If you’re planning on hitting the street for a view of tonight’s fireworks display, try to taste the air for the added flavour of the festivities as well.
More:
http://www.bompasandparr.com/projects/view/flavour-fireworks
Read my complete post at the OneTravel blog.
Listed below in alphabetical order are five restaurants (outside of London) that I enjoyed visiting the most over the past 12 months along with five extra honourable mentions tied for 6th place. Keep an eye out for more Best of 2013 posts with listings of my favourite London restaurants, cheap eats and pizza places. Please note, these ‘best of’ lists merely reflect how I chose to dine during 2013 and are comprised of long running and brand new venues as well as businesses that are local to me or somehow related to where work and play took me this year.
Here’s hoping 2014 is just as tasty as 2013 turned out to be.
Antica Corte Pallavicina
Polesine Parmense, Italy
Antica Corte Pallavicina is a gorgeously restored 14th century castle situated on the banks of the Po River and has been transformed into a six room boutique hotel with Michelin starred restaurant, its own working farm andvineyard, and – most notably – 0ne of the world’s most famous cellars for ageing culatello.
GB1 Seafood Restaurant & Bar
Brighton, UK
Newly opened at the recently refurbished Grand Brighton hotel, GB1 is a treat for lovers of fresh and expertly prepared fruits of the sea.
Le Lotus
Intercontinental Tahiti Resort, Fa’a’ā, French Polynesia
Situated over the lagoon (check out all of the colourful fishies below nibbling on the crumbs from your table) with a stunning view of nearby island Moorea (book a table for sunset and enjoy Mother Nature’s light show), Le Lotus offers haute cuisine in an “oh my God” setting. Fancy a cold drink? This has got to be the only three Michelin starred restaurant in the world with its own swim-up bar perched on the edge of an infinity pool.
Tabernalibraria
Torino, Italy
Chestnut gnocchi with duck ragu in a Barbaresco wine sauce – it’s even more delicious than it sounds, and is but one of many highlights to be savoured at this quaint osteria.
Thai Spices
Paris, France
Thai Spices an excellent choice for an intimate dinner … and some of the best pad Thai you’re apt to have outside of Thailand.
Honourable Mentions
To read more about the above listed restaurants and all sorts of other great eateries in London and beyond, check out my blog’s Restaurants category.
Listed below in alphabetical order are my five favourite London pizzerias of 2013 along with one honourable mention from Bristol that was so good I didn’t feel right excluding it from the list. Keep an eye out for more Best of 2013 posts of my favourite London restaurants and cheap eats as well as the ten best restaurants I visited outside of London this year. Please note, these ‘best of‘ lists merely reflect how I chose to dine during 2013 and are comprised of long running and brand new venues as well as businesses that are local to me or somehow related to where work and play took me this year.
Here’s hoping 2014 is just as tasty as 2013 turned out to be.
Ecco Pizza
186 Drury Lane, WC2B 5RU
Inexpensive, quick and tasty – and perhaps the closest thing to New York pizza in London – Ecco is an excellent standby when you want something hot and filling meal, but you only have a few coins to pay for it.
Latto’s Pizza
Palm 2, 152-156 Lower Clapton Road, E5 0QJ
Latto’s “sourdough pizza at the back of Palm 2” is an affordable and budget friendly palate pleaser made with carefully sourced ingredients.
Rossopomodoro
Six locations across central London
Proper pizza Napolitana made in traditional wood burning ovens – what’s not to love?
Sweet Thursday
95 Southgate Road, N1 3JS
Any day of the week is a sweet time to visit this De Beauvoir Town pizzeria and wine shop.
Venerdi
9 Chatsworth Road, E5 0LH
Venerdi is newly opened Chatworth Road pizzeria with a friendly atmosphere and a great pizza menu. By the way, these folks just started to offer free delivery!
Honourable Mention
Pepenero: The only reason Pepenero isn’t on the above list of top pizzerias is because it’s not in London. Located in Bristol, this family-run takeaway features an all organic menu and some of the best pizza you’ll ever have … anywhere.
To read more about the above listed restaurants and all sorts of other great eateries in London and beyond, check out my blog’s Restaurants category.
Read my complete post at the OneTravel blog.
Listed below in alphabetical order are five London eateries where I have found it’s actually possible to enjoy a satisfying meal for £5 or less. Also listed are three honourable mentions that would fit perfectly with these budget friendly venues but are already appearing in other Best of 2013 lists. Keep an eye out for more posts over the coming days for listings of my favourite London pizza places as well as the ten best restaurants I visited outside of London this year. And be sure to read yesterday’s post for a list of my favourite London restaurants of the year. Please note, these ‘best of’ lists merely reflect how I chose to dine during 2013 and are comprised of well established and brand new venues as well as businesses that are local to me or somehow related to where work and play took me.
Here’s hoping 2014 is just as tasty as 2013 turned out to be.
Criterion: filling meal for under £5
Bánh Mì Hoi-An
242 Graham Road, E8 1BP
Delicious takeaway banh mi and appreciative service at an outstanding price are the norm at this friendly little Vietnamese sandwich bar.
Happening Bagel Bakery
284A Seven Sisters Road, N4 2AA
Hand-rolled, boiled and baked as owner Isaac Cohen learned working at various bakeries across town, are these the best bagels in London?
Kamps
154-155 Tottenham Court Road, W1T 7NG
Come to this newly opened German backerei café for fresh baked goods, sandwiches and more – all at affordable prices and minus any hype.
Palm 2
152-156 Lower Clapton Road, E5 0QJ
Perhaps the greatest corner shop in all the world (or at least East London) – where the spinach and feta pancakes at £2.50 are a bargain of a fast and fairly healthy lunchtime option.
Pret a Manger
Outlets across London
No seriously. Pret’s Avocado & Herb Salad Wrap is one of the most consistently pleasing options for on-the-go eating in London. The three quid spent for one of these veggie wraps can sometimes led to a more satisfying dining experience than many meals costing more than three times the price.
Honourable Mentions (three London eateries already listed in other categories)
To read more about the above listed restaurants and all sorts of other great eateries in London and beyond, check out my blog’s Restaurants category.
COMPETITION IS NOW OVER AND THE WINNER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING TIKICHRIS. PLEASE STAY TUNED FOR LOTS MORE FUN AND FREEBIES TO COME!
I recently received my own Degustabox and thought the service (along with the concept behind it) was novel and intriguing – and worth sharing with my readers. Inside my box was a variety of products that are still coming in handy as 2013 winds down. There were even a few beers. Cheers!
Here’s a look at the December 2013 contents:
http://www.degustabox.com/en/box-december-2013
What will be in the first UK Degustabox of 2014?
To be in with a chance win a free Degustabox surprise box simply tweet the following:
Good luck. Please take a moment to read the terms and conditions before tweeting!
T&C
I’ll pick one winner at random on Friday 10 January 2014 at noon (British time). The winner will receive one Degustabox delivery valued at £9.99. To be eligible to win, you need to have an address here in the UK where the prize may be posted. Obviously you also need to be of legal drinking age to receive any alcoholic products and must be able to show ID that proves your age.
About Degustabox
The idea behind Degustabox is to bring new and exciting food products from recognised brands directly to the customer. A monthly surprise selection box of goodies picked out by a dedicated team who spend their time scouring for new, limited and special foods especially for their subscribers. Find out more at degustabox.com/en.
COMPETITION IS NOW OVER AND THE WINNER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING TIKICHRIS. PLEASE STAY TUNED FOR LOTS MORE FUN AND FREEBIES TO COME!
Check out more tikichris competitions.
I hope everybody out there is having a lovely Christmastime. Here’s to a fantastic 2013. Thanks for reading tikchris!
Listed below in alphabetical order are the ten London restaurants I enjoyed visiting the most over the past 12 months along with five extra honourable mentions stacked up at 11th place. Keep an eye out for more posts over the coming days of listings od my favourite London cheap eats and pizza places, as well as the ten best restaurants I visited outside of London this year. Please note, these ‘best of‘ lists merely reflect how I chose to dine during 2013 and are comprised of long running and brand new venues as well as businesses that are local to me or somehow related to where work and play took me this year.
Here’s hoping 2014 is just as tasty as 2013 turned out to be.
Bo London
4 Mill Street, W1S 2AX
“Demon Chef” Alvin Leung’s “extreme Chinese” cuisine seduces the senses.
Cookbook Cafe
Intercontinental London Park Lane, 1 Hamilton Place, W1J 3QY
Chef Paul Bates’ masterful approach to doing the weekend in delicious style is a safe bet for London’s best brunch.
Coq d’Argent
1 Poultry, EC2R 8EJ
Visit Coq d’Argent for a City wine and dine of impeccably high standards.
Coya
118 Piccadilly, W1J 7NW
Chic bar, upscale digs, and luscious Latin flavours spice up the Piccadilly with Peruvian panache.
HKK
88 Worship Street, EC2A 2DQ
Newly opened HKK is a brilliant extension of the Hakkasan brand and a welcome addition to a stretch of ambiguous hinterland straddling the professional City and hipster Shoreditch.
Hutong
Level 33, The Shard, 31 St Thomas Street, SE1 9RY
Situated at the 33rd storey of The Shard, Hutong’s panoramic perch over London wows without fail while its incongruous “courtyard” setting beguiles and the dim sum menu delights.
Lima London
31 Rathbone Place, W1T 1JH
Balance and subtly are the hallmarks of any meal at Peruvian chef Virgilio Martinez’s much lauded London outpost.
Mozzarella & More
257 King’s Road, SW3 5EL
Rustic home-style Italian food served with a warm Sicilian smile.
Palm London
1-3 Pont Street, SW1X 9EJ
American steakhouse and Belgravia mainstay where you can expect friendly and attentive service in a low key but upscale setting and assume you’ll have an excellent meal whatever the occasion.
Quantus
38 Devonshire Road, W4 2HD
Lovely little Chiswick local offering an exquisite menu of modern European cuisine with a strong Latin influence and a wine list that’s inspired and decidedly Latin tinged as well.
Honourable Mentions (five London restaurants tied for 11th place)
To read more about the above listed restaurants and all sorts of other great eateries in London and beyond, check out my blog’s Restaurants category.
Photo/Bex Walton
Read my complete post at the CheapOair blog.
Read my complete post at the CheapOair blog.
Seriously? Seriously.
Yep. From the London Eye across Westminster Bridge to Embankment then back to South Bank via Waterloo for a quick lap round the IMAX before crossing the finish line at the London eye – Renault put its ZOEs to the test and pulled off this fantastic spectacle to showcase the power and capabilities of electric cars.
Winner of RAC’s Future Car Challenge and previously voted the Most Energy Eficient Small Car and Best Pure Electric Vehicle, the Renault ZOE boasts the most advanced electric technology available in the industry today. The five seat ZOE is 100% electric with 0% noise and even features an app for your smartphone to keep you updated on your car’s energy usage and remaining range. The vast majority of charging (up to 90%) can be done at home – at off-peak rates too with the free charging box – and if you run out of power while on-the-go, there are more than 2500 charging points across the UK. Although to charge your Renault Zoe on the go it would require a Type 2 to Type 2 charging cable which you can purchase from the EV Cable Shop.
I loved playing with toy racetracks like Scalextric when I was a kid. The idea of doing it on a grand “life size” scale was something I pondered often … and always with a whoa. To think something to that effect actually happened here in London is like a dream to come. That electric cars are becoming more and more commonplace and being viewed as an environmentally friendly yet equal alternative to a regular cars is nice touch up of modern day reality as well.
To find out more about Renault ZOE, visit Renault’s website.
Post sponsored by Renault.
Photo/ErasmusOfParis
Read my complete post at the CheapOair blog.
Read my complete post at the OneTravel blog.
Pretty much everything I would be inclined to highlight about this fab event has already been summed up in a spiffy little Hot & Chilli blog post by my cooking partner for the day, Rosana McFee. As Rosana put it, the “simplicity, the array of textures and flavours” of the dishes we learned to prepared were amazing. And to find out that cod for Norway is actually sustainably caught gave me all sorts of hope for guilt-free dining in the near future (salt cod for Christmas anyone?).
One thing I would like to big up here is dill pollen, something I’ve never (knowingly) had before but would love to incorporate into my own cookery. Available in the UK from Global Harvest, it packs a flavoursome wallop. If you like dill, you’ll love dill pollen.
During the session, we made a seafood chowder not too dissimilar to this recipe by Signe:
Bergen Seafood Chowder
Ingredients
For the chowder base:
For the soup:
Method
Start by making the chowder base. Sauté the onion, carrot and fennel in a skillet or frying pan over a low heat until soft and translucent. This should take about 5-10 minutes depending on your pan. Peel the prawns and keep the shells, adding the latter to the pan with the sautéed vegetables and fry for about 5 minutes.
Transfer this mixture over to a medium-large saucepan along with the fish stock, allspice berries, star anise, parsley stalks, bay and saffron. Simmer for 30 minutes until the stock looks pale orange from the shells and saffron, and then sieve the stock into a slightly smaller saucepan. Throw away the prawn shells and other flavourings, you won’t need them anymore.
Flambé the brandy or cook off the alcohol in a small saucepan and add this to the stock. Boil this soup base until it has reduced by 1/2 (if the base tastes bland at this stage, keep reducing until the flavour takes on a concentrated seafood note. Every fish stock is different).
Meanwhile, sauté the leek in a little butter until it is soft and add this to the stock, along with the double cream. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add all the seafood – except the prawns – and allow to cook for a further 3-5 minutes until the fish is opaque and the clams or mussels have popped wide open. If they are still closed, simply simmer for another minute or two. If any remain tightly shut then simply get rid of them.
Adjust the seasoning if necessary (the clams and mussels will add extra salinity to this dish), then add the sliced new potatoes, the prawns and serve whilst warm with a garnish of sea rosemary, a sprinkle of wild fennel pollen and any seasonal edible flower you have. An extra dollop of crème fraiche is an indulgent optional topping.
