Category Archives: Beer
#BBQbound: Hillsborough, North Carolina
The small town of Hillsborough, North Carolina made a big impression on me, despite only being able to drop in for a short overnight stay. Completely off my radar before planning my BBQ Bound itinerary, the town is now my top choice for a repeat visit of all the stops I made during my three weeks on the road. Continue reading
Spitfire Ales: Why You’ll Be Drinking Mo’ Beer for Movember
November means Movember according to Maddie Salters who celebrated with Spitfire Premium Kentish Ale to kick off the month the raising money and awareness for sufferers of prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental illnesses. It’s that time of year again. … Continue reading
The House of Peroni: Going Beyond Beer
For those of you who are missing the buzzy crowds and clinking rocks glasses of London Cocktail Week, there’s good news. The House of Peroni is all set to lift spirits as autumn rolls in and our desires turn to … Continue reading
Create Your Perfect Pizza at PizzaBuzz, EC2
Custom-create your own pizza pie at newbie pizzeria, PizzaBuzz, on Worship Street (about halfway between Old Street and Moorgate Stations). While you’re there, enjoy the relaxed atmosphere, have a beer, some burrata and maybe some homemade ice cream too. Whether … Continue reading
Good Stuff #46
Good stuff and lots of it! Here’s the low down 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. Lazy Arm With its 700mm … Continue reading
Squid Kitchen Brings Madrid Street Market Style to The King & Co, Clapham
Continuing with its pop-up approach to pub grubbing, The King & Co in Clapham has opened its kitchen to Madrileño style street food vendors, Squid Kitchen. A match made in heaven? It is if crisp craft beer coupled with cones overflowing with calamari sounds like you kind of fiesta. I loved my nosh through the recent launch party and am happy to gloat … erm … share the highlights of that occasion with you. Continue reading
Tapas Revolution, Shoreditch
Opened back in the spring, Chef Omar Allibhoy’s Tapas Revolution in Shoreditch seems to have settled in nicely to its Bethnal Green Road digs. I had a lovely time recently, sampling a range of tapas over a couple of drinks at the restaurant’s gorgeous centrepiece copper-topped bar. Continue reading
Pizza Union, Pentonville Road, King’s Cross
I’m not sure which I love more: a great pizza or a great bargain. But if I can get ‘em both in one go at a convenient and actually rather stylish setting then I reckon that’s a big tasty win that warrants a shout out! Already a fan of the original restaurant in Spitalfields, I am so pleased to share the good news that Pizza Union has opened a second location on Pentonville Road near King’s Cross St Pancras station. Continue reading
Good Stuff #43
Good stuff and lots of it! Here’s the low down 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. Continue reading
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
Beany Green at Broadgate Circle
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
Taking it Easy with an Overnight Spa Break in Bath
Easter week, Kemey and I made a quick overnight trip to Bath for a bit of rest and relaxation with a dash of history and scaled down but nonetheless urban ease. Both of us had been to Bath before but ages ago and not together. We had so much fun during our brief stay in this compact and attractive city. It’s a great place for couples and super easy to get to from London. Of course, more time to explore Bath and the bucolic countryside nearby would have been ideal, but our overnight visit proved to be an amply replenishing pause before having to head back to the London grind. Continue reading
Meaty New “Bunsmiths” BBQ Menu at Sebright Arms: Oh Hell Yes!
Pub grub never looked so mouthwateringly mountainous! A new (not pop-up) menu at Sebright Arms pub off Hackney Road brings some of the finest “low and slow BBQ cooked meat served fresh and fast in delicious buns” to the table to be washed down with something sudsy from one of London’s more carefully considered lists of craft and quality beers. Continue reading
Sunday Lunch at the Crown and Two Chairmen, Soho
My lunch at the Crown was ace, and I loved the upstairs dining space, which was all but empty at 1.30pm (things picked up considerably by 2.30 though with hardly a free seat in the house). Highlights? To begin with service was efficient and friendly, seating was comfy, and I got a kick out of spotting a couple of celebrities out the window walking down street (if making a reservation, ask for a table by the window looking down on Dean Street). Continue reading
Den Udon: Time for Japanese Food Lovers in London to Rejoice?
