Moules frites mega chain with humble Brussels roots and a massive presence in France (not quite to the extent of, say, Pizza Express here in the UK but that’s a pretty good analogy), Léon de Bruxelles takes a leap across La Manche to have a go at British (and presumably Euro tourist and expat) punters with a new Soho restaurant.
Apparently, 2003 was a hell of a year in the Champagne region: an exceptionally harsh winter followed by an unseasonable spring and the hottest summer in more than 50 years. Of particular note was a severe frost on April 11th that destroyed almost three-fourths of the region’s Côte des Blancs Chardonnay crop. Given the maturity and low numbers of remaining grapes, the Champagne harvest commenced at its earliest date since 1822. The grapes harvested were mature and healthy, and comparable to legendary harvests of 1947, 1959 and 1976.
Says Dom Pérignon’s Chef de Cave, Richard Geoffroy, of the 2003 harvest and its subsequent vintage:
At no moment in time was there any question of giving up. Instead, we embraced the challenge presented by such extreme conditions and seized the opportunity for Dom Pérignon to sign this Vintage … Everyone was expecting a very powerful, sun-filled and rapidly maturing wine. A real challenge for the creation of Dom Pérignon. I needed to interpret it differently. It was a risk, a push-back of the boundaries, which may be rewarded now.
Now available to the UK market with an ARP of £120, the Dom Pérignon 2003 Vintageis indeed a reward to taste.
I tagged along to a tasting of the Dom Pérignon 2003 vintage yesterday. Hosted by Richard Geoffroy at Phillips de Pury & Company auction house, the event was a fine affair. The 2003 was paired with a variety of intriguing dishes – from a soft boiled and sweetly seasoned and sea salted egg, to saffron and Parmesan risotto, to caviar with hibiscus jelly to foie gras covered in a 40 ingredient mole (yeah, that was an interesting number) – and with each dish the wine held its own (with some dishes better than other) and proved an astonishing versatility. Still, I think I’d prefer just to have it on its own or at to commence a meal most of the time.
The official DP line of thought on the nose and taste the newly available vintage goes something like the following …
Nose: The bouquet spirals through a light-filled, floral softness to the gritty minerality that epitomises Dom Pérignon, evocative of candied fruit, plant life and exquisite camphor leaf freshness, and finally plunges into darkness, spices and liquorice root.
Taste: At this stage, the wine still has a physical presence. It is striking and demanding, tactile and vibrant rather than aromatic. It is built on rhythm and rupture more than harmony. After an initial cloud of softness, we hit a mineralised verticality that gradually opens out to suggest a bitter, iodised and saline nobility.
I can agree with that. Especially the bit about the “opening out” to suggest a bitterness. The nose for me was delightful. I got hints of slightly burnt toast, thyme and asparagus while sniffing away at it. Sloshing it about in my mouth … orange zest, shellfish and a mild leather finish. I hope to marvel at the bouquet and flavours of this silky vintage again soon.
The world’s biggest celebration of Russian culture outside of Russia itself will take place this month in London from the 19th to 26th. A second year in a row for the London Maslenitsa Festival, the event will bring venues across the city to life with a week of performances, food, exhibitions and more.
At first glance, Seoul Bakery might not stand out from the other similarly downtrodden Korean eateries lined up in the shadow of Centre Point “behind” Tottenham Court Road Station. Maybe a little, for its more more colourful signage and window displays, but that’s about it. Once inside, however, the bakery’s cosy vibe, simple menu and tasty dishes should win you over to the realisation that this sweet little place is a bit of a one-off wonder.
And if you happen to discover that you’re as much of a fan as many of Seoul Bakery’s customers, find some empty wall or table space…or more likely somewhere to stick a post-it note…to scrawl out a happy message like so many of the regulars have already done. Cutesy scribblings and doodles adorn much of the surface space here – adding to the K-pop piped-through atmosphere and the super friendly smiles of the staff while complementing Seoul Bakery’s otherwise minimalist trappings.
So what winning-over menu items persuade Londoners to deface Seoul Bakery’s walls and furniture? A fresh and healthy order of bibimbab is worthy of repeat visits and making a graffito note of. Options include vegetable, beef, tuna, chicken and tuna kimchi and range in price from £3.50 to £5. For a particularly filling meal add £1.49 to the price and get the “bibimbab set” which includes a cup of miso soup and kimchi or barley tea. Zanchi gooksoo, “Korean festival thin noodles with vegetables” for £4.99 is another ample and homey choice, particularly when it’s dreary out. Add beef, tunam kimchi or chicken to your gooksoo for just a quid more. Another noteworthy mentionable is the moreish and fiery kimchi fried rice, which costs about a fiver.
Thirsty? The “best seller” iced green tea latte (£2.50 out/£2.65 in) is a yummy chilled out slupper. Warm honey plum tea soothes for about £1.50. And, yes, as the name implies, there are baked goods available. Cheap and pretty good, green tea cakes or choco-pies are a nice way to round out a lunch if you still have some room.
A bit of a hidden gem and a brilliant spot for spur-of-the-moment budget bites of impressive size, Seoul Bakery is located at 55 St Giles High Street, WC2H 8LH. There doesn’t seem to be any official web presence for Seoul Bakery, but all the review sites and blog posts are vastly positive. Reach Seoul Bakery by phone at 07763 278681.
If a visitor from another planet was somehow instantly transported to Covent Garden, the space alien would soon ascertain that the area is a world renowned shoppers’ paradise. From quaint and indie boutiques to retail powerhouses, Covent Garden wows London visitors and residents alike with the its assortment of up-to-date fashions, unique souvenir and gift items and basically any-and-everything for the most sophisticated, finicky or even bizarre of preferences.
Seeming to be stuck between a rock and a hard place and making the most of the situation with a stiff upper lip and more than a bit of artist flair, a little slice of east London known as Hackney Wick has moved from what was once considered as the outer reaches of this massive city to centre stage as one of the world’s most celebrated global events sets up camp right next door for what promises to be one of London’s biggest summers ever.
Its storied past of wealth coupled with destruction has made the City a unique area to explore, where iconic modern high rise office towers, such as Norman Foster’s Gherkin mingle with Roman ruins and architectural examples of virtually every area in between. From its ancient past as a Roman trading outpost to its status as the wealthiest square mile in the world, the City of London is full of fascinating history.
It’s almost February. We’re well into 2012, and I’m just now getting around to post about things from before and around Christmas. Geez.
If you had even half as much fun as I had the final few weeks of last year, then you ended 2011 on an especially high note. Now back in London for some time after a nice long stretch of a visit to my hometown along with a four state whistle stop tour of the south, I’m still on a bit of a high from my trip.
The best stuff during my break was, of course, spending Christmas with family and friends and subjecting … erm I mean introducing my girlfriend to the crazy patch of country where I grew up. The only bummer was not being able to spend more time with folks or find the chance to see everybody I’d hoped to. Putting all the personal aside, here are some of the highlights from my Christmas trip back to Georgia.
Crawfish Springs: Sweet little spring fed lake down the street from my Mom’s house. Magnolias, ducks, a gazillion squirrels, mist rising off the water in the early morning – gorgeous.
Rocktown: One hundred and fifty acres or so of weird massive sandstone boulder formations situated down a long dirt road atop Pigeon Mountain in Chattooga County, Georgia. One of the most fascinating places around where I grew up.
Cloudland Canyon: Just up the road from Rocktown but on Lookout Mountain and a lot more widely known, Cloudland Canyon State Park is a spectacular setting with elevations ranging from 800 to 1,980 feet through this deep gorge cut by a creek.
BBQ Caboose Cafe: Really good BBQ at this little joint in downtown Lynchburg, Tennessee (and sadly one of the only places I got to eat some BBQ while back home). The owner was especially friendly and made a real effort to have my mom, niece, girlfriend and me feel at home. Appreciated!
Pickle Barrel: Still the place to drink in Chattanooga. Such a relief to see it hasn’t totally collapsed in on itself. Toilet graffiti is some of the best I’ve ever seen.
Howard Finster’s Paradise Gardens: Closed for the winter and in a pathetic state of disrepair, it was still good to drive down to Summerville, Georgia to stroll around Howard Finster’s Paradise Gardens.
Yellow Deli: The vibe is Appalachian Hobbit. Run by what seems to be a hippie cult. The food is very good, fresh and healthy.
Lamar’s Restaurant: Still the swankest place for the strongest drinks I’ve ever been. Plus one of the world’s greatest jukeboxes … and fried chicken.
Clermont Lounge: To call this fine establishment a retirement home for old strippers misses much of the point. It’s still one of the most wonderfully trashy places to drink cheap beer in ATL.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Driving across the Smokies in the snow was beautiful (if stressful). I got up close and personal to a pileated woodpecker in the park’s Cades Covescenic loop. Wow.
The Tomato Head: Southern cuisine … but healthy. Happening upon this bustling eatery in downtown Maryville, Tennessee was a tasty treat and a bit of non-fried relief.
Enterprise: The dude at Enterprise rental car in Ft Oglethorpe, Georgia went out of his way to help me with a bit of a logistics challenge and saved me a bunch of money too. He deserves to be commended. The card I took from his desk reads “Tim Wilson” but I’m not sure if that’s his name.
That was a lot of driving, huh? Before hitting the road for your next adventure, it’s a good idea to check that everything’s okay with your car. Are your tyres in good condition? Need to research tyre companies or make a trip for a new set of Costco tyres?
The Jack Daniel Distillery is the oldest registered distillery in America. Since all the way back in 1866, JD’s been located in the sleepy little town of Lynchburg, Tennessee. Surrounded by rolling hills and farmland and only about 75 miles away from Nashville, the distillery makes an excellent day trip destination with Lynchburg offering an ideal setting for getting away from it all and retreating from the hustle and bustle of modern life.
Tired of London, Tired of Life is a 224 page book published by Virgin Books. It is the labour of love by Londoner Tom Jones (no, not that Tom Jones). Featuring illustrations by Hannah Warren and designed by Lottie Crumbleholme, the book takes a simple yet brilliant idea and runs with it.
Tired of London, Tired of Life is now available online. (Newegg Promotional Codes are possibly available for those in the market for a new laptop.) Building up a personal, virtual library has never been so convenient.
Talk about a bubble bath! The Cadogan hotel in London will soon be offering to its guests the ultimate indulgence of a Champagne bath. Keep reading for the decedent details about this new offer along with some other upscale reasons this five-star hotel has a century old reputation for being one of London’s poshest accommodation options.
… five recommendations from Chris Osburn that are more of a feast for the eyes. Chris is a freelance photographer and writer who blogs a daily London photo (among other treasures) at Tiki Chris. Pick a sunny day and start exploring.
Located within the terribly touristic (if still incredibly scenic and evocative) Royal Mile is The Scotch Whisky Experience, offering a “sensational journey” taking folks through the “magical craft” of whisky making. Mere steps from the entrance to Edinburgh Castle and amidst too many souvenir shops, a gauntlet of street performers and a dense concentration of hotels and restaurants, a bit of inevitable cheese accompanies the experience.
No, minicabs aren’t tiny clown cars zipping through the streets of London bringing comic relief to the people. They’re private hire cars with drivers only available on a pre-booked basis.
In fact, only licensed taxis – you know, those iconic, boxy “black cabs” like you see in the movies – are legally allowed to pick up passengers on the street without a booking.
A minicab driver who picks up a customer without a booking is breaking the law. This includes minicabs lined up outside pubsand clubs.
Another major difference between minicabs and black cabs is that minicab drivers don’t have to complete “The Knowledge.”
The Knowledge is an in-depth study of pre-set street routes and places of interest in London that all black cab drivers are required to learn. The Knowledge is considered to be the world’s most demanding training course for cab drivers with many applicants requiring twelve or more attempts to pass its final examination.
Bearing all this in mind, if you know how to book minicabs and realize their limitations, they can provide convenience and economic relief for getting around London and take the hassles out of trips to and from rail stations and airports.
Because they’re often cheaper than a hailed black cab off the street, when you can plan ahead and know where you’re going, it pays to book a minicab. Or, if you’re out one the town and unsure of how to get to your next destination, having the contact details of a reliable car service can seem like a godsend.
Perhaps the greatest relief minicabs provide is easy access to the airports from Central London. Depending on where exactly you’re traveling from, to which airport you’re going to, and how many of you are riding together, it’s often cheaper or marginally more expensive to book a door-to-door minicab service than it is to take another mode of transportation. And if you’re traveling with more than one carry-on bag, it spares you a lot of trouble too.
There are lots and lots of minicab companies in and around London. The largest fleet by far is Addison Lee with more than 3000 “premium” Ford Galaxy people carriers zipping around town. And yes, “premium” means you’ll pay more for the service than you would with other local companies.
Don’t have a minicab number on you? Don’t panic. Most locals usually have the numbers for one or two trusted services (or even specific drivers) on their phone and are more than pleased to share when such an opportunity is presented. Many bars, restaurants, and other establishments have suggested services too – though they may be likely to book you with a more expensive service.
The Transport for London website has a “Findaride” search to help you find licensed minicab offices and other private hire operators by location, street or postcode. Using Findaride, Googling a bit or getting in touch with locals about minicabs before may save time and money for those arriving on flights to London.
In a city full of sandwich presses, one could spend a whole lot of time researching the best Cuban sandwich in the Miami area. And that would be a delicious endeavor, but you’d possibly miss out on the sunsets and sunrises, the dancing, the mojitos, the fun. If visiting Miami for reasons other than just to eat sandwiches but you’d still like to try a commendable Cubano, here are three top choices for the best Cuban sandwiches in areas you’ll likely pass through while there.
Mega City Photo, an exhibition of street photography from the world’s 26 largest cities opens on Friday in the new gallery space at Leeds College of Art. The first group show I’ve curated, I’m really excited to see how it all comes together.
Mega City Photo runs from 20 January to 17 February at Leeds College of Art, Blenheim Walk, Leeds LS2 9AQ and features photography by the following photographers:
