Category Archives: Blue Tomato

World Heritage Dining in the South of France (Blue Tomato)

Posted on 2013-10-23 by tikichris

Romping round the South of France touring UNESCO World Heritage sites can sure work up an appetite. In a country whose very gastronomy has achieved world heritage status, finding myself somewhere of cultural or historical significance paired nicely with the safe bet that I wouldn’t be far from something seriously delectable too. Here are but a few of the tastier highlights from my recent jaunt round La Región – all well within easy and scenic drives of Montpellier–Méditerranée Airport or Nîmes-Alès-Camargue-Cévennes Airport. Continue reading →

Posted in Blue Tomato, Drink, Food, France, Restaurants, Travel, Uncategorized, Wine | Tagged BLUE TOMATO, Causses and the Cévennes, Cévennes, chef Daniel Lagrange, Daniel Lagrange, Drink, Ferme Caussenard d’Autrefois, fine dining, Food, france, gorges du tarn, Grand Hotel de la Muse et le Rozier, Hôtel du Mont Aigoual, Hotel Family, hotels, l’Hotel de la Paix, Languedoc, LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON, Logis, Logis hotels, Mas des Sables, Meyrueis, Montpellier, Montpellier-Méditerranée Airport, Pont du Gard, restaurants, river tarn, roman aqueduct, SOUTH OF FRANCE, southern france, SUD DE FRANCE, Travel, travel blog, UNESCO, UNESCO World Heritage, unesco world heritage site, UNESCO World Heritage sites, UNESCO World Heritage sites in France, wine | Leave a comment

Jubo (Blue Tomato)

Posted on 2013-09-03 by tikichris

Newbie fast-gourmet outlet Jubo – located at the Bedroom Bar in Shoreditch – wants to bring this K-style treat along with the concept anju to the London table. Continue reading →

Posted in Beer, Blue Tomato, Drink, Food, London, Restaurants | Tagged anju, bar, bar food, bedroom bar, beer, BLUE TOMATO, chicken, chicken wings, cocktails, drinking, east london, EC2, EC2A 3AY, fast food, fried chicken, hackney, hite beer, jubo, Korean, korean cuisine, korean fast food, KOREAN FOOD, korean fried chicken, London, new restaurant review, restaurant review, review, rivington street, shoreditch | Leave a comment

Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen: Ghana Be Good (Blue Tomato)

Posted on 2013-08-28 by tikichris

African street food star, Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen, has taken up residency at Covent Garden’s Africa Centre with a pop-up promise that the food and atmosphere are ‘Ghana be good’. The temporary restaurant runs until mid September and offers a convenient way to get a taste of west African heat along with a side of socialising. Continue reading →

Posted in Beer, Blue Tomato, Drink, Food, London, Restaurants | Tagged africa centre, beer, BLUE TOMATO, covent garden, Drink, Food, ghanaian cuisine, ghanaian food, ghanaian restaurant, pop-up restaurant review, restaurant, restaurant review, street food, WC2, ZGK, zoe's ghana kitchen | Leave a comment

Grand Old Brighton: Dining in Style at GB1 (Blue Tomato)

Posted on 2013-05-31 by tikichris

Newly opened at the recently refurbished Grand Brighton hotel, GB1 Seafood Restaurant & Bar serves up a treat for lovers of expertly prepared fruits of the sea. Making ye olde cheeky jaunt down to Brighton all the more enticing, GB1′s menu of local, fresh and sustainably sourced fish and seafood presented in a fabulous setting sure does beckon foodies from far and wide. I’m certainly hankering to get back down there for more great seaside grub. Continue reading →

Posted in Blue Tomato, Food, Hotels, Restaurants, Travel | Tagged BLUE TOMATO, brighton, Charles Smith Boom Boom Syrah, chef alan white, comte des cierges, De Vere Hotels, england, executive chef alan white, GB1, GB1 Seafood Bar & Restaurant, grand, hotel, lobster burger, new restaurant review, restaurant, review, seafood restaurant, sussex, the grand, the grand brighton, wine | Leave a comment

GNH Bar (Blue Tomato)

Posted on 2013-05-29 by tikichris

I have long felt that a significant number of the best cocktail bars in London are hidden away in some of this city’s finer hotels. There’s the Coburg Bar at the Connaught, the Mirror Bar at the Landmark, the American … Continue reading →

Posted in Blue Tomato, Drink, Food, Hotels, London, Restaurants, Travel | Tagged bar, BLUE TOMATO, cocktails, gnh bar, greatbar great northern hotel, hotel, Hotel bars, king's cross, king's cross station, restaurant, review | Leave a comment

The Great British Tapas Project with José Pizarro and Codorníu (Blue Tomato)