A real winter warmer, the chowder is definitely worth making at home. For more recipes and inspiration on how to cook with high quality Norwegian seafood, check out facebook.com/SeafoodfromNorway.
Aveqia is located at 2 St. Bride Street, EC4A 4AD. Find out more at aveqia.co.uk.
Maybe it’s because I’m about as local as it gets (literally round the corner), but Palm 2 is one of my favourite London shops, and I reckon David’s pizzas are among the best cheap eats in town (£5 for a margherita!).
Find out more at lattospizza.co.uk.
Photo/Guzmán Lozano
Read my complete post at the CheapOair blog.
Tis the season to relax, kick back and reflect on all the good things that have happened over the past 12 months… while nibbling away on tasty Yuletide yummies and sipping on some liquid cheer! So I was all gung-ho about the team up with Barclaycard and saw it as an excellent opportunity to augment my spread of festive treats for my Christmas celebrations.
My choice for retailer was immediate, online home delivery service Tilia. Started in 2011 and incorporating a “Five Point Selection Criteria to identify producers who display qualities that set them apart from the pack”, Tilia connects Londoners with some of the best local suppliers of artisan food and drink. Currently, Tilia is a London only thing, but there are plans to expand.
I’ve tried the service before and have been completely impressed with every aspect of my experience. It’s an incredibly convenient way to get top quality grub to your table and is something which I feel confident recommending to both finicky foodies and can’t-be-bothered gourmands. And keeping with Barclaycard’s independent retailer theme, by shopping with Tilia I was spreading my £50 round to a number of independent retailers. There was the charcuterie and cheese from Mortimer & Bennett, the baked goods from Belle Epoque, fish and seafood from Steve Hatt, and … I think you get the delicious point.
My delivery doesn’t come until early on the 24th, and I reckon once all my Tilia goodies are here that’s when Christmas will official start here at the ‘tikichris household’. Can’t wait!
No matter how you’re planning to spend the next couple of weeks I hold you have a scrumptious Christmas and tasty new year – and that you’re able to show some appreciation for local quality businesses in your area.
I’ve recently returned from a foodie tour across the north of Italy which saw Bologna as my final destination. That I’ve been there four times already (twice this year) should speak volumes about how much I love the place. I’m not one for repeat visits when it comes to travelling abroad, and with respect to planning my Italian itinerary, there was a number of dots on the map that I had hoped to visit which I had to pass up and add to my ‘next time’ list. But I knew I wanted to make it back to Bologna, if only for a day. And indeed that’s all I had. But what a delectable day it was.
Read my complete post at Great British Chefs.
Ideally, your tweet should be around 70 to 100 characters long.
The best of all the tweets (in terms of content, humour, charm and relevance) will be selected by BT elves, and these chosen messages will go live at 4pm until 10pm all three days.
Five or six tweets will be displayed every hour, with each Tweet having around ten minutes of “air time” and up to 120 tweets being shown over the three day period.
If your tweet gets picked, you’ll be sent a return tweet featuring an edited Vine video of your message on the tower.
What do you think? I reckons it’s a pretty nifty way to spread a bit of Christmas cheer, right? I’ll probably give it a try – if I can just come up with something that’s both clever and Christmassy. Any ideas?
Lousy picture, I know. But I was so keen to devour this thing I failed to get a good shot.
The event was a lot of fun. I’ve attended to L’Atelier classes before and this one was to the same high calibre I’ve come to expect. We made a variety of recipes (each incorporating Gorgonzola). I liked them all, but especially loved one for pork and Gorgonzola burger with caramelised pears. That recipe and residual inspiration from my recent visit to Bologna (where I had a fantastic serving of polpette con piselli for lunch) had me concocting my own Gorgonzolicious recipe soon afterwards.
Here’s the result, a Gorgonzola meatball sub guaranteed to leave a mess and satisfy appetites of any proportion. Enjoy.
GORGONZOLA MEATBALL SUB WITH CREAMY DILL SAUCE AND BALSAMIC HONEY VINAIGRETTE Yum
Gorgonzola Meatball Ingredients (makes four substantial sandwiches)
Creamy Dill Sauce Ingredients
Balsamic Honey Vinaigrette Ingredients
Method for the Meatballs
Method for the Sauce
Method for the Vinaigrette
Serve
These instructions assume you’re going to eat your meatballs with your hands as a sandwich (make you’ve got plenty of napkins). But you could also serve them open faced and smothered in the cream sauce or as bite-sized canapés or tapas with the sauce as a dip. However you plan to have ’em, just don’t get too worked up about it. This recipe is all about the comfort. They’re just meatballs. Enjoy them next time you want something yummy for a laid back and fun meal.
Read more tikichris recipes.
Read my complete post at the OneTravel blog.
