Head chef Navin Prasad’s kitchen delivers refined and delicate dishes that nonetheless check the boxes for filling and yummy. Case in point is the hearty yet dainty starter, pan-seared spiced scallops with sautéed cavolo nero and pumpkin sauce. Equally delicious, a main course of king prawns simmered in a rich coconut cream sauce flavoured with lime leaf proves curry prowess and gourmet subtly needn’t be mutually exclusive attributes.
Read my complete post at the OneTravel blog.
It’s been a little over a month now, yet I still find myself carrying on about how lovely my dining experience at Bo London was. I’ve enjoyed a fair number of fine meals since but, still, something about my time there lingers. Odds are my dinner will go down as the best meal of the year. And if not, well then, the rest of 2013 promises to be one of exquisite culinary delight.
Read my complete review at the Comte des Cierges CDCLifestyle blog.
Japanese wine … yes, by “wine” I mean fermented grape juice. Who knew? Not me until very recently when I attended the fourth annual Koshu of Japan UK Trade and Press Tasting late last month at the Westbury Hotel.
Koshu is a pink-skinned grape variety that’s been grown in Japan since the 8th century but only used to make wine since the late 1800s. The grape is found mainly in Yamanashi Prefecture – about 100 miles from greater Tokyo. Yamanashi climate is one of extreme hot and cold with long sunny summer days along with well-drained volcanic soils adding up to a well suited terroir for making wine.
I enjoyed tasting all the wines from the dozen or so at the tasting with a few of them making an especially delicious impression. The best of these subtle and extremely delicate wines reminded me of a crisp and aromatic Alberino. So, as you’d hope would be the case with Japanese drink, these wines pair swimmingly with seafood and sushi. To be sure, I’ll be on the lookout for Koshu when dining and food shopping around London, and I’ve added visiting Yamanashi to my ever growing yet another reason to return to Japan checklist.
The tastiest wine I sampled during the event – and my choice for March’s WOTM – was the pale, juicy and citrus-toned Soryu Koshu 2010. As with all Koshu wines, Soryu is low in alcohol (only about 11%). It’s a clean and easy drinking refresher with a bit of minerality and a slightly nutty finish that I would be happy to sip on its own or preferably alongside a plate of sashimi or prawn tempura. I tried the 2011 and 2012 Soryu as well. Both were very pleasant and promised lip smacking return if you can hold onto them for a few years.
Good luck finding Soryu or any Japanese wines in the UK. But my understanding from talking to folks at the tasting is that these wines are becoming more and more accessible outside Japan. I’ve also heard that Umu restaurant here in London (Bruton Street, W1J 6LX) has noteworthy selection. If you hear of anywhere else, please drop me a line!
Find out more about Koshu wines at koshuofjapan.com.
The Scotland’s Great Trails network constitutes 23 well maintained trails across Scotland that are distinctively waymarked, largely off-road and offering opportunities to discover one the most world’s most beautiful and rugged landscapes and to experience Scottish history and culture firsthand.
Read my complete post at the CheapOair blog.
I had so much fun during last night’s performance of Black Cat Cabaret at Cafe de Paris. It felt like a proper Friday night out, and I left with an arm wrapped round my sweetie and big smiles stretched across both our faces.
We were part of general admission, and for £15 a ticket I thought I we got our money’s worth out of it. The weekly event also has dinner options from 47 quid for two courses to £75 for three course dinner with Prosecco along with the “best seats in the house and an VIP reservation for the after party. Can’t vouch for the food, but the full house of diners all looked pleased to be there and service appeared to navigate the bustling venue with grace. As for the after party, a queue of snazzily dressed night owls stretching round the building as we exited suggested Cafe de Paris is a hot spot for weekend clubbing.
Best bits of the show? Hula showgirl Kalki blew me away with her drunken hula hooped gyrations. Wow. Aerial acrobatics a la Amy Panter and stage partner (can’t find his name anywhere) amazed as well. And “Accordionista of the apocalypse” Tom Baker’s set was a hoot. Actually every aspect of the show was well executed and featured lots of laughs and great live music. Hats off to pianist Michael Roulston playing through the show and even during intermission!
The March staging of Black Cat Cabaret only has a couple more showings and then there’ll be a whole new show for April. If you’re looking for a quality evening out on the town, I can happily recommend Black Cat Cabaret. Better act quickly though as my understanding is that tickets go fast. And if you’re doing the general admission thing, it’s a smart idea to arrive early and secure the best view in the balcony (there’s a £12 “early bird” discount admission too).
Black Cat Cabaret is on every Friday at Cafe de Paris (3-4 Coventry Street, Leicester Square, W1D 6BL). Doors open at 7pm and shows start at 8.30pm (90 minutes with interval plus after show party).
Visit theblackcat.info for details and to book.
What if, when it comes to breakfast, monotony is a good thing? What if it gives us an opportunity – for once, in these choice-crazy times – to focus on improving what’s there, rather than worrying about what might have been instead? … When was the last time you heard someone complain about how monotonous and predictable it was when, first thing in the morning, they are greeted by a sunrise?
– Seb Emina, The Breakfast Bible
Hear! Hear! And good morning. A couple of weeks ago I had the great pleasure to attend the launch party for The Breakfast Bible, a “compendium of recipes for the classic and time-honoured dishes of breakfasting tradition around the world”. I nabbed a copy for myself while there (actually author Seb Emina was gracious enough to offer me one) and thoroughly enjoyed engrossing myself in the intro on my way back home.
Since then, I’ve had a lot of fun skimming through the rest of this lovely 256 page ode to the “foremost meal” or a regular basis. I’ve even tried one of the several brekkie recipes included in the book: biscuits and gravy. And as a son of the American south, I approve! Next up, I think I’ll attempt making the “Full English Baozi”.
If you love breakfast but haven’t read this newly published work of delicious dedication by Seb Emina and Malcolm Eggs (of The London Review of Breakfasts fame), you should. The book is written with dry wit, authority and spread thick with useful knowledge and quirky fact. Published by Bloomsbury in hardback with plenty of glossy pics and retailing for around £15, it’s a treat.
More info here:
http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/the-breakfast-bible-9781408804810/
Here’s a quick list of good stuff: things I’ve come across lately and really liked but for whatever reason weren’t featured in a dedicated blog post here or on one of my client blogs.
New Pies at Vintage Inns: Lunch today came compliments of nationwide country pub and restaurant group, Vintage Inns, at a press event announcing new pies created by celebrity chef James Martin for the group’s 200 venues. I sample three of the pies: steak, Merlot and portobello; chicken, leek, creme fresh and ham hock; and a curried sweet and spicy pulled lamb with a brioche lid. I especially enjoyed the lamb pie. The pies will be added to Vintage Inns’ menus 19 March.
The Bowler’s Meatball Cookbook: I went along to the launch of street food sensation Jez Fenwick’s book of meatball, fish ball and veg ball recipes. I had some meatballs. They were tasty. I gave the book a flip through as well, it looked like a good read with realistic recipes.
Sony Xperia Z: Of course, man cannot live on pie and meatballs alone. I also managed to a make it to the preview of the just released Sony Xperia Z. I loved the look and feel of this phone … and the fact that you can dunk it underwater! The camera was pretty amazing too. I could blather. However, Stewart Fawcett (friendly dude I met during the event) already thoroughly and succinctly summed things up nicely in his review at ePhotozine.
Sketches of Frank Gehry: Great documentary directed by Sydney Pollack about this iconoclastic and innovative architect! I caught it on Netflix and highly recommend (the movie and Netflix).
Salt is a newly launched trade publication for the hospitality industry with a focus on “innovation, creation and evolution of food.” For the inaugural issue I interviewed Hong Kong demon chef, Alvin Leung, about his own innovative style and his recently opened restaurant in Mayfair. Here’s an excerpt:
No. There’s nothing remotely close. The comments from most of the people who’ve dined at Bo London have been that this is a very unique experience and that they’ve never had anything else like it.
Read my complete interview with Alvin Leung at Salt.
Image courtesy of Salt. Photography by Steven Lawson.
In an especially family friendly move to ensure everybody at the brunch table can get the most out of their dining experience, Cookbook Cafe at the Intercontinental London Park Lane hotel has launched a new … programme to get kids to cook for themselves while learning about where their food comes from and all the steps it goes through before reaching the table.
Read my complete post at the OneTravel blog.
Last month, I attended a sort of blogger extravaganza hosted by Guoman Hotels at the Brasserie at the Cumberland. I had a great time as a guest of this “gourmet tasting experience and a sneak peek behind the scenes” and was flattered when asked if I’d like to be interviewed about the event and my general impressions about the food and drink scene in London for the hotel group’s blog. Also included in the piece is an interview with William, author of London is Cool and the Londoneer, Pete Stean.
What makes London such a great place to eat? Perhaps it’s the fact that it is such a global melting pot, or that its residents are so game to try new things — pushing our chefs to innovate. Whatever it is, London’s food scene is inspiring countless bloggers to chronicle their eating experiences online.
Read the complete interview at the Guoman Blog.
Sadly for me, going out for a night of live entertainment has taken a backseat to other activities for far too long. I mean, I get out every once in awhile for a show but not nearly as much as I’d like. So, I’m chuffed about this Friday. Kemey and I are going to check out some cabaret – Black Cat Cabaret to be exact, at Cafe de Paris.
Transforming the Titanic Ballroom at Cafe de Paris, Black Cat Cabaret draws inspiration from the “absinthe-soaked heyday of Montmartre’s dark and daring cabaret underworld” and with a line up featuring a “lip-syncing comic genius … showgirl dynamos .. daredevil aerial acrobatics … an accordionista of the apocalypse” and more, it certainly promises to be a quirky night out at the very least.
Check back over the weekend or early next week for my review.
Black Cat Cabaret is on every Friday at Cafe de Paris (3-4 Coventry Street, W1D 6BL). Doors open at 7pm and shows start at 8.30pm (90 minutes with interval plus after show party).
Ticket prices range from £15 for general admission (£12 for “early bird” admission) to £47.50 for two course dinner and show; £52.50 for three courses; and £75 for VIP three course dinner and show. Visit theblackcat.info for details and to book.
Photograph courtesy of Black Cat Cabaret.
Have you jumped onboard the tablet bandwagon yet? Me neither. I reckon I’ll hop on for a ride sooner than later though. And, I must admit I’m doing my best to try and keep pace of what’s what with tablet technology by running alongside the wagon and gathering as much info so that I can to make a wise decision on which tablet to go for when I do actually decide to jump on. In general, I think I get by well enough without a tablet, but more and more there are moments when I realise one would really come in handy. I’m starting to travel more often for my blog and my clients as well, and I find that – with respect to packing, lugging stuff around and actually working in often less than ideal settings – something along the lines of an Xperia™ Tablet that’s bigger than my mobile but considerably less cumbersome than my laptop would be ideal for short trips.
From browsing the internet and accessing email to catching up with friends on Facebook, Twitter and other social channels as well as watching movies, playing games and reading ebooks, tablets offer portability at amazing new levels of convenience and practicality. And versions such as the Xperia™ Tablet can even enable you to use your tablet as a remote control to command your TV, Blu-ray Disc™ player, HiFi system and your cable box!
What do think about advances in Tablet technology? If you are a tablet owner does the following infogram reflect the ways you use and play with yours?
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Starting west and heading east, here are four of London’s most fantastic and filling weekend brunches …
Read my complete post at the CheapOair blog.
With two decades in the business and five butcher shops throughout London selling rare breed meat reared across more than 3,000 acres of the North York Moors, The Ginger Pig is one of the best known and most highly respected bands of butchers in all of Britain. Offering classes that allow the public behind the counter and the chopping block demonstrates confidence and a refreshing nothing-to-hide approach to promoting the quality of their products.
Read my complete post at Great British Chefs.
Sponsored Post: Never underestimate the power of a plucky little pony. Make someone’s day with your own pony mashup.
Combining its informal Danish style eating and drinking with plush and comfy experience of a “modern American steakhouse” for a noteworthy cause, MASH restaurant will host a special foodie fundraiser dinner this coming Monday (11 March) to celebrate Red Nose Day’s new Menu Relief initiative.
For £50 per person, guests will enjoy a three course menu with £20 of the proceeds going directly to Comic Relief. The normal price of the menu is £55 and features dishes such as MASH’s signature 250g Danish rib eye and Uruguay New York Strip steak together with fries and sauces to share followed by cheesecake with strawberry sorbet.
To accompany the special menu, guests will be invited to bring and swap their own favourite bottles of wine on the night (no corkage fee charged). MASH’s team of ten expert sommeliers led by head sommelier Christian Thorsholt Jacobsen will be on hand to guide guests through the wines on offer through the night.
Known for its rare wine collection and its attention to the Americas, MASH will showcase some of its own wines during the evening, including the bespoke 2011 “No Bull” Syrah blend which will be sold as individual and magnum sized bottles at a special price of £33 and £70. A donation of £10 for all single bottles sold and a donation of £20 for each magnum will be made to Comic Relief. Samples No Bull and other wines will be offered to guests over the course of the night.
Menu Relief runs from now until the end of March with hundreds of restaurants across the UK taking part. By dining out and donating to Comic Relief, you help people dealing with poverty across the UK and Africa. To find your nearest Menu Relief restaurant go to rednoseday.com/menurelief.
For more about Red Nose Day and Comic Relief visit comicrelief.com.
MASH is located at 77 Brewer Street, London W1F 9ZN. Visit the restaurant online at mashsteak.co.uk. To book a table for Monday’s fundraiser call MASH at 0207 734 2608 and quote “Menu Relief” or send an email to reservations@mashsteak.co.uk.
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Okay. So I was all about “Stratford this” and “Stratford that” back in the summer when the world’s biggest road show plopped down there. Since then, I haven’t blogged all that much about the area, but I’ve still tried to keep an eye out for goings around Stratford. So I was pleased to see a press release land in my inbox announcing that Chess in Schools and the Communities (CSC) along with Newham Council have landed an opportunity to expand their already existing Newham Chess Project to more school’s across Stratford’s borough of Newham.
The Newham Chess Project started back in June 2010, bringing chess into the classrooms of five Newham schools with weekly chess lessons and eligibility to enter national tournaments for more than 500 children. Now, additional support funded by East Village – the “first legacy neighbourhood to result from the 2012 Games” – means CSC and Newham Council can reach another nine schools and thousands more Newham kids. I reckon that’s great news for Newham and a move well played by East Village as it revs things up to open its doors to prospective residents later this year. Follow this tag for more stuff about East Village on this blog.
On 13 March, two days ahead of the World Chess Candidates Tournament in London – which will see eight of the world’s greatest players including world number one Magnus Carlsen compete for a €500,000 prize fund – East Village will celebrate the arrival of the Grandmasters and its sponsorship of CSC by welcoming local schools to Stratford Library for a morning of Chess games and classes on a giant board – led by British Champion Grandmaster Gawain Jones.
It’s nice to hear global competition continues to find its way to Stratford in one way or another and that more children in Newham are going to get a chance to learn about strategy and logic while playing one of the world’s greatest games.
Find out more:
Photo courtesy of W Communications
Having a great time in London but still longing for a bit of tropical cheer? Soho’s iconic late night venue, Floridita, has recently unveiled its brand new Rum Shack, a downstairs bar offering guests a chance to enjoy a Cuban “beach shack” inspired drinking experience in the heart of London.
Read my complete post at the OneTravel blog.
With unprecedented access to the David Bowie Archive, London’s V&A museum will soon present the first international retrospective exhibition to highlight the extraordinary career of one of popular music’s most beloved and enduring stars. David Bowie is will open at the end of March and will allow visitors a chance to explore the creative processes behind this pioneering and influential performer’s work.
Read my complete post at the OneTravel blog.
I played a round of tweet pong one afternoon last week with Henry Cruickshank from London Living. That interview has now been nicely published in one easy reader of a piece on the London Living blog. Thanks Henry. That was fun.
Our latest Twitter grilling takes on Chris Osburn, the American expat turned passionate Londoner behind one of our favourite London sites …
Read the complete Twinterview at London Living.
Cookbook Cafe at the Intercontinental London Park Lane Hotel has launched a new Seedling Series Kids Cook programme to get kids cooking while learning about where their food comes from and all the steps it goes through before reaching the table.
Read my complete post at Great British Chefs.
I swung by Roast + Conch last night for the press launch of Hotel Chocolat’s collection of chocolates for Easter 2013. This year’s yield is an especially delicious assortment that’s attractively presented with a bit a quirk. Hand tied ribbon hat boxes, a dapper Beau Bunny illustration by Neal Murren adorning most packaging, prettily coloured pralines and bonbons all help to ensure delight whether the chocolates are a treat for yourself or a gift for someone special.
Items range in price from £1.95 for a Bunny Lick or Choc Cross Bun; £5 for Tiddly Chicks; and £6.50 for Champagne Egglets on the low end to £27 for an Extra Thick Egg; £40 for a box filled with Oodles of Eggs; and £70 for an impressively outsized Ostrich Easter Egg. There are plenty of options in between those selections at pretty much every price point as well.
I’ve been nibbling my way through the “Egglet Collection” box (£25) since the event. My fave so far has been without doubt the pecan praline, but every taste has been a luscious winner.
Check out all of Hotel Chocolat’s Easter chocolates:
http://www.hotelchocolat.com/uk/shop/easter-chocolate
Win!
In case you didn’t see the post from earlier this week, I have a Hotel Chocolat Easter Egg giveaway on at the moment. It competition ends tomorrow [Friday 1 March 2013] with one lucky reader receiving a free Extra Thick Rocky Road to Caramel Easter Egg.
You can read about the Easter Egg giveaway here:
https://tikichris.com/2013/02/24/win-an-extra-thick-easter-egg-from-hotel-chocolat/
Every May the horticultural world descends on the same 30 sites in Chelsea for the world famous Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show, which is without doubt the most prestigious event for horticulture and gardening, and for many the quintessential springtime event on the London calendar.
Read my complete post at the CheapOair blog.
