restaurants | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

London Daily Photo: Lyric Stage Door

Posted in London, London Daily Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Get a £1 Scoop of Greedy Goat Ice Cream at Piccadilly Circus and Leather Lane Market

The Greedy Goat has been wowing Borough Market shoppers for some time now with its ice cream made with British goat’s milk. Now the folks at the Goat are giving more Londoners the chance to have a taste of their frozen treats with a new concession at Piccadilly Circus and a stall at Leather Lane Market. And with a limited run offer for tikichris readers to get a scoop of any flavour for only £1, ewe would be crazy not to give this goat’s ice cream a lick! Continue reading

Posted in Discounts and Special Offers, Food, London, Shopping | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

London Daily Photo: South Bank Summer This Way

Posted in London, London Daily Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Five Years of Bar Boulud London

Now considered a mainstay of the Knightsbridge dining scene, Bar Boulud London at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park celebrated five years at the hotel last week by closing the restaurant to the public and putting on an anniversary dinner hosted by Chef Daniel Boulud for “special customers and guests, and a few select media.” What a pleasure it was to be included among the select few invited to attend. Continue reading

Posted in Drink, Food, Hotels, London, Luxury, Restaurants, Wine | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

London Daily Photo: Pound & Plus

Posted in London, London Daily Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Celebrate the 4th of July at an American National Park! (OneTravel)

Stuck for ideas for making the most of the 4th of July? Not into the beach scene and the crowds? Why not hit one of the United States many National Parks or other “areas” in the National Park System? The … Continue reading

Posted in OneTravel, Travel | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

London Daily Photo: Whitechapel High Street

Posted in London, London Daily Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Brunch … Busaba Style?

Busaba Eathai: it’s one of those go-to restaurants in London that everybody seems to like and a lot of people absolutely love. Now the dozen-strong group of popular Thai eateries aims to broaden its appeal even further with a new brunch menu. Continue reading

Posted in Drink, Food, London, Restaurants | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Chimborazo Day – It’s the Highpoint of the Year! (OneTravel)

Part of the Ecuadorian Andes, Mount Chimborazo is an inactive volcano completely covered by glaciers at its peak. It is the highest mountain in Ecuador and in the Andes north of Peru and is higher than any summit north of … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

London Daily Photo: Brick Lane

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Maze Grill, Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea

Another week, another chance to visit another Maze Grill in Chelsea. Or so that’s how things have shaped up here on this blog with Leila Duke’s review last week of Maze Grill Park Walk and now my own write up of another recently opened MG in Chelsea – this one on Royal Hospital Road. Continue reading

Posted in Drink, Food, London, Restaurants, Wine | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment