Another, more representative, name for this sweet little park, might be heroes’ corner, as what really makes this place special is the wall commemorating the brave acts of otherwise ordinary people who died while trying to save the lives of others in peril.
Read my complete post at the OneTravel blog.
Taken with the Nokia 808 Pureview, the next breakthrough in photography featuring a 41 megapixel sensor camera with Carl Zeiss lens. More specs here.
Striving to cover the London 2012 Games as best I could, I was buzzing through Westfield Stratford City a lot. The place was jammed packed with folk from all over the world – which made for amazing atmosphere but also presented a bit of challenge for simply finding a place to sit down, take advantage of the free WiFi and plot my next moves.
Thankfully, the Westfield Media Suite granted even a humble blogger like me free access to their cosy press room. The people running the media suite show were helpful and accommodating. The room was comfortable and accessible with plenty of chairs and workstations.
One hectic day in particular, the suite served as a perfect base for me – saving me tons of time and allowing to get more work done than I might otherwise been able to.
This post is just to say thanks to the media suite peeps and to whomever came up with the idea to have a dedicated free space at Westfield for media in the first place.
Yes indeed, #iwasthere and the Westfield Media Suite greatly facilitated my able to enjoy the Olympics and blog about my 2012 experience.
Of course the Westfield summer fun ain’t over yet. The Olympics may be gone and the Paralympics yet to commence, but Westfield’s #iwasthere competition rolls on prizes to be won just for participating in its #iwasthere competition. All you’ve got to do is show which side of London you think is best: east or west?
Here’s a list of all the stuff you can win:
Team East vs Team West Competition
50 x £500 Grand Prize winners from Team East or Team West.
Featured Content Winners
Two winners weekly for both Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City locations receive a £100 gift card + Team GB merchandise. One Grand prize winner receives a £500 gift card.
Playing on Facebook
Two winners will receive £100 gift card for signing up to win. Two winners will receive £200 gift cards for playing in the photo challenges.
Westfield London on Facebook
Westfield Stratford City on Facebook
Twitter Spot Challenges
Each week for 13 weeks, one lucky winner will receive a £50 gift card and other merchandise.
Westfield London on Twitter
Westfield Stratford City on Twitter
Find out more and sign up here. Good luck! Thanks to Westfield for sponsoring this post.
Taken with the Nokia 808 Pureview, the next breakthrough in photography featuring a 41 megapixel sensor camera with Carl Zeiss lens. More specs here.
Taken with the Nokia 808 Pureview, the next breakthrough in photography featuring a 41 megapixel sensor camera with Carl Zeiss lens. More specs here.
Opened for operation just before the Olympics and now a permanent feature of London’s public transport infrastructure, the Emirates Air Line is the UK’s first urban cable car.
Read my complete post at the CheapOair blog.
Taken with the Nokia 808 Pureview, the next breakthrough in photography featuring a 41 megapixel sensor camera with Carl Zeiss lens. More specs here.
Ronnie Wood: A Major Retrospective of 50 years of Rock and Roll has been open for a few days already but was officially sanctioned this afternoon when the exhibition’s namesake strolled in off the street for a quick look see (and then fled from all the paparazzi snaps and flashes).
This comprehensive retrospective features paintings, sketches, handwritten lyrics by Ronnie Wood along with signed guitars, photographs and tons of Wood-related ephemera from his 50 years in the music industry – as a participating musician as well as observant fly-on-wall visual artist.
The show features items from the personal collection of Bernie Chase, founder of the Symbolic Collection. Essentially just an incredibly avid aficionado, Chase has had a lifelong fascination with art and music and is now sharing all his cool stuff with the public. If you are also a fan of the Rolling Stones, Faces or the Jeff Beck Group, or simply would like to see how a guy with a great eye went about capturing some fascinating pop culture moment while making rock and roll history over the last half century, this show is a must.
Ronnie Wood: A Major Retrospective of 50 years of Rock and Roll is free to view and runs until 9 November 2012 at the Symbolic London pop up showroom, 34 Bruton Street, W1J 6QX.
Find out more at symboliclondon.com … and stay tuned for more of my pics and another mention or two about this show here on my blog.
Photograph by Kemey Lafond, taken with the Nokia 808 Pureview, the next breakthrough in photography featuring a 41 megapixel sensor camera with Carl Zeiss lens. More specs here.
All eyes seem to be on the London 2012 Games at the moment. But beyond the Olympic Stadium and the admittedly very exciting Olympic hoopla, some more locally based achievements of the foodie variety are taking place which hopefully after this historic summer will carry on pleasing East Londoners for years to come.
Here’s a list of five newly opened and locally owned restaurants and pubs worth seeking out for not only exceptional food and drink but for a taste of some real local flavour as well …
Read my complete post at the OneTravel blog.
The Dark ‘n Stormy is probably my favourite cocktail. It’s definitely the easiest and arguably the most refreshing one I know how to make. I certainly do a mean Mai Tai and have a couple of other tasty mixes in my repertoire, but for summer parties, this fiery chiller is my go-to drink. Last year around this time, I made a big batch for an all day BBQ and – oops – watched it practically vanish in minutes. Those Dark ‘n Stormies were a real hit on that sunny August day.
My own Dark ‘n Stormy recipe is embarrassingly simple: one part Gosling’s Black Seal Rum, two parts ginger beer, lime juice to taste (I usually squeeze half a good sized lime per drink). But here’s a video showing you how to make an “official” Gosling’s Dark ‘n Stormy. It’s not all that much more complicated than mine, and they say the lime is optional.
I’ve cheated before and used other rums. Bad results. It’s gotta be Gosling’s. And now the ginger beer can be Gosling’s too. And that’s awesome because, ginger beers tend to be too sweet or too spicy for cocktails. The two centuries old rum maker has now launched its own “Stormy” Ginger Beer. According to seventh generation president, Malcolm Gosling, it took more than a year to formulate the “perfect” ginger beer to pair with its rum: “We needed to hit the perfect balance between sweetness and spiciness.” It’s a zesty drink. I’m sipping some now. I reckon Gosling’s new Stormy Ginger Beer is a fine quencher on its own and would be the ideal default mixer for all sorts of cocktails calling for ginger beer.
Anyway, I’ve been meaning to write about Gosling’s new offering for weeks, but have just been so flat out busy I haven’t even been able to mix myself a nice drink to try it. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve been having a blast. But I’ve hardly been home. And when I have been, I’ve been working or sleeping. Finally, I’ve got some free time. So, I’ve made myself a Dark ‘n Stormy and am now kicking back and settling in to watch the Olympics Closing Ceremony. I’m happy to report it’s going down a charm and was well worth the wait. Ah!
More:
http://www.goslingsrum.com/microsites/stormygingerbeer.php
Taken with the Nokia 808 Pureview, the next breakthrough in photography featuring a 41 megapixel sensor camera with Carl Zeiss lens. More specs here.
Last week I tagged along to a supper time sneak peek of the yet to market “Bravo Buonissimo” prototype. Essentially, Bravo Buonissimo is a snazzed up gift-y looking box with “everything you need to prepare an Italian recipe in your own home and at relatively little expense.” The specially designed packaging contains an easy-to-follow recipe with all the ingredients needed to prepare a traditional pasta or risotto dish, along with a fine quality wine thought to best match that particular dish. It also has some historical and cultural background info about the dish and the region where it’s from.
The supper was held at Casa Italia (aka the QEII Conference Centre taken over by National Olympic Committee of Italy) and for din-din I (along with all the other guest, dignitaries, athletes, etc) had a sample of the one of the Bravo Buonissimo recipes: bucatini all’Amatriciana. At the mention of that classic pasta you’re probably now either drooling or saying, “huh?” Think spaghetti with red sauce but more homey and bacon-y. Yeah, drool. Everybody there seemed to like the bucatini. I sure did.
The yummed up BB boxes are supposed to go to market in November and should be found (in London anyway) at quality Italian delis and the like. Estimated retail price is expected to be around £40, which I reckon is pretty good value for money based on what I saw and tasted. I also think it’s should be a smart gift idea if you’re dropping in on family and friends this upcoming festive season.
It appears to be “under construction” at the moment, but here’s the URL for the official BB website:
bravobuonissimo.it
Just in time for the Olympics 😉
… the Sweet Revenge retrospective of East London graffiti artist Sweet Toof opened last night with a private view at The Colour Works (117 Wallis Road, Hackney Wick, E9 5LN).
Toof’s one of my favourite London artists; it was great to see so much of his work in one big space. Yes, this show is well worth checking out. Just make sure to go soon – Sweet Revenge closes 19 August.
With Sophisticated Devices, a solo show at Sprueth Magers’ London gallery, American artist Jenny Holzer takes a zeitgeist-y journey to the center of personal fear and paranoia with a survey of her practice which …
Read my complete post at Whitehot Magazine of Contemporary Art.
Taken with the Nokia 808 Pureview, the next breakthrough in photography featuring a 41 megapixel sensor camera with Carl Zeiss lens. More specs here.
Hiya. I hope you’re having a good weekend and that this sweet and easy little competition puts a smile on your face.
Are you a fan of Eric Lanlard and Channel 4’s Baking Mad? Well, here’s a chance to win a free copy Eric’s TART IT UP!: Sweet and Savoury Tarts and Pies.
All ya gotta do is …
Share your best baking tip as a comment to this post. Do you know a shortcut? Have a secret trick passed down by your mother or grandmother? Got some advice on making treats that are healthy and delicious?
Just leave a helpful suggestion that will enable all my readers to become a better baker and you’ll be in with a chance to win Eric’s book 🙂
I’ll pick a winner next Saturday morning (18 August 2012), based on which tip I find most useful.
In the meantime have a look at these great Baking Mad recipes:
Thanks! Good luck.
Taken with the Nokia 808 Pureview, the next breakthrough in photography featuring a 41 megapixel sensor camera with Carl Zeiss lens. More specs here.
So the London 2012 Olympics are soon coming to a close. Yes, the Paralympics are on their way and promise lots of continued sporting excitement. But – wow – what an amazing two weeks (plus the few years of build up!) London has just gone through.
Panasonic, the Official Audio Video Equipment Partner for London 2012 Olympics has been on the scene making sure all the great moments from the Games have been documented. And to further keep the 2012 memories alive, they’re offering to giveaway a free Lumix S3 Olympic Games Camera to one of my readers!
Entering this freebie competition is easy.
To be in with a chance to win a limited edition Panasonic Lumix S3 Olympic Games Camera, simply leave a comment sharing what your favourite moment from the 2012 Games was. I’ll pick one answer at random a week from today. You’ve got until the afternoon of Friday 10 August to submit your comment.
More about this limited edition Lumix:
The Panasonic Lumix S3 Olympic Games Camera features a 14.1-megapixel, 28mm wide-angle lens, 2.7-inch LCD screen, an Optical Image Stabilizer for suppressing hand-shake blur, and a limited edition design to celebrate the London Olympic Games.
I’m only able to give one of these cameras away unfortunately. However, everybody can have a bit of free Panasonic fun with with their Facebook and mobile app, Flag Tags.
The Flag Tags app gives fans a chance to virtually paint their faces with their team’s flag to show support for their country during the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Why not check out Flag Tags for yourself and share your passion for the London Olympics on Facebook?
Taken with the Nokia 808 Pureview, the next breakthrough in photography featuring a 41 megapixel sensor camera with Carl Zeiss lens. More specs here.
Right beside the Official London 2012 Shop on the third floor of John Lewis inside the Westfield Stratford City shopping centre is a massive Lego replica of the London 2012 Olympic Stadium.
Based on the original concept and design by Warren Elsmore, the rather large mini-version of the stadium is an amazingly detailed work of wonder constructed by a team of four who worked on the model over a period of two months. The team put in approximately 450 hours building the model and used around 100,000 Lego elements. The model weigh about 100kg.