Posted on 2013-04-23 by tikichris

With his eponymous and popular tapas bar and an equally adored sit-down restaurant (each just a minute’s walk away from the other on the trendy restaurant row that is Bermondsey Street), chef patron José Pizarro knows a thing or two about tapas and the British palate. Now, this master of the London tapa (before opening his own eateries, José was a chef at Eyre Brothers, Gaudi and Brindisa) has teamed up with cava brand, Codorníu, to add a Spanish twist to some of Britain’s most popular dishes – with the launch of the Great British Tapas project. Continue reading →

Posted in Blue Tomato, Drink, Food, London, Recipes, Restaurants, Shopping, Wine | Tagged apple crumble and custard, apple crumble crema Catalana, beef and pimentón Yorkshire mini puds, bermondsey, BERMONDSEY STREET, BLUE TOMATO, brindisa, british cuisine, british food, CAVA, chef, chef patron, CODORNÍU, EYRE BROTHERS, fish and chip tostados, fish and chips, full english breakfast, full English sourdoughs, Gaudi, Great British Tapas Project, jose, JOSE PIZARRO, London, PIZARRO, restaurant, restaurants, roast beef, roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, Shepherd’s Pie, shepherd’s pie croquetas, spanish cuisine, spanish food, spanish restaurant, spanish wine, sparkling wine, tapas, yorkshire pudding | Leave a comment

Clockjack Oven (Blue Tomato)

Posted on 2013-04-11 by tikichris

All in all, my lunch at Clockjack Oven was way better than I’d expected or even hoped – so satisfying, in fact, that I could definitely see myself craving for a repeat visit soon. Continue reading →

Posted in Beer, Blue Tomato, Discounts and Special Offers, Drink, Food, London, Restaurants | Tagged beat the clock, beer, chicken, DENMAN STREET, Drink, early bird special, Food, free range chicken, London, lunch, new restaurant, new restaurant review, restaurant, rotisserie chicken, sage and onion balls, soho, W1, W1D 7HJ | Leave a comment

Venerdi (Blue Tomato)

Posted on 2013-04-08 by tikichris

The pizzas coming out of the oven during my recent lunch at Venerdi were just those sort of ideal Neapolitan style pies: crisp outer crust with a slightly soupy interior. Nothing fancy. Just right. What I had for my lunch certainly met my palate’s preferences and exceeded my wishful expectations. If I’d had my Venerdi pizza while in Italy it wouldn’t have tasted out of place. Continue reading →

Posted in Blue Tomato, Drink, Food, London, Restaurants | Tagged BLUE TOMATO, chatsworth road, clapton, E5, E5 0LH, east london, hackney, homerton, italian cuisine, italian food, italian restaurant, London, LOWER CLAPTON, new restaurant, new restaurant review, pasta, pizza, pizzeria, profiteroles, restaurant, review, venerdi | Leave a comment

A Pizza the Action at Fire & Stone (Blue Tomato)

Posted on 2013-03-19 by tikichris

Blue Tomato recently joined in a tasting panel to help Fire & Stone pizzerias decide which of an assortment of pizzas to add to its menu. The restaurant group – with three locations in Central London as well as an outlet each in Oxford and Portsmouth – developed the range of six pizzas based upon some original ‘retired classics’ from past menus, with the aim of narrowing down the list to only two pizzas. Continue reading →

Posted in Blue Tomato, Food, London, Restaurants | Tagged BLUE TOMATO, fire & stone, Food, London, pizza, pizzeria | Leave a comment

Mezcaleria Quiquiriqui (Blue Tomato)

Posted on 2012-12-22 by tikichris

A good one to keep in mind for contemplative and/or convivial sipping in the early evening and for getting drunk ‘n’ sweaty later in the night, Quiquiriqui is worth adding to any list of easy going East London watering holes. … Continue reading →

Posted in Blue Tomato, Drink, London | Tagged bar, BLUE TOMATO, E2, E2 7QL, golden grill, hackney, Hackney Road, hoxton, London, mescal, mexican, mezcal, mezcal bar, Mezcaleria, Mezcaleria Quiquiriqui, qui qui ri qui, quiquiriqui, review, speakeasy | Leave a comment

Bibigo (Blue Tomato)

Posted on 2012-12-21 by tikichris

Oh yeah. Bibigo will see me again (and probably several times again after that). Read my complete review at Blue Tomato.

