Category Archives: Drink

Dixie Detours: Laissez les Bon Temps Rouler!

Happy Mardi Gras! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my Dixie Detours miniseries featuring the highlights from my recent trip to Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana and Florida along with suggestions for planning your own sojourn to the Deep South. Continue reading

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Craft Beer Rising Review by @cathiasays

A couple of Sundays ago (while I was still bumbling round in America), London blogger Cathia Randrianarivo kindly  subbed for me accepting to attend on my behalf a beer-ific event I was unable to make. As Cathia puts it, “I … Continue reading

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Dixie Detours: Miami in a Minute

The final stop of our Dixie Detours visit to the US was Miami, where an overnight layover afforded Kemey and me the chance to check in on some friends who had recently moved there – big thanks to Tanya and Francesco for being such fantastic hosts and showing us around so much of your fine town – while soaking up some south Florida sunshine before heading back to Blighty. Continue reading

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Dixie Detours: Sweet Shoals Music

Before our visit to the Muscle Shoals area of Alabama, I never would have imagined the music of Aretha Franklin could resonate even more with me than it already did. Goosebumps on top of goosebumps – how’s that gonna happen? But there I was standing in Studio A of Fame Studios in humble little Florence, Alabama where the mighty diva recorded such classics as Do Right Woman, Do Right Man, and something clicked in a deep and soulful sort of way. In the few days since Kemey and I checked out the Shoals, listening to Aretha’s songs has been coupled with an even deeper and more satisfying feeling than before. Continue reading

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Dixie Detours: Chattanooga, Choo Choo City

Chattanooga is my old teenage stomping ground. Since I’ve moved away, every year or two when I’ve managed to make it back for a visit (usually around Christmastime), the area always seemed to have gotten better than I remembered it being. Same holds true this time round. Continue reading

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Dixie Detours: A Cajun Good Time in Lafayette

It’s a down home kind of place, Lafayette, where a koozie for your cold one is handy asset indeed. Continue reading

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Dixie Detours: New Orleans School of Cooking

Wow. Our afternoon visit to the New Orleans School of Cooking on St Louis Street in the French Quarter was a lot of fun – and well worth its own write up among all the entries in my Dixie Detours miniseries. Continue reading

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Dixie Detours: NOLA!

New Orleans is a sultry dream. I can’t imagine anywhere else in America that’s even half as beguiling or idiosyncratic. Probably the most dynamic city in the US, it is without doubt the most spontaneous and freewheeling. When I think about other destinations across the planet that offer experiences comparable to what I’ve happened upon in NOLA, I find myself coming up with a list of my absolute favourites places. Put simply, NOLA rocks (it shucks, jives, slides, saunters, shimmies and rolls too). Continue reading

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Dixie Detours: Overnight Luxury in Mobile, Alabama

The rather underrated and often overlooked Gulf Coast town of Mobile proved to be an excellent choice and our time there an all too short and actually quite luxurious stay. Continue reading

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Dixie Detours: When in Rome … Georgia

The wedding of my old friend Jack and his lovely fiancée Beth was the main reason prompting my and Kemey’s visit back home and a big factor behind the design of our Dixie Detours itinerary. The wedding was held in Rome, Georgia where Jack had attended university. Yes, that’s right. I went to Athens one day and Rome the next – all without leaving the great state of Georgia! Continue reading

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Dixie Detours: Athens, Georgia

First stop on my Dixie Detours road trip was the quintessential college town of Athens, Georgia – the city which I had called home for most of the 90s during a rather scenic, circuitous and often hazy experience as an undergrad anthropology major at the University of Georgia. Much of the reason for my meandering approach to higher education and indeed life in general during my 20s was due to spending loads of time mingling with the musical set of this amazing little city famed for hosting more than its fair share of influential musicians and bands (REM, B52s, Vic Chestnut, Neutral Milk Hotel, Of Montreal, etc ad nauseam). Continue reading

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Coffee Break with Urban Pixxels (espressoCrazy)

EspressoCrazy’s Blogger in Residence Chris Osburn takes a break with a fellow blogger and foodie Jacintha Verdegaal to talk coffee and other matters. Jacintha Verdegaal is a Dutch expat living in London. Her blog, Urban Pixxels, is an account of her … Continue reading

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5 Great Cafes Near London’s Oxford Circus (CheapOair)

Yes, it’s invariable that I will leave at least a couple of great cafes off this list in my pursuit to share a few ideal places to have a quality coffee while keeping within striking distance of all on offer … Continue reading

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Recipe: Quick and Easy Tiramisu (espressoCrazy)

Here’s a super easy recipe for tiramisu. All in all it took me maybe 20 minutes to whip up. There’s no actual cooking or baking involved as long as you don’t mind using store bought wafer (I opted for ‘trifle … Continue reading

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Vantra Vitao: Tasty Nutrition for All Dietary Needs on Oxford Street

Vegan food makes ya peppy! Or, at least, that’s the conclusion I was coming to as I watched a couple of extra-energetic vegan dancers poppin’ to some dub step at yesterday’s launch of the new Vantra Vitao restaurant on Oxford Street. I had a great time – and sampled some delicious food and drink at Vantra. I’m more than happy to recommend a visit to this relaxed and health conscious restaurant just down the street (but seemingly a world away) from the calamitous Tottenham Court Road Tube station. Continue reading

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Win a Big Bag o’ Booze!

Ya get a lot of freebies in my profession (if actually I can call what I do for a living a profession). There always seems to be plenty of booze to go around especially! So much so, I’m not quite sure what to do with it. No, I’m no teetotaller and can assure you I’m doing my damnedest to drink my way through all of it. I’ve just got way more than I can get to at the moment. And this is where you come in. Want to help a blogger out and take some of this alcohol off my hands? Keep reading to find out how you can win my Big Bag o’ Booze. Continue reading

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La Giaconda Café Bar Restaurant on Denmark Street

Following a major refurbishment, Denmark Street’s landmark rock ‘n roll restaurant, La Giaconda Café Bar Restaurant brings together a quality caff experience and a fine dining options in the heart of Soho. Continue reading

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Daawat Indian Restaurant at the Strand Palace Hotel

Presenting tried and true South Asian comfort food on the Strand and just down the street from Covent Garden, Daawat Indian restaurant at the four star (and recently renovated) Strand Palace Hotel is a smart choice when you’re on the go and seeking a satisfying meal. Continue reading

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Alma de Cuba – Cuban Coffee Delivered to Your Door

Once the undisputed king of caffé , the status and availability of Cuban coffee has steadily waned over the past half century – just as demand for coffee has continued to expand. Enter: Alma de Cuba, on a mission to “restore Cuban coffee – once the world’s favourite – back to its rightful position”. Revolutionary or just revolting? Here’s my take on this Caribbean cuppa joe. Continue reading

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Win a Seven Dials Shopping Spree Worth £100 + Dinner for Two at Flesh & Buns

Wanna shop like a chic Brit and chow down like a Japanese rock star in one of London’s most stylish and centrally situated locations? And all for FREE?!? Check it out – I’ve got a £100 Seven Dials gift card plus dinner for two at Flesh & Buns to share with one lucky reader. Keep reading for your chance to win. Continue reading

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illy Regent Street

I don’t know about you and your line of work but as for me and mine, I run around all over town all day long. Often I find I’ve got time to kill between meetings and events. Sometimes it’s just 20 minutes, other times it might be a couple of hours. And just because I have time to kill doesn’t mean I have time to dawdle. I need to get in somewhere fast and park it during such spare moments – where I can tackle my inbox, draft my next blog post, maybe grab a bite to eat and (most importantly) have a cup of coffee. With the recently opened illy Regent Street, being able to do all this stuff in a seriously stylish and comfortable setting just became a real option for me. Continue reading

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Free Italian Cooking Class for Two at Cookery School This Saturday

Do you love Italian cooking but find that your version of al dente leaves you and your dinner guests feeling all disappointed? Here’s a chance for you and a friend to participant in an All Day Italian cooking class worth £300 in total this Saturday at Cookery School near Oxford Circus. Keen? Keep reading and buon appetito! Continue reading

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Does Your Sweetheart Have a Sweet Tooth? Then Paris is the Perfect Place! (CheapOair)

Sure, it’s probably the most romantic city in the world, and thus the ideal destination for any amorous couple. But Paris isn’t just for sweethearts. Any Francophile can tell you that Paris is one of the sweetest places anyone’s ever … Continue reading

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Good Stuff

Good Stuff and lots of it! Here’s the low down on some fine things to see, sip or take a bite out of – all of which I’ve recently come across and thought were worth sharing with you. Enjoy. Delfina Foundation … Continue reading

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Craft Beer Rising Returns to London (OneTravel)

The Craft Beer Rising festival will return to London the last weekend of February with the noble aim to “bring good, flavorsome, creative beers to the masses and to “help inform drinkers of the beers available and support the brewers … Continue reading

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Win Hotel Chocolat’s From Sunrise to Sunset Giftbox Worth £50

Hotel Chocolat’s From Sunrise to Sunset giftbox has “everything you need to create the perfect day for the one you love, from a sensual shower at sunrise to a sparkling drink at sunset”. An ideal Valentine’s gift for the fine chocolate lover in your life, the Sunrise to Sunset giftbox runs at a very reasonable £50 – but I’ve got a freebie to share with one lucky reader. Keep reading to find out how you can score one of these all-day fantastic and romantic chocolate gift sets. Continue reading

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Augustus Harris, Venetian Style Bàcaro in the Heart of London’s Theatreland

An uncomplicated menu of pronounced northern Italy flavour; an equally concise and decidedly Italian list of wine and drinks; a stylish wood and copper bar that’s as cosy as it is elegant – there’s a lot to love about Augustus … Continue reading

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Celebrate Chinese New Year at London’s Finest Chinese Restaurants (OneTravel)

Does celebrating the arrival of the Year of the Horse mean an excuse to eat like one? Here’s a list of six exceptional Chinese restaurants in London for doing up Chinese New Year in fine style. Read my complete post at the … Continue reading

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London’s Top 5 Cheese Shops (OneTravel)

Run out of Roquefort? Really longing for a wedge of Red Leicester? Just can’t bear the thought of another day without camembert? If you find yourself in London hankering for some quality cheese, you are in luck. The city has some of the … Continue reading

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Turin: City of Foodie Firsts (CheapOair)

Turin is a city of firsts in many ways. The northern Italian city is home to the country’s first official capital. It’s the birthplace of the Fiat automobile and is essentially the go-to scene for contemporary art in Italy today. And … Continue reading

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New Year’s Eve Dinner at Nobu London

What a way to end (and start) a year! The seven course New Year’s Eve 2013 dinner and wine menu at Nobu London at the Metropolitan Hotel ended the year on a delectable note and set high the bar for restaurant experiences for the months to come. Check it out … Continue reading

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Win New Chocolaty Treats from Mars, Galaxy, Maltesers and Milky Way

Fancy receiving a bundle of latest addition goodies from the Mars and Galaxy range? Keep reading for your chance to win a free assortment of thick shakes, squeezy spreads, hot chocolate and mocha lattes. Continue reading

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Super Bowl Sunday in London (OneTravel)

Excited about that upcoming trip to London but bummed because you think you’ll have to miss the big game on TV? Nonsense. The NFL is becoming more and more popular in the UK. Besides, if there’s a reason to drink … Continue reading

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London’s Quirkiest Taxidermy (CheapOair)

Ever feel like someone … or something … is watching from some dark corner? Never fear, that’s just the décor! If you like your pub with as many heads on the wall as there are patrons at the bar and … Continue reading

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Restaurant Review: Rocket Bishopsgate

A crowd pleasing menu at a convenient location with funky décor, Rocket Bishopsgate is a safe bet decision if you’re looking for a quick bite or a night out near Liverpool Street Station. Continue reading

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