Den Udon’s hip new venue just opened its doors to business, with a clean layout and alternating menus that convert it from a casual luncheon spot to a cosy place for conversation over dinner and drinks. The trendy, minimalist vibe and welcoming staff make you feel right at home, and hearty menu options offer an array of traditional Japanese food with a bit of a twist. Fair portion sizes, a long list of sharable appetizers, and communal tables make Den and especially appealing alternative if you’re dining with a large group. Continue reading
Win a De Beauvoir Deli Basket from The De Beauvoir Deli Co
Teaming up with the dynamic De Beauvoir Deli, I’ve come up with a great excuse to pop round this ace little shop by offering my readers the chance to win a De Beauvoir Deli Basket valued at £30. The lucky winner will need to be able to pick up the prize in shop and will walk home with a delectable assortment of treats in a handy dandy 12” basket. Continue reading
Best Beer – 2014
Beer. I can’t say I really drank a whole lot of it in 2014 (especially compared to how much I’ve consumed in earlier years), but I can say I drank some very fine beer indeed over the last 12 months. Continue reading
Cheer in Style with Your Own Limited Edition Stella Artois Christmas Chalice
That’s right, Stella Artois has released a Limited Edition Christmas Chalice, available only while stocks last. Continue reading
Riverford at the Duke of Cambridge, Britain’s Only 100% Organic Pub
The Duke of Cambridge – Britain’s first and only certified organic pub – has teamed up with Riverford (aka the organic veg box folks from Devon) to “champion seasonal produce” and offer Londoners an ethical and healthier option for quality pub grub. I dropped by the Duke earlier this week for a low key Monday lunch – and very much enjoyed the experience. Continue reading
Bite Me Pizza, Westbourne Grove
An invitation to try out a new Notting Hill pizzeria proved a more than satisfying reason for me to mosey more westerly than usual for one of my all time favourite foods – pizza! Bite Me? With pleasure Continue reading
New Restaurant Review: United Ramen, Upper Street
Ramen, ramen, ramen, ramen! Talk about a soup du jour! Londoners are slurping up this Japanese dish at a decidedly trendy rate. Newest noodles on the scene are those on offer at United Ramen, where I had a right tasty meal last week. Continue reading
Lobster Safari in the Koster Islands, West Sweden
The Koster Islands are situated off Sweden’s western mainland just south of Norway. It’s a beautiful part of the world – a rugged and ‘out there’ archipelago where wilderness and cultivation blend in such a way as to suggest that humans and nature actually can get along. Summer’s the main time folks visit this tranquil area, but I was there at the onset of autumn for the start of the lobster season. Lured by the prospect of catching (and eating!) the regionally renowned “black gold of the sea” lobsters for myself from one of the cleanest of nutritionally rich fjords in Scandinavia, I tagged along on a Lobster Safari “activity and dining experience” offered by the lovely little Hotel Koster on the island of Sydkoster. Continue reading
The Victoria, Mile End: Everything under (and on) One Roof!
Recently renovated and reopened under new ownership, The Victoria brings a taste of farm-to-table dining and hopeful community spirit to Mile End. I had lunch here about a week and a half ago and really enjoyed it. Here’s quick look at a few of this pub’s many highlights. Continue reading
Forge & Co … and It’s Fabulous Speyside Beef and Ox Heart Burger
A friend (hey Peter!) and I dropped by the Forge & Co canteen in Shoreditch last night to give its new Speyside Beef and Ox Heart Burger a try … and were pleased to have done so. Cooked in a Josper Grill and served on a demi brioche, it proved a mightily meaty meal well worth recommending. Plenty of topping and condiment options were available, but I reckon it needed none such was it so full of flavour. Continue reading