Category Archives: Drink

The Nutty Way to Have Coffee in Lecce, Italy (espressoCrazy)

One of the perks of getting to travel as much as I do is the opportunity to have a peek at (and of course a taste of) local coffee customs. Recently, I was found myself in the Southern Italian city … Continue reading

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Bird of Smithfield Soars into a Second Year

Happy birthday to Bird of Smithfield and cheers for the brilliant self-hosted bday par-tay! I had a blast and loved exploring your multiple floors of foodie fun – especially hanging out at your Veuve Clicquot roof terrace taking in the views of Smithfield Market and Clerkenwell. Continue reading

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Find Sicily’s Tastiest Spots with the Free Agromobile App (OneTravel)

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

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Shake Shack Westfield Stratford City

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

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Barcelona Brief: OneOcean Club at Marina Port Vell

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

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Barcelona Brief: The Stylishly Sumptuous Hotel Majestic

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

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Barcelona Brief: Ah-Inspiring Hotel Arts

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

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Barcelona Brief: High on Generator

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

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Barcelona Brief: Too Brief but Brilliant!

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

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Dammann Frères Teas at the Sofitel London St James’s Rose Lounge (espressoCrazy)

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

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Artistan Wine Fair – RAW – Returns to Truman Brewery

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

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Win Dinner for Four + Two Bottles of Wine at Vapiano

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

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Choccywoccydoodah: Enter a Chocolate Wonderland with their New Book

Maddie Salters pays a visit to ChoccyWoccydoodah, Carnaby Street’s infamous chocolatier, for a look at its long-awaited cookery book, Chocolate, Cake and Curses. Continue reading

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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

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Win VIP Access to Yelp’s Mad Scientist Soiree at Strongroom Bar in Shoreditch

Exploding cocktails? A GIF Photo Booth? A mini ice cream festival? 600 Mad Scientists? And all for free? Yeah, I’m teaming up with Yelp again to bring more fun your way. This time, I’m helping spread the word about Dr Xander Alexander’s Mad Scientist Soiree. Presented by Yelp and Digital Shoreditch at Strongroom on Tuesday 12 May, it’s totally free and promises to be an absolute hoot. Read on! Continue reading

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Le Vie della Zagara: Ceramic Dynamic Caltagirone

Caltagirone was one of those places where soon into my time there I started wondered about the price of local property. Could I afford to chuck it all in and relocate? How could I make such a transition work – and what kind of work would I even be able to do if I actually did settle there? Such a feeling of immediate attraction to a place often used to overwhelm me when travelling in my 20s and early 30s. It’s a less frequent – but much deeper and more exacting – experience when it hits me these days. No, I don’t think I’ll actually up and move to Caltagirone (and I very much love my life here in London), but that possibility lingers still in my thoughts as I remember it. And I sorely hope I’m don’t have to wait too long to return there for further exploration. Continue reading

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La Vie en Rose Afternoon Tea at the Sofitel London St James

On now and running throughout May is a new floral-inspired La Vie en Rose afternoon tea at the Rose Lounge at the Sofitel London St James hotel. I got a taste of this limited run luxury a couple of weeks back and very much enjoyed it. Here’s a waft of what made it such a treat for me. Continue reading

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Le Vie della Zagara: Limone di Siracusa

A fertile coastal plain stretching between the mountains and the sea with plenty of sea air and consistent year-round sunlight make conditions right for growing Limone di Siracusa, aka Syracuse lemons – some of the juiciest and zestiest on the market. Such conditions add up to a gorgeous place to visit too. The last of the low hanging PGI fruits picked along my journey across Sicily, here’s why I’m a sucker for the aroma and flavour of this mighty if diminutive squirt! Continue reading

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Le Vie della Zagara: When Life Hands You Lemons Make Granita!

One of the zestier episodes during my zip across Sicily’s Le Vie della Zagara was a visit to the seaside town of Alì Terme in the province of Messina. Here and along the Valle del Nisi, aside perhaps from the tourist trade, the locally grown Limone Interdonato is the main draw – whether on its own with a skin so sweet you can eat it raw or transformed into one of many refreshing delicacies at the local bar/pasticceria/gelateria/bomboniere. Continue reading

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Are you Sitting Comfortably? Street Food Heroes Crabbieshack Pop-up at The Hat & Tun

For three nights only from Wednesday 13th – Friday 15th May, 5.30pm to 9pm, Crabbieshack will be serving Old Bay Batter Soft-Shell Crab Burgers (£9.50) at The Hat & Tun pub in Clerkenwell. Continue reading

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Le Vie della Zagara: Sicily’s Beautiful Blood Oranges

The three varietals of Sicilian blood oranges include the deeply crimson Moro, the Tarocco (a great all rounder and Italy’s most popular orange), and the sweet and succulent Sanguinello. During my time travelling Le Vie della Zagara, I got a taste of all three blood oranges (and more – keep reading!) while visiting two places involved in the production of aranchia rossa: the lavish San Giorgio Estate with its upscale luxury Aranjaya villa and the more pragmatic but nonetheless impressive processing facilities of Pannitteri & C. Both are located in the eastern area of Sicily within the province of Catania and bestowed with jaw-dropper views of smoking and snow-capped Mount Etna. Continue reading

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Le Vie della Zagara: Balanced and Scenic Ribera

The world’s only orange with PDO certification (protected designation of origin, DOP in Italian) grows in Ribera, Sicily. Belonging to the family of yellow navel oranges, it’s not all that different in appearance to any run of the mill orange you’re apt to come across at any supermarket anywhere in the world. But bite into a Ribera or drink some of its juice and what sets it apart becomes clear. It’s a juicy fruit with a balanced ratio of sugars and acids – not too sweet or tart – with a firm and smooth flesh and no seeds. Continue reading

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Le Vie della Zagara: Ciaculli and its Anti-Mafia Mandarins

First stop on Le Vie della Zagara was the Palermo suburb of Ciaculli, home of the juicy Mandarino Tardivo di Ciacualli, where land once owned by the Mafia has been confiscated and converted into citrus groves by the locally run Consorzio il Tardivo di Ciaculli. Continue reading

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The Ultimate Foodie Safari in Sabi Sabi (City AM)

The streets of Mayfair may seem a world away from the remote South African bush, but for discerning gourmet travellers the metaphorical – if not physical – distance between the two has just become smaller. A new initiative at Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve invites some of the world’s top chefs into the kitchen at the area’s renowned Earth Lodge. The partnership was launched in February, with Michelin-starred Eric Chavot making the inaugural visit, taking a week-long break from his eponymous Mayfair brasserie (at The Westbury on Conduit Street) to share his experience with the cooks at Earth Lodge. Continue reading

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Preview: The Goblin King’s Masquerade Ball 2015

The Goblin King’s Annual Masquerade Ball is a themed costumed ball “of mischief and revelry” exploring the darker side of fantasy through promenade theatre, live music and DJs, cabaret, interactive creatures, puppetry, art installations, goblin markets, hot tubs, “hidden experiences” and loads more surprises in “suitable goblin habitable locations.” Continue reading

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Win a Variety Pack of Jaz & Jul’s Origin Mixture Drinking Chocolate

Award winning independent chocolate makers, Jaz & Jul’s, are launching a new Origin range of drinking chocolates. Featuring three single-origin dark hot chocolates made with cacao grown in a different region (Madagascar, Peru, Brazil) for a collection of subtle yet indulgent flavours. Keen to find out how to get a sneaky peek taste ahead of all the other choco-fiends? Keep reading, my cocoa loving friends. Continue reading

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Review of Moët Academy

Last week Maddie Salters embarked upon an adventure in London’s Southbank that would take her into the heart of France’s Champagne region. Celebrated brand Moët & Chandon re-created the vineyards and wine cellars of its lush estate at OXO along the … Continue reading

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Piadabar: New Italian Takeaway in the Heart of Soho

Piadabar is a new Italian takeaway on Bateman Street in Soho that serves authentic piada (Northern Italian flatbread), traditional cheeses and cured meats, amazing homemade desserts, excellent espresso and more. It’s a brilliant spot to drop by for a quick sandwich or snack – whether on your way to work in the morning, during lunch or even after a late night out playing weekend warrior (Piadabar is open until 1am on Friday and Saturday nights). Continue reading

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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

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Sponsored Cocktail Recipe: The Last Word

In comparison to many other drinks, cocktails are mainly drinks for connoisseurs. When you go to a bar or a pub, first things that you have in mind is beer, wine or whiskey. Only a handful of people are willing … Continue reading

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‘Hot & Chilli’ Coffee Break with Rosana McPhee (espressoCrazy)

Ready for a quick cuppa friendly food blogger advice? Then kick back, relax and enjoy the latest instalment of my Coffee Break series of interviews. This time round, I’m finding out about Brazilian food and learning a few tips for cooking with coffee from Hot & Chilli blogger, Rosana McPhee, a Brazilian expat keen to share Latin kitchen expertise with the wider world. Continue reading

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Tredwell’s by Marcus Wareing

Often before heading to a restaurant for the first time I’ll have a look online at existing reviews about the place to know what to keep an eye out for and maybe to avoid. For my Sunday lunch visit to Marcus Wareing’s “Modern British” Tredwell’s, I should have just avoided reading the reviews all together and let my gut (which is now a good bit larger after my Tredwell’s meal) guide me in the right direction. Continue reading

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Moët & Chandon: The Champagne Region Comes to Londontown

Moët & Chandon is perhaps the most recognisable name in Champagne. Its impressive estate, nestled into the heart of the Champagne Region of France, produces full-bodied sips, often with bold fruity notes and a gentle finish. As of 13 April, Moët & Chandon will bring the magic of its Épernay vineyards to Southbank in London, to delight the palates and imaginations of visitors. Continue reading

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El Pirata of Mayfair Celebrates 20 Years Serving Authentic Tapas

Anchored for two decades in Mayfair with an admirable reputation, El Pirata has long been regarded as a regular favourite among the locals and a safe bet for out-of-towner’s seeking a more than decent meal. Slow sailing me, I’ve intended to visit this popular tapas bar for ages but only recently set a course in its direction, where I discovered a menu full of treasured Spanish dishes. Is El Pirata worth considering for your next port of call? Aye, Cap’n. Continue reading

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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

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