Tag Archives: Drink

Big Hair Party at Maggie’s

A disco ball, flashing neon lights, and leopard print décor. While a trip to Maggie’s may not include any real time travel, members’ nights promise to whisk you off the streets of 21st century Chelsea and into the flashy nightclub scene of the 1980s. At Maggie’s January soirée, Maddie Salters was thrilled to find that the age of PEZ and Pac Man was alive and kicking it on the dance floor. Here are some of her thoughts about her experience at Maggie’s aptly-named Big Hair Party. Continue reading

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Gordon Ramsay’s Heddon Street Kitchen, Mayfair

One of the places that has been on my radar for several months is Heddon Street Kitchen, the latest in Gordon Ramsay’s international portfolio. Mr “Big Sweary” has a dozen or so restaurants in London and this newest offering promises informal Modern European food in Heddon Street, a pedestrianised section of Mayfair which is being dubbed “Regent Street’s Food Quarter”. Continue reading

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Support The Sick Children’s Trust by throwing a Big Chocolate Tea Party (Great British Chefs)

When he’s not busy making some of Britain’s best chocolate, Master Chocolatier Paul A Young volunteers his time as Vice President of The Sick Children’s Trust. The trust provides free, high quality accommodation, as well as emotional and practical support, … Continue reading

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Plan Your Romantic Day in London (OneTravel)

Will you be planning Valentine’s Day with your sweetie in London? Make it a day to remember with this list of a few of the most romantic settings … Read my complete post at OneTravel.

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Koshu of Japan 2015

Last week saw the return of the annual 2015 UK Trade and Press Tasting of Koshu wines from the Yamanashi Prefecture of Japan to The Westbury Hotel in Mayfair. Lucky to have scored a place at the event’s food and wine matching seminar, I’m pleased to share with you some of my faves from the tasting. Continue reading

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Clementine Communications Showcase: Good Stuff!

Good stuff and lots of it! Here’s the low down on a few of the many fine things to sip or savour which I’ve recently come across during the Clementine Communications showcase of clients at the end of last month and thought were worth sharing with you. Enjoy. Continue reading

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New Afternoon Tea at the Intercontinental London Park Lane? It’s a Guiltless Pleasure.

Yes, the folks at the Park Lane Intercontinental have done it again: wowed my senses in one of London’s most elegantly comfortable public settings … and with gracious and polite service to boot! This new vegetarian (without ever stating so) afternoon tea was a delight and yet another point to be added to a now rather lengthy set of reasons to recommend the hotel as an ideal destination for making the most of your time in the West End. Continue reading

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Teapigs Matcha Pop-Up at Boxpark

Teapigs, the English company founded with an eye for ethics and a taste for good tea, has had a short stint at Boxpark in Shoreditch since last week. Launching on the 16th of January, the popup shop has put a heavy focus on their most popular product: matcha, a delicate powdered green tea from the Nichou region of Japan, packed with flavour and antioxidants. Unit 26 has been transformed, at least for a little while, into a haven for tea and a menu of tasty treats you may never have associated with it. Continue reading

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Kanada-Ya: Tonkotsu Ramen Worth Waiting For

Since Kanada-Ya opened last autumn in St Giles, the restaurant has attracted steady queues of people waiting patiently for a fix of authentic tonkotsu ramen.
The good news for those shivering outside is, Kanada-Ya is not the kind of place you linger for ages. The menu is ultra streamlined, offering just three choices of piggy goodness (vegetarians, look away now). Sure enough, a couple of spots at a window bench became available fairly quickly. Continue reading

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Healthy and Quick Italian-Japanese Fusion at Beiriso in Holborn

Recently opened Italian-Japanese fusion eatery, Beiriso, brings a tasty assortment of lunchtime and on-the-hoof dining options to the hectic streets of Holborn that’s bound to woo passers-by with affordable prices and a mostly health-conscious selection of food and drink. Continue reading

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Good Stuff #37

Good stuff and lots of it! Here’s the low down on some fine things to see, sip or savour – all of which I’ve recently come across and thought were worth sharing with you. Enjoy. Continue reading

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The World’s End Market: Fresh and Flavoursome Finesse on the King’s Road

I expected a very good – potentially even great – dining experience when I accepted an offer to review newly opened The World’s End Market. I didn’t expect to be wowed though. However, some of the dishes that Kemey and I tried on our Monday night visit did just that and delighted my unsuspecting palate. I was deeply impressed and can easily recommend this King’s Road eatery for anyone seeking quality meal simply prepared with locally or ethically sourced ingredients. Continue reading

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The MacRib: Mega Meaty Americana at Joe’s Southern Kitchen

Up until last weekend, I would have filed Joe’s Southern Kitchen under that category of Central London restaurants that I’ve walked by innumerable times but never actually ventured inside. Heck, I can even remember when the place was called Navajo Joe’s. But when an offer came round to sample this Covent Garden stalwart’s new (and blatant “homage” to you-know-who’s limited offer you-know-what) MacRib sandwich, I reckoned it was time to give the place a go. I’m glad I did. Continue reading

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M Restaurants on Threadneedle Street, EC2

It was the last restaurant I visited in 2014 and the first one I’m reviewing in 2015 – appropriate enough for a finish or start to a great year of dining as any I reckon. My late night dinner at M – a newly opened and rather slick two-in-one restaurant plus wine bar combo just a stroll from Bank Station – pleased my palate with a menu full of tartare, tiradito and sashimi selections that didn’t leave me feeling raw. Continue reading

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2014 – Best of the Best

Going back over of the best sights, bites and more from the past 12 months was a fun and fruitful exercise in counting my blessings and strive for more. I hope my series of Best of 2014 lists may assist you in making the most of your time in the months to come. Cheers for reading tikichris in 2014! Continue reading

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Best Restaurants in London – 2014

Most of these ‘best of lists’ I’m doing have been compiled with some degree of difficulty often leaving me feeling guilty for excluding somewhere excellent that for whatever reason was nudged out by another place. However, making a concise and definite list of my favourite few London restaurants visited over this past year was an absolute breeze as five fantastic eateries clearly did stand out from the rest with respect to quality of food and overall dining experience. Continue reading

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Upscale Japanese Served with Knightsbridge Panache at Nozomi

From my wisely suggested and promptly served Japanese Old Fashioned to my palate cleansing spread of homemade sorbets (ooh the pineapple!) – and all the tasty moments in between – there were so many highlights worth reporting from my luxuriant Saturday night out at Nozomi in Knightsbridge. Continue reading

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Win a De Beauvoir Deli Basket from The De Beauvoir Deli Co

Teaming up with the dynamic De Beauvoir Deli, I’ve come up with a great excuse to pop round this ace little shop by offering my readers the chance to win a De Beauvoir Deli Basket valued at £30. The lucky winner will need to be able to pick up the prize in shop and will walk home with a delectable assortment of treats in a handy dandy 12” basket. Continue reading

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Best Beer – 2014

Beer. I can’t say I really drank a whole lot of it in 2014 (especially compared to how much I’ve consumed in earlier years), but I can say I drank some very fine beer indeed over the last 12 months. Continue reading

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Best Bars in London – 2014

The options for getting one’s drink on in London continued to broaden and improve in 2014. I truly was impressed with the libations on offer at so many bars around town this year. Continue reading

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Washington DC: Where to Eat in the Political Capital of the Western World (City AM)

Over the past few years, ravenous London scenesters have been snarfing down a vast array of steaks, burgers, hot dogs, shakes, pizzas, burritos and all sorts of other full-flavoured Americana from a diverse range of restaurants, pop-ups and food trucks. US food, as our Stateside cousins would say, is hot right now. Meanwhile, denizens of US capital Washington DC have been reinvigorating the very concept of what it means to eat American, as I discovered during my recent city break there. Continue reading

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Best Coffee in London – 2014

What a fantastic year! I’m going to wrap up 2014 with a series of “best of” posts highlighting some of my favourite sights, bites and more from the past 12 months. As with so many important endeavours, I’d like to start off with one of the most fundamental resources known to humanity: coffee! Continue reading

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Good Stuff

Good Stuff and lots of it! Here’s the low down on some fine things to see, sip or savour – all of which I’ve recently come across and thought were worth sharing with you. Enjoy. Continue reading

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Cheer in Style with Your Own Limited Edition Stella Artois Christmas Chalice

That’s right, Stella Artois has released a Limited Edition Christmas Chalice, available only while stocks last. Continue reading

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Go Greek Naturally and Independently at Isle of Olive, Broadway Market

Isle of Olive is a lovely little shop just off Broadway Market. Specialising in sourcing natural products from independent producers in Greece, its shelves represent a smartly curated selection of the best in Greek food, drink, health and beauty. Continue reading

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Sunday Night Jazz at Beagle, E2

Much lauded Beagle restaurant and bar in the railway arches next to Hoxton Station has launched a December series of intimate jazz sessions featuring musicians from The Thames Delta who have played with such notables as Amy Winehouse, Sam Smith and Kelis. I had the pleasure of attending the premiere show this past Sunday. For a chilled out (and not so pricey) Sunday evening of live music and quality drink, keep Beagle in mind. Continue reading

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#PukkaPimms Pop-Up Curry House – Saturday 6 December, Bethnal Green Road

A cold winter’s night, a warming spicy curry … and a refreshing glass of Pimm’s and lemonade? Wha … ? Believe it or not, these elements come to together in a moreishly complimentary way as I discovered last night at a preview of the #PukkaPimms pop-up restaurant near the ‘top end’ of Bethnal Green Road. Not sure such a mix would actually go down well? Find out for yourself this weekend when the pop-up opens to the public with celebrity Hardeep Singh Kohli as front of house. Continue reading

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Win a Yeni Raki Drinking Kit and Cookbook #UnrushYourWorld

More than simply a bottle of premium drink, a couple of glasses to pour it in and a cookbook, my latest competition offers one lucky reader the chance to “unrush your world” with Yeni Raki, whose distillers believe “slow is a luxury” and the “art of extending memorable moments” is a noble endeavour. Hear