About tikichris
Chris Osburn is the founder, administrator and editor of tikichris. In addition to blogging, he works as a freelance journalist, photographer, consultant and curator.
Recipe kit delivery service, Marley Spoon, came knocking at my door recently with a couple of ready-to-cook meals for me to try. It was all yummy stuff, healthy too, and really easy to prepare. I was impressed with the service and the quality of the food. If you’re short on time but keen to have a home cooked meal, give ‘em serious consideration. Continue reading →
Looking for something to spice up the summer? How about a couple of jars of instant yum? I’m offering one lucky reader the chance to win two new palate pleasing and oh-so aromatic chilli relishes from That Hungry Chef. Continue reading →
Posted in Competition, Food, Freebies, London, Shopping
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Tagged #mojorisin, chill relish, Food, free, freebies, hot sauce, islington, London, Mojo Risin', Nikhat Chahal, north london, Pratap Chahal, restaurants, RT to win, supper club, That Hungry Chef, twitter competition, Лондон, لندن, ロンドン, 伦敦
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A recent and delicious visit to Sicily was made all the more juicy, fruitful and scenic with the Agromobile app. Agromobile is a website and a free to download app sharing food and wine related itineraries in Sicily. Interested “land … Continue reading →
Posted in Apps, Drink, Food, Freebies, Italy, OneTravel, Restaurants, Shopping, Sicily, Travel, Wine
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Tagged Agromobile, apps, free, freebies, Italy, OneTravel, restaurants, Shopping, sicily, Travel, wine
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I dropped by the show yesterday for the press/VIP preview. I skedaddled before I could get to any big game celeb and royalty spotting but managed to see most of what’s in store for the inevitable throngs of garden enthusiasts soon to swarm the gracious grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. Here’s a quick look at what I enjoyed most … Continue reading →
Posted in Food, Gardening, London, Shopping
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Tagged 2012 michelin stars, A Trugmaker’s Garden, chelsea, chelsea flower show, Edo Garden, Edo no Niwa, Food, Future Climate Info, gardening, gardens, Homebase, Homebase Urban Retreat Garden, Ishihara Kazuyuki Design Laboratory, Jo Thompson's, London, Morrice & Ann Innes – The Potato Story, RHS, RHS Chelsea Flower Show, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2015, Royal Hospital Chelsea, shaun rankin, Shopping, Sub Zero & Wolf, SW3, SW3 4SL, The M&G Garden 2015 – The Retreat, Лондон, لندن, ロンドン, 伦敦
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Shake Shack launches its second London eatery with a new restaurant opening 20 May at Westfield Stratford City. Guess who got to sample some classic Shack favourites alongside some new and exclusive to Stratford menu items this afternoon?! Don’t hate the player, folks. In fact, don’t even hate the game. Just get over there starting tomorrow for some of East London’s best best burgers, hot dogs, crinkle cut fries, frozen custards … Continue reading →
Posted in Drink, Food, London, Restaurants
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Tagged burgers, Drink, E20, east london, Food, frozen custard, hot dogs, London, restaurants, reviews, Shake Shack, Shake Shack Westfield Stratford City, STRATFORD, WESTFIELD STRATFORD CITY, Лондон, لندن, ロンドン, 伦敦
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There’s somewhere for just about any taste or interest readily at hand and to be enjoyed to the fullest extent – and all with its own distinctively Catalan flair. I had a wonderful time taking in the sights and delights of Barcelona and loved this opportunity to share the very best of that trip with you. Continue reading →
Ever been having an amazing time while traveling in a foreign country when you needed to check something online or simply wanted to share an awesome instance with the world only to thwarted by no access to the internet or … Continue reading →
A key component of my brief Barcelona visit was a browse around OneOcean Club at Marina Port Vell. When it opened at the end of 2014, this private club raised the bar (and expectations) for the boating world by offering a range of luxury services and facilities just steps from the boundless amenities and amusements of an ever buzzing metropolis. Continue reading →
Posted in Barcelona, Barcelona Brief, Drink, Food, Luxury, Restaurants, Spain, Travel
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Tagged barcelona, Barcelona Brief, Barceloneta, BARS, Bluewave Cocktail Bar, boating, boats, catalan, catalunya, Drink, Food, luxury, Marina Port Vell, MEMBERS CLUB, OneOcean, OneOcean Club, restaurants, spain, superyachts, Travel, yachts
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If you’re keen to hold convenient court in Barcelona’s elegant and central Eixample district (yet never realise it as long as the door to your room’s terrace is kept shut to not allow even a decibel of noise to seep in from the streets), then this five star hotel’s location is for you. Within easy reach of Las Ramblas; loads of upscale shops; Gaudi’s Casa Batlló, La Pedrera (Casa Milà) and Sagrada Familia; and the Barri Gòtic, it’s a fine location for sightseeing. The hotel is also only a minute’s stroll from Passeig de Gràcia station, where you can hope a train to the airport and be there in about a half hour. Continue reading →
Posted in Barcelona, Barcelona Brief, Drink, Food, Hotels, Luxury, Restaurants, Spain, Travel
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Tagged barcelona, Barcelona Brief, breakfast, catalan, catalunya, Chef Nandu Jubany, Drink, Eixample, Food, Hotel Majestic, hotels, luxury, Majestic Breakfast Experience, Passeig de Gràcia, restaurants, spain, Travel
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Aimed at an audience of bloggers, social media specialists, hospitality marketers and operators “who understand the importance of social media in matters relating to reputation management, promotion, consumer purchasing behaviour and the evolving service culture,” the seminar’s focus will be “experiences, case studies, pitfalls, best practice and how best to develop relationships for your specific marketing needs.” Following the panel discussion, there will be an opportunity to network. Continue reading →
Posted in Blogs, Hotels, London, Travel
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Tagged #HotelsnBloggers15, Chartered Institute of Marketing, CIM, Clearing up the Mystery of Blogging, HMA, Hotel Marketing Association, hotels, kensington, Kensington High Street, London, Royal Garden Hotel, seminar, Travel, Traverse Connect, W8, W8 4PT, Лондон, لندن, ロンドン, 伦敦
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The highest building in Barcelona? It’s the five-star, 43-storey Hotel Arts. At the top floor of this seaside beacon of luxury is 43 The Spa. For rarefied pampering with a view to match, the spa’s signature 43 Sea Experience allows the body to unwind while the mind and spirit soar. That guests can have a gorgeous al fresco lunch several floors down just minutes after … or a stroll the beach … or hit the far humbler but nonetheless inviting neighbourhood bars in nearby Barceloneta … or hop the Metro/hail a cab for more decidedly Barcelonan delights adds dreamy depth to such splendorous me-time. Continue reading →
Posted in Barcelona, Barcelona Brief, Drink, Food, Hotels, Luxury, Restaurants, Spain, Travel
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Tagged 43 Sea Experience, 43 The Spa, barcelona, Barcelona Brief, Barceloneta, Carrer de la Marina, catalan, catalunya, design, Drink, Food, Frank Gehry, Hotel Arts, Hotel Arts Barcelona, hotels, luxury, Marina, Natura Bissé, restaurants, spa, spain, Travel
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For my first of only two nights in Barcelona, I stayed at Generator … in the 8th floor penthouse … and absolutely loved it! If you hanker for a bit of luxury and a chance to spread out when in Barcelona (while still holding on to more than a few spare euros in your pocket), this suite is hard to beat. But whatever you might hope to achieve when booking a budget conscious visit to this bodacious city, you’d be smart to keep in mind Generator’s rather broad spectrum of possible overnight arrangements. Continue reading →
Posted in Barcelona, Barcelona Brief, Chocolate, Drink, Food, Hotels, Luxury, Restaurants, Spain, Travel, Wine
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Tagged barcelona, Barcelona Brief, BARS, catalan, catalunya, chocolate, churros, Drink, Food, Generator Barcelona, Generator Hostels, Gracia, hostels, hotels, La Gilda, La Pepita, La Sagrada Familia, luxury, restaurants, spain, tapas, Travel, wine
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Just back from far too few but still wonderfully rejuvenating days in Barcelona, it’s easy to proclaim it as the ideal getaway. So ideal, I can’t stop thinking about what it might be like to getaway there for good! No matter your “thing” – art, food, beach, luxury, street life, shopping, history … etc etc ad nauseum – or whether you’re one to zealously guard a small budget or magnificently blow a big one, you can do so with flying colours in this captivating Catalan capital. And if you’re like me and want the best of it all in maximum dosage, then keep an eye out for upcoming posts in my Barcelona Brief. Continue reading →
Posted in Apps, Barcelona, Barcelona Brief, Drink, Food, Hotels, Luxury, Restaurants, Spain, Travel
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Tagged addison lee, apps, barcelona, Barcelona Brief, BARS, boating, boats, catalan, catalunya, Drink, Food, hotels, luxury, restaurants, spa, spain, superyachts, Travel, yachts
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Man cannot live on coffee alone. And as much as I tried (often succeeded) in doing so, I must admit it’s nice to have a cup of something else every once in a while. Horses for courses and all that … Continue reading →
Posted in Drink, espressoCrazy, Food, Hotels, London, Luxury, Restaurants
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Tagged afternoon tea, Dammann Freres, Drink, espressoCrazy, espressocrazy.com, Food, hotel, illy, London, luxury, restaurants, reviews, Rose Lounge, Sofitel, Sofitel London St James, st james's, SW1, SW1Y 4AN, tea, Waterloo Place, Лондон, لندن, ロンドン, 伦敦
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My favourite wine event of the year, Raw, returns to London this Sunday and Monday (note: Monday is trade only) featuring “one of the most exciting collections of fine, natural, organic and biodynamic wine artisans” sharing some of the best … Continue reading →
Posted in Drink, London, Shopping, Wine
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Tagged artisan wine, brick lane, Drink, E1 6QL, east london, London, old truman brewery, RAW WINE FAIR, Shopping, wine, WINE FAIR, Лондон, لندن, ロンドン, 伦敦
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Yesterday, I had a lovely lunch visiting with Caroline and Adeline, two French expat friends bringing a taste of their home country to commuters zipping through Old Street Station. Their Les Deux Amies pop-up offers a short and sweet (and savoury) assortment of responsibly sourced, French crêpes, galettes and homemade jams and sauces with a side of social enterprise. Continue reading →
Posted in Food, Good Cause, London
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Tagged crepes, east london, EC1, EC1Y 1BE, french food, galettes, good cause, Les Deux Amies, London, lunch, old street, pop-up, review, Лондон, لندن, ロンドン, 伦敦
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For movie buffs, Francophiles, and paparazzi wannabes, the coming of May means it’s time for the glitz and glamor of the world’s most famous film festival: Cannes! Celebrating its 68th “edition” of showcasing the world’s best cinema, this year’s Festival … Continue reading →
I wish I’d known about VoucherBin ages ago – for all the renovations we’ve undertaken but also for all sorts of other more every day sorts of situations. Better late than never I suppose. I’m certainly glad I’m now in the know about the site. Continue reading →
Vapiano is a great value restaurant with pasta starting from just £6.95 and all pasta, sauces, pizzas and salads made completely fresh in-house everyday. It’s quite a feat, especially when you consider that 27,000 customers are served each week across its trio of London outlets alone. Want to add to the impress count of Vapiano’s happy pasta and pizza fans … and have your meal for even better value than usual (as in for free)? Keep reading for a chance to win dinner for four with wine at one of the Italian restaurant group’s London outlets. Continue reading →
Posted in Competition, Drink, Food, Freebies, London, Pizza, Restaurants, Wine
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Tagged bankside, competition, fitzrovia, free, freebies, italian food, London, pasta, pizza, RT to win, soho, southwark, twitter competition, vapiano, Лондон, لندن, ロンドン, 伦敦
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Based on the throngs (moving through a swiftly served queue, mind you) of folks showing up for lunch at the Beany Green flagship café at Broadgate Circle on the sunshiny weekday when I dropped by last week, this newly opened City worker pit stop for Aussie coffee and clean-minded food hardly needs an endorsement from me to ensure steady patronage. Still, I was impressed with just about every aspect of my visit and could see why everybody else seemed so keen for Beany Green bites. Continue reading →
Posted in Beer, Coffee, Drink, Food, London, Restaurants
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Tagged Beany Green, beer, Broadgate Circle, city of london, coffee, EC2, EC2M 2QS, Fourpure, London, Prue Freeman, restaurants, reviews, roasting party, Лондон, لندن, ロンドン, 伦敦
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