Chefspective: Matt Edmonds, Executive Chef of The Mandeville Hotel (Londonist)

Chefspective: Matt Edmonds, Executive Chef of The Mandeville Hotel
Londonist, May 26, 2010 11:00 AM

Matt Edmonds Photo

Impressed with the meal we had at The Mandeville Hotel’s deVille restaurant back in April, we were curious to find out more about what goes into such a tasty menu. Luckily, Executive Chef Matt Edmonds was happy to oblige us by answering a few questions. Matt was also kind enough to share with us the recipe for his delectable Scottish scallops with artichoke puree and almond butter. Delish!

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Chefspective: Matt Edmonds, Executive Chef of The Mandeville Hotel

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London Daily Photo: The Chutney

LDP 2010.05.26 - The Chutney

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Review: Daily Lobster Festival at Big Easy (Londonist)

Review: Daily Lobster Festival at Big Easy
Londonist, May 25, 2010 2:05 PM

Daily Lobster Festival at Big Easy in Chelsea, London

Big Easy is the sort of place you’ll either love or hate. Based on the full house of our Monday night visit, lots of folks seem to love it very much. With its “biggest and the best” AYCE Americana approach to face stuffing (one of the dessert dishes is a basket of four Krispy Kreme doughnuts with hot chocolate fondue), Big Easy leans heavily on the “more is more” philosophy when it comes to serving its patrons. We were glad to see the Big “E” didn’t overdo it with the lobster.

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Review: Daily Lobster Festival at Big Easy

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taste of london 2010: 17-20 june at regent’s park (lastminute.com blog)

taste of london 2010: 17-20 june at regent’s park
lastminute.com blog, may 25, 2010 – 12:01 pm

Taste of London

With celebrated restaurants such as Salt Yard (the Fitzrovia charcuterie and tapas bar with the above mentioned stuffed flowers on its menu) and Bentley’s (old school Mayfair oyster bar and grill with a properly scrummy take on Britain’s favourite deep fried standby), this year’s Taste of London festival will offer the opportunity to sample both, along with a variety of many more examples of what makes the London food scene so delicious!

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taste of london 2010: 17-20 june at regent’s park

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Review: Spring Lunch Menu at Tamarind (Londonist)

Review: Spring Lunch Menu at Tamarind
Londonist, May 25, 2010 11:54 AM

Sample of spring menu dishes on offer at Tamarind

As you might expect from a Michelin starred resto, service at Tamarind is impeccable. The Mayfair location is to die for and the space itself is comfortable and attractive (if a bit stuck in the 80s). We reckon the new spring menu is as good a reason as any to give this place a go.

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Review: Spring Lunch Menu at Tamarind

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London Daily Photo: Mother and Child

LDP 2010.05.25 - Mother and Child

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Guru Event: Karaoke at Lucky Voice with ‘my kind of phone’ (Qype does London)

Guru Event: Karaoke at Lucky Voice with ‘my kind of phone’
Qype does London, May 24th 2010

Londonist Sings at Lucky Voice

People love to listen to music on their phones, so we thought,  ‘why not make some of music our own and capture it on mobile video?’ Qype is teaming up with ‘my kind of phone’, a Windows Phone initiative, to host a “Pocket Pop Video” night at Lucky Voice karaoke bar in Islington.

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Guru Event: Karaoke at Lucky Voice with ‘my kind of phone’

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London Daily Photo: Advertisement Featuring Women Who Probably Never Eat Anything as Caloric as Waffles But Nevertheless are Holding Waffles

LDP 2010.05.24 - Advertisement featuring Women Who Probably Never Eat Anything as Caloric as Waffles But Nevertheless Holding Waffles

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London Daily Photo: Browns

LDP 2010.05.23 - Browns

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Preview: Taste of London 2010 (Londonist)

Preview: Taste of London 2010
Londonist, May 22, 2010 5:21 PM

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Summer’s in the air. People are filling the parks. The tourists are coming. And London is hankering for some al fresco nibbles. Yep, it’s time for Taste of London.

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Preview: Taste of London 2010

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London Daily Photo: Hold

LDP 2010.05.22 - Hold

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Free Cocktails at the Appleton Estate Bartender’s Challenge at Floridita (Londonist)

Free Cocktails at the Appleton Estate Bartender’s Challenge at Floridita
Londonist, May 21, 2010 4:14 PM

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The Appleton Estate Bartender’s Challenge will be held at Floridita in Soho this coming Monday the 24th. It’s free to attend and offers a chance for members of the public to sample cocktails made by a trio of hot shot bartenders from throughout the UK.

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Free Cocktails at the Appleton Estate Bartender’s Challenge at Floridita

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fine dining indian style in london (lastminute.com blog)

fine dining indian style in london
lastminute.com blog, may 21, 2010 – 11:00 am

Goan Menu at Chutney Mary

Everybody’s got a favourite local curry joint that’s affordable and yummy. But subcontinent cuisine isn’t just about the cheap and cheerful curry. For discerning diners looking for an element of spicy heat balanced with refinement, London plays host to some of the world’s most elegant Indian restaurants.

Hardly exhaustive, but here are a few picks for this town’s top fine dining restaurants serving fabulous dishes with South Asian charm …

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fine dining indian style in london

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London Daily Photo: In Stride

LDP 2010.05.21 - In Stride

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New Wood Deck at The Montague on the Gardens Hotel in Bloomsbury (Londonist)

New Wood Deck at The Montague on the Gardens Hotel in Bloomsbury
Londonist, May 20, 2010 8:47 PM

Pimms and Lemonade at The Montague on the Gardens new Wood Deck

The Montague on the Gardens is a terribly English luxury four-star boutique hotel right round the corner from the British Museum with an attractive and spanking new Wood Deck overlooking the gardens of the Bedford Estate. So, when the hotel invited Londonist to attend the season’s first barbecue on the new deck, we were like all sorts of ‘oh yes please’.

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New Wood Deck at The Montague on the Gardens Hotel in Bloomsbury

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Review: Pop Up Pirates Bar/Art Installation (Londonist)

Review: Pop Up Pirates Bar/Art Installation
Londonist, May 20, 2010 4:52 PM

Pop Up Pirates Bar

If you prefer your drinking done in a graphic rich environment, then this temporary bar on Clerkenwell Road near the corner with St John Street is just the place for you. And judging from the clientele at last night’s Pop Up Pirates‘ launch, it promises to be a popular spot for the effortlessly trendy as well as the freakishly skinny.

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Review: Pop Up Pirates Bar/Art Installation

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A Look at the Art from Bristol’s Art from the New World (Juxtapoz)

A Look at the Art from Bristol’s Art from the New World
Juxtapoz, Wednesday, 19 May 2010 08:25

We’ve shared a number of images of attendees, costumes, characters, and installations from the unveiling of Art from the New World, organized by Corey Helford Gallery at The Bristol City Museum. If the UK is out of your reach, take a look at the art that lines the walls.

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A Look at the Art from Bristol’s Art from the New World

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London Daily Photo: Catching a Glance

LDP 2010.05.20 - Catching a Glance

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New Restaurant Review: Chipotle (Londonist)

New Restaurant Review: Chipotle
Londonist, May 19, 2010 4:49 PM

Chipotle Burrito

As watered and dumbed down as an American style chain of bean slingers could ever be, “gourmet burritos and tacos and barbacoa” restaurant Chipotle has now opened here in London. The self described Mexican grill is a comfortable enough spot to slide into for a quick bite.

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New Restaurant Review: Chipotle

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Shaka Zulu: World’s Largest South African Venue to Open in Camden (Londonist)

Shaka Zulu: World’s Largest South African Venue to Open in Camden
Londonist, May 19, 2010 1:50 PM

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Just in time for a World Cup tie-in, sleb SA chef Barry Vera has announced the June opening of a new “theatre of food” in Camden. Dubbed Shaka Zulu and with the blessings of HRM King Goodwill Zwelethini, ruler of the Zulu nation, Vera’s new 750 seat venture is to be the world’s largest South African venue.

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Shaka Zulu: World’s Largest South African Venue to Open in Camden

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Chefspective: Aimé Lombaya of Mahoe (Londonist)

Chefspective: Aimé Lombaya of Mahoe
Londonist, May 19, 2010 11:48 AM

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Situated snuggly in a basement at the south end of Bow Lane, Caribbean restaurant Mahoe feels like a City of London secret. It’s also a much tastier option for a meal or drinks than so many of the area’s slap dash and big chain eateries. With Mahoe having just taken on its first head chef, Aimé Lombaya, and undergoing a soft re-launch which is to take effect in June, we thought now might be an interesting time to have a chat with Aimé about his job and what’s going to set his kitchen apart from the rest of the crowd.

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Chefspective: Aimé Lombaya of Mahoe

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London Daily Photo: Call at Hyde Park Corner

LDP 2010.05.19 - Call at Hyde Park Corner

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Toronto Daily Photo


Incoming Tallship by stevenharris (Toronto Daily Photo)

Every day, I publish a photograph of something London-related on this blog and have been doing so since 2006. My daily photo series is a fun and reflective way for me to hone my craft, explore my city and share my London experiences with the world. Obviously, I’m not the only photo-blogger to capture urban with with daily posts.

There’s the long lasting blog, London Daily Photo, here in London and the relatively new Gothenburg 365 … and plenty more image rich blogs that are well worth checking out. When such sites are good, I think they provide an excellent insider’s perspective to what it’s like to live in a particular place. If you’re considering visiting a city on holiday or need to jet off somewhere for work-related travel, having a look on the web for a photographer’s take on take on a specific place.