The stadium is free to view (take the lift so you don’t get stuck online to actually visit the shop or the £2 a pop viewing area next door) and well worth the visit just to see the “wow” expression on the kids gathered round. Though honestly, there were more grown men ogling the model than small children the two times I’ve visited John Lewis to see the model.
Yes #IwasThere … again. I’m loving the buzz around Stratford at the moment and having a blast coming upon all this stuff to photograph and blog about.
Thanks to Westfield for sponsoring this post.
I spent the afternoon kicked back in a very cushy (and ultra white) Chesterfield, having a few crisp beers and watching the Olympics on some massive TV screens as the guest of Tsingtao beer at House of Nations.
House of Nations is a pop up concept for catching the London 2012 event in a comfortable setting. There are two HON venues: one at the Tower of London (actually located within the moat!) and another at King’s Cross.
I was at the Tower of London venue and thought it was indeed a great place to watch some sport. Open from 11am to 11pm, it’s a family friendly environment with lots of free games and activities as well as indoor and outdoor seating. But if you’re seeking more grown up atmo, just go sit at the bar or stake out one of those Chesterfields for yourself and your friends. The place can be as swish or as laid back as you’d like.
There are a range of ticket options, and booking ahead is probably advisable. But walk up general admission tix start at £10 per person. If you’re visiting the Tower (and you definitely should if this is your big, once in a lifetime London vacation), using HON as a base is a smart idea, especially if you’re in a small group or with kids.
The King’s Cross HON is a bit more night clubby and stays open to 3am.
Both House of Nations venues have a Tsingtao Table Tennis Zone where visitors will be able to try their hand at ping pong on the professional standard Tsingtao Beer tables. At Tower of London guests can “Challenge the Dragon” as they compete against a huge robotic “dragon” firing table tennis balls at them.
Apparently after the Olympics, the Dragon table will tour a few pubs in the UK.
More: houseofnations.co.uk
Wanna know how to make a wedding cake? Check out this great post by Eloise, my outsourced content creator from the Philippines.
The Wedding Cake Dilemma
A friend of friend was getting married and told me one time that they do not know where to buy a good wedding cake. Knowing that I was studying culinary, they asked me for help. I was mildly surprised about it as they are not really me friends and I just knew them by their names. We don’t hang out together and all. I gave them my chef’s contact details but after a few days, they called me saying they cannot afford my chef’s fees and asked if I can make their wedding cake instead. I was astounded, knowing for sure that making a wedding cake is not easy and if I accepted, it would be my first time to try.
They are both so kind though to let me have all the say on the flavour and design of the cake as long as I make it in the colour of their choice. So for many days I contemplated on just copying one of the many thousand recipes in the internet. However, I did not forgo on the plan because there are always at least one ingredient that I could not find in the stores from every recipe I chose. After sometime, I decided, why not make my own? And so I did. I have several references when I made this cake recipe and the techniques I used might already be known to others. After all, baking always follows the basics. I will share with you that recipe in the hopes that you can use it or help make it improve. Moreover, I still do not have a name for this cake and I am hoping you can name it for me. So here are the many things you will need.
For the cake first:
Making the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F after positioning 2 racks in the oven. Prepare and line bottoms of a 12 inch, a 9 inch and 6 inch round cake pans with about 3 inch high parchment paper and spray with non-stick oil spray. Mix or sift flour, salt and baking powder into a clean large bowl. Beat unsalted butter in a very large mixing bowl with a mixer until smooth and creamy. Add sugar gradually up to 3 cups only while continually beating until it looks fluffy. Add in the flour and the water in the mixture making sure that the dry ingredients is added in 5 alternate additions with the 3 and ½ cups of water in 4 additions. Scrape bowl from time to time and do not overbeat.
In another clean and dry bowl, beat the egg whites using clean beaters until medium to firm peaks can be formed. Add the remaining 2 cups of sugar in a gradual manner until the egg whites are very thick and glossy, about 4-5 minutes. Fold in just 1/3 of egg white into the batter to make it light. Fold in the remaining egg whites in 2 additions and then fold in the chocolate pieces last. Get about 2 1/3 cups of the mixture and transfer to the 6 inch pan, about 4 and 2/3 cups of the batter to the 9 inch pan and transfer the remaining batter to the 12 inch diameter pan. Make sure to spread the batter evenly.
Place the two smaller pans in the top rack in the oven and the 12 inch pan on the bottom rack. Bake the cakes for about 55 minutes for the biggest pan and 50 minutes for the 9 and 6 inch pans or if cake tester or toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Cool the cakes for half an hour and then remove from pans to be completely cooled onto racks. Peel off parchment papers after removing from pans and transfer to individual cardboard rounds and wrap cakes with foil. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours.
For the cake frosting:
Melt chocolate by using a double boiler or putting the chocolate in a metal bowl and setting over a large pan of simmering water. Never let bowl touch the hot water. Stir chocolate until almost thoroughly melted. Remove from over the simmering water and stir until completely melted. Cool on room temperature and stir once in a while to not completely cool down again. Beat the cream cheese in a very large, clean bowl until it is smooth with a clean mixer. Gradually beat in unsalted butter and add chocolate in about 4 additions. Beat in almond extracts and vanilla. Mix until smooth and then add drops of colour until desired colour is achieved. I’ve had some minor mistakes when doing this but I got it right in the end.
Assembling the cake:
With the use of a serrated knife, cut the cakes horizontally into 3 equal layers. A cake turner is very helpful in this task. Working with the 12 inch cake first, transfer the top layers on a work surface by sliding the parts into flat cookie sheets or tart pans. Leave the bottom layer on the cardboard. Spread 2/3 cups of blueberries on the bottom layer of the cake, leaving about half an inch border. Spoon about 2 cups of frosting over the blueberries and using a spatula, spread frosting to evenly cover cake and the
berries. Slide the middle cake on top of the frosting and repeat previous steps. Cover with the topmost layer and cut the sides down to have even corners. Spread about 2 and 2/3 cups of frosting on the top and sides of the cake smoothly and refrigerate on cardboard base.
Repeat the previous steps on the 9 inch cake using only about 7 tablespoons of blueberries per layer and using about 1 and ¼ cups of frosting on top of berries. When all is done, spread about 2 and ¼ cups of frosting all over the cake and refrigerate.
For the 6 inch diameter cake, use about 1/3 cup of blueberries on each layer topped with 1/3 cup frosting dollops on each layer. Top with the topmost layer and cut sides down. Use about 1 cup of frosting to cover the whole cake and refrigerate. Chill cakes for about 2 hours and 30 minutes and cover with fondant if desired fondant, covering the 12 inch first and then the 9 inch cake and lastly the 6 inch.
Do you have a good name for Eloise’s cake? How about some suggestions for future subjects she could write about or photograph for me? If so, say hi and leave a friendly comment. Thanks.
A visit to Duxford offers an opportunity to wander under and around some of the most iconic aircraft in the world and get hands-on with related and interactive exhibitions.
Read my complete post at the CheapOair blog.
Westfield is offering some pretty awesome prizes just for participating in its #iwasthere competition. All you’ve got to do is show which side of London you think is best: east or west?
Me? I’m an East End kinda guy in attitude and in my choice of residence. And I’ve gotta admit I was a bit concerned when I first heard about Westfield opening up in Stratford. However, it’s seemed to have gone over with huge success and has been welcomed and embraced by most of the locals. The place has certainly come in handy for me more than a few times.
But back to that comp and all the goodies on offer. Here’s a list of all the stuff you can win:
Team East vs Team West Competition
50 x £500 Grand Prize winners from Team East or Team West.
Featured Content Winners
Two winners weekly for both Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City locations receive a £100 gift card + Team GB merchandise. One Grand prize winner receives a £500 gift card.
Playing on Facebook
Two winners will receive £100 gift card for signing up to win. Two winners will receive £200 gift cards for playing in the photo challenges.
Westfield London on Facebook
Westfield Stratford City on Facebook
Twitter Spot Challenges
Each week for 13 weeks, one lucky winner will receive a £50 gift card and other merchandise.
Westfield London on Twitter
Westfield Stratford City on Twitter
Find out more and sign up here. Good luck! Thanks to Westfield for sponsoring this post.
Perhaps in an attempt to tap into Carnaby’s spirit of free love and peace, a new and decidedly non-retail space has opened where you can “pick up a book, relax in an armchair and explore the vast expanses of fashion, travel, music, photography, design and history, to name but a few topics. You are able to leave a book that you have read, and in return take one away from the space for free”.
Read my complete post at the OneTravel blog.
Taken with the Nokia 808 Pureview, the next breakthrough in photography featuring a 41 megapixel sensor camera with Carl Zeiss lens. More specs here.
Yesterday my blog saw more traffic than during any other single day in its six year history. No, I’m not going to disclose my web stats, but I am pleased to say that I got about twice as many hits as usual.
If you visited tikichris.com yesterday, thank you so much.
At the moment, it looks like today’s visits might come close to topping yesterday’s total. But then again, they might not. Would it be cheeky to ask for a quick click or two and to pass the word along to a friend about my blog? Two record breaking days in a row would be awesome.
Over the past few months I’ve been focusing my attention and energy more and more on creating my own content for my own blog, and it appears to be paying off faster than I’d hoped.
I’ve got a lot of big plans for my blog as well as all sorts of surprises in store for my readers. Please help make all this fun stuff a reality by giving the blog a read every now and again.
Hope you’re having as much fun as I am!
Chris
Photo/Kemey Lafond
Hmmm .. there are probably as many opinions about where to find the best representation of England’s most iconic dish as there are actual chip shops in London. Still, few would disagree that Fish House is among this city’s best contenders.
Read my complete post at the CheapOair blog.
Restaurant group D&D London (owners and operators of more than 30 restaurants in London, Paris, New ork, Copenhagen and Tokyo) is opening South Place Hotel – the group’s first hotel ever – next month in the City of London.
Conran designed interiors; two restaurants, three bars and a roof terrace; five meeting and private dining rooms; 80 bedrooms, studios and suites; gym treament rooms and a residents’ gameroom … yup, it’s gonna be a luxe kind of accommodation catering to biz travellers during the week (it’s right round the corner from Moorgate Station and a short walk from Liverpool Street) and sophisticated city break types on the weekend.
Still in finishing touches mode, I managed a sneak peek visit this morning. This is gonna be a snazzy place. All these years I’ve been living in London, it never ceases to amaze me that there’s room for yet more upscale stuff in the City. I mean, there’s really not much nearby competition for a hotel such as this one aims to be.
The rooftop is especially nice with ooh/ahh skyline views. The showcase suite I snooped around was lovely as well: highest thread count Egyptian cotton linens, room for three tub, “power” shower, massive Bang & Olufsen TV, James Heeley toiletries, local and Londony art.
I’m hoping to get in there soon after the hotel’s open for another prowl. Until then, check ’em out online at southplacehotel.com or mosey by 3 South Place, EC2M 2AF to have a look-see for yourself.
Don’t let his Brit surname put you off. Chef Theo Randall knows his taglierini from his tagliatelle. And judging from a new line up of cocktails launched at his eponymous fine dining Italian restaurant located within the luxuriant Intercontinental, this former head chef of the ever lauded River Cafe shows he’s got his head around Italian social drinking and how to set the tone for an “aaaah” of an evening with the right aperitivi, antipasti and atmosphere.
Read my compelte post at the Great British Chefs blog.
Taken with the Nokia 808 Pureview, the next breakthrough in photography featuring a 41 megapixel sensor camera with Carl Zeiss lens. More specs here.
Saturday night, Kemey and I went to see one of the best movies I’d seen in ages, Ai Wei Wei: Never Sorry. The engaging documentary about Chinese artist and activist, Ai Wei Wei, was inspiring to say the least. Not just fans of contemporary art, but anyone who blogs or spends a lot of time on Twitter would be wise to check this movie out.
On the bus ride back home from the Curzon in Soho as well as off and on the next day, the film and our thoughts about it made up much of our conversation (I suspect the same will be the case when we meet up again tonight). It should be noted that another topic kept equal pace with our gabbing about the movie – the amazingly delicious meal we had just before heading across town to catch the screening.
Saturday dinner was on the early side at This Bright Field. It was also wonderful – and ranks among the best meals I’ve had in a very long time.
I only mention the Ai Wei Wei flick in my review of this relatively new restaurant because it was a really great movie and in most situations I probably would have all but forgotten what I’d had to eat beforehand.
But, the memories of … (licking my lips in preparation before typing this feast out) … home cooked Suffolk ham with smoked chicken and red onion marmalade … English garden soup … Brixham pollock with Norfolk samphire and crayfish butter … and Yorkshire rhubarb, Hampshire berry crumble with Dorset clotted cream … remained strong in our minds well after dining and despite the exceptional film we’d watched just after our meal.
This Bright Field offers a “fresh, well crafted, ever changing menu” that’s English in both its recipes and ingredients used. Head chef Matt Casey, formerly of Koffman’s and The Whitechapel Gallery restaurant, sources British regional produce to create his dishes. And bless his cotton socks for it! In particular, that pollock dish was an astounding main course and one of the best pieces of fish I’ve ever had in London: succulent and flaky with a perfectly crispy bit of savoury skin and ample stems of Samphire adding just enough glorious brine to suggest an invigorating day at the seaside.
It’s not only the fab food that makes this place remarkable. Streaming, golden evening light coming in through the resto’s floor to ceiling windows offered a good guess behind TBF’s name (it’s actually a tip of the hat to author William Taylor and his book about his time as a young priest in East London’s Spitalfield). As for the interior design, you know the score: pared down minimalism with white tiles, scrubbed wooden tables and chalkboards. It’s a tune often played here in London, but one I’ve yet to tire of.
More than just an all day kitchen, (I’m very keen to try the brekkie here!), TBF is a collaboration between florist/café owners Sumen and Emel Sumen and their friend Phillip Granell, founder of pop up dining group, Parlour tricks. TBF customers can buy vegetable plants, herbs and flowers in the restaurant or across the street at a flower warehouse.
Dinner is served on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and consists of a three course menu offered at two courses for £18.50 and three courses for £21.50. The menu changes most evenings and is short and seasonal. The drinks list focuses on wines from small independent vineyards making mostly organic, natural and biodynamic wines. The list features an exceptional range of predominantly French and European wines with 15 bottles at £30 or less. A similar approach applies to beer, focusing solely on local breweries, such The London Fields brewery and The Redchurch brewery.
This Bright Field is located at 268 Cambridge Heath Road, E2 9DA close to the Regent’s Canal, Broadway Market, London Fields and artsy fartsy Vyner Street (Victoria Park ain’t far off either). Visit the restaurant online at thisbrightfield.com.
Sweet Toof: Sweet Revenge
11 to 19 August 2012
The Colour Works
117 Wallis Road
Hackney Wick, E9 5LN
You know these teeth. You’ve seen them everywhere. the infamous unmissable, goofy toofy gums decorating the London landscape with their bubbly pinkness.
Now, for one week only, Sweet Toof – the anonymous face that launched a thousand teeth – charges forward once again with a new major solo show, Sweet Revenge, with a fleet of new works and an army of horsemen braced to paint the East End by storm. It’s a call to arms in the battle for free expression: join forces, or else just grin and bear it.
I’m on this like stink on shit. Excited.
Traditionally a place to hawk fresh fruit and vegetables, the market has had its ups and downs through the centuries. These days, the market appears to have caught on to current foodie trends and are giving more and more space to vendors who offer takeaway meals.
Read my complete post at the OneTravel blog.