Posted in Blue Tomato, Drink, Food, London, Restaurants | Tagged bibigo, bibimbap, black cod, BLUE TOMATO, chum-churum, great marlborough street, kimchi, Korean, KOREAN FOOD, korean restaurant, Korean steak tartar bibimbap, London, new restaurant review, restaurant review, review, soho, soju, steak tartar, W1, W1F 7YJ | Leave a comment

A Soupy Search for Flavours in Japan (Blue Tomato)

Posted on 2012-12-20 by tikichris

As crazy as it sounds, I spent the last week of October touring Japan on a “soup search” for celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott. Basically, I’d won a blogger competition that came with a free trip for two to Japan (brownie … Continue reading →

Posted in Ainsley Harriott's #SoupSearch Challenge, Blue Tomato, Food, Japan, Restaurants, Shopping, Travel | Leave a comment

The Factory House (Blue Tomato)

Posted on 2012-12-11 by tikichris

The Factory House is a new Victorian themed restaurant in the City with an aim to be a “refuge for the modern-day industrialist.” A bit kitsch to be sure, but the place is comfortable enough with a fully stocked bar … Continue reading →

Posted in Blue Tomato, Drink, Food, London, Restaurants, Wine | Tagged bar, beaujolais, BLUE TOMATO, Brouilly Les Thibaults 2010, city of london, EC3, EC3M 7AA, JOSPER GRILL, leadenhall market, lime street, London, new restaurant review, review, wine | Leave a comment

Mamounia Lounge (Blue Tomato)

Posted on 2012-11-22 by tikichris

Mamounia Lounge in Knightsbridge is a rather more rococo establishment than I’m accustomed to visiting. But for a place situated across the road from Harrods and offering “an idyllic and glamorous setting with traditional Arabic charm,” I’d expect nothing less … Continue reading →

Posted in Blue Tomato, Drink, Food, London, Restaurants | Tagged belly dancer, belly dancing, BLUE TOMATO, brompton road, cocktails, knightsbridge, lounge, mamounia lounge, mamounia lounge knightsbridge, middle eastern cuisine, new restaurant review, review, shisha, SW3, SW3 1HY | Leave a comment

Eating (Exceptionally) Well in Pembrokeshire (Blue Tomato)

Posted on 2012-11-21 by tikichris

… walk off any extra calories or recharge at the tearoom before or after your stroll through the nearby circular path skirting the Daugleddau estuary. Read my complete review at Blue Tomato.

Posted in Beer, Blue Tomato, Coffee, Food, Pubs, Restaurants, Shopping, Travel, Wales | Tagged Angle, Angle Village, BLUE TOMATO, crab, Cwtch, dressed crab, hiking, lawrenny, Lawrenny Quay, lobster, lunch, Old Point House, pembrokeshire, pembrokeshire coast, pembrokeshire coast national park, pub, Quayside Tearoom, restaurants, review, solva, solva crab, Something Fishy, st david's, wales, walking, welsh | Leave a comment

Edwin’s French Wine Bar (Blue Tomato)

Posted on 2012-11-20 by tikichris

Owner-manager Edwin Chan thinks he’s come up with a winning concept for a fine yet casual wine-n-dine experience for Londoners. And he reckons he’s got the right connections across la Manche too, priding himself on being able to offer high … Continue reading →

Posted in Blue Tomato, Drink, Food, London, Restaurants, Wine | Tagged 2010, BLUE TOMATO, cabernet franc, Chinon, Domaine de la Perrière, EC2, EC2A 4NU., Edwin's, Edwin's French Wine Bar, Edwin's French Wine Bar and Restaurant, foie gras, french cuisine, french food, french restaurant, french wine, London, lyonnaise, new restaurant review, Phipp Street, restaurant, review, shoreditch, wine bar | Leave a comment

How Does Malmaison’s New Mega Burger Stack Up? (Blue Tomato)

Posted on 2012-11-19 by tikichris

I’m not sure if I’m bragging about or admitting to such a feat, but I did manage to eat the whole thing, minus a few fries. Read my complete post at Blue Tomato.

Posted in Blue Tomato, Food, Hotels, London, Restaurants, Wine | Tagged BLUE TOMATO, burger, charterhouse square, CHEESEBURGER, Clerkenwell, EC1, Food, hamburger, London, london mal, lunch, mal burger, MALMAISON, malmaison london, review, the stack | Leave a comment

When in Parma, Eat Like the Parmiggiani (Blue Tomato)

Posted on 2012-10-17 by tikichris

As the old adage goes, when in Rome you’d be wise to follow the Roman lead. Of course, even in the Eternal City, when sitting down for a Roman sup, there’s a good chance the ham and cheese would be … Continue reading →

Posted in Blue Tomato, Drink, Food, Italy, Parma, Restaurants, Travel, Wine | Tagged BLUE TOMATO, cheese, chris oburn, emilia romagna, ham, italian food, italian wine, Italy, Masticabrodo, Ombre Rosse, Osteria la Maesta, parma, parma ham, parmesan, parmesan cheese, parmigiano, parmigiano-reggiano, prosciutto, reggio emilia, restaurants, Ristorante Cocchi, wine | Leave a comment

This Bright Field (Blue Tomato)

Posted on 2012-08-27 by tikichris

This Bright Field is a welcome addition to the East London dining scene. Sourcing British regional produce to create straightforward and prettily presented seasonal dishes, head chef Matt Casey (formerly of Koffman’s and The Whitechapel Gallery Dining Room) and his … Continue reading →