For example, when plopped down in front of your computer researching flights to Toronto, you might want to also take a gander at a couple of Toronto daily photo blogs. Here are two I’ve recently come that offer an enjoyably scenic scroll:

http://www.torontodailyphoto.com/
http://toronto-photo-a-day.blogspot.com/

Both blogs visually document daily life in this cosmo Canadian city with a bit of informative and often witty commentary. Fun stuff!

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London Daily Photo: Prime Real Estate

LDP 2010.05.18 - Prime Real Estate

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World’s Best Chinese Restaurants are in Canada?

Working on reviewing some Chinese restaurants here in London (stay tuned for more on that) got me thinking about where the best Chinese cuisine in the world might be found. I assumed China would, of course, be the obvious winner. From street food to five star hotels, I’ve certainly eaten well in Shanghai, Beijing and a few other mainland cities and have heard nothing but mouthwatering raves about Hong Kong’s delectable dining scene. However, a quick dig around the internet yielded a much different result than I had expected.

According to Conde Nast Traveler, the best Chinese food in the world can be found in Canada. Vancouver to be exact. Apparently, Canada’s immigrant friendly policies, a large Chinese population and a cosmopolitan foodie vibe provide this West Coast city with the right ingredients for top notch Chinese nosh. Jennifer 8. Lee, author and blogger of The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, reckons the very best of the lot is Zen Fine Chinese Cuisine in the Vancouver suburb of Richmond where a visit is a “precious and unique dining experience.”

Great Chinese food? Sounds like yet another brilliant reason to consider booking some cheap flights to Canada … and soon too! I’m hungry!

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Bea’s of Bloomsbury Afternoon Tea in the Park Initiative (Londonist)

Bea’s of Bloomsbury Afternoon Tea in the Park Initiative
Londonist, May 17, 2010 10:10 AM

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Here’s how to have a picnic and leave the worry about cleaning up to someone else, in this case, Bloomsbury bake shop owner, Bea Vo. For £9/picnicker, Bea supplies an easy to tote basketful of picnic essentials including …

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Bea’s of Bloomsbury Afternoon Tea in the Park Initiative

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London Daily Photo: Brockwell Bench

LDP 2010.05.17 - Brockwell Bench

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Guru Event: Cuban Cigar Walk London (Qype does London)

Guru Event: Cuban Cigar Walk London
Qype does London, May 16th 2010

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Wow. That was a lot to take in! And I think I speak for all in our group when I say I absolutely loved every moment of Qype’s Cuban Cigar Walk hosted by Cities in Sound. From the newest of spots to sample a stogie in luxurious style to age old cigar shops teeming with history, our tour of Mayfair and St James’s provided an excellent excuse to snoop around in some of London’s most characterful retail spaces.

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Guru Event: Cuban Cigar Walk London

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London Daily Photo: Pass

LDP 2010.05.16 - Pass

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London Daily Photo: Oxford Street Fashion Victims

LDP 2010.05.15 - Oxford Street Fashion Victims

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London Daily Photo: Street Action

LDP 2010.05.14 - London Street Action

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the olde bell: stay and feast at one of england’s oldest inns (lastminute.com blog)

the olde bell: stay and feast at one of england’s oldest inns
lastminute.com blog, may 13, 2010 – 3:04 pm

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Forty-five minutes from Central London, a 15 minute cab ride from Maidenhead or 20 minutes drive from Heathrow … and mere steps from a very pretty stretch of the Thames Path, the Olde Bell in the wonderfully quiet Berkshire village of Hurley offers a convenient getaway that’s historic, comfortable and delicious.

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the olde bell: stay and feast at one of england’s oldest inns

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London Daily Photo: Champion

LDP 2010.05.13 - Champion

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Boris Endorses Louis Vuitton’s London-Based Young Arts Project (Londonist)

Boris Endorses Louis Vuitton’s London-Based Young Arts Project
Londonist, May 12, 2010 5:23 PM

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An unprecedented partnership between Louis Vuitton and five of London’s leading art institutions – Hayward Gallery, Royal Academy of Arts, South London Gallery, Tate Britain and Whitechapel Gallery – officially commenced today with a thumbs up speech by Mayor Boris Johnson at the Royal Academy of Arts this morning. For obvious reasons, Mr Johnson was in a jovial mood, but at least a smidgen of his glee had less to do with politics than with the launch of this LV funded initiative. Bragging that London has more museums than Paris and more bookshops than New York, the mayor explained …

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Boris Endorses Louis Vuitton’s London-Based Young Arts Project

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New Restaurant Review: Cafe VN (Londonist)

New Restaurant Review: Cafe VN
Londonist, May 12, 2010 2:06 PM

pork spring roll bun at Cafe VN

Clerkenwell Road’s newly opened Vietnamese eatery, Cafe VN … is it worth foregoing a visit to Pho on nearby St John St or even trekking west from the Vietnamese mainstays of Old Street and Kingsland Road?

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New Restaurant Review: Cafe VN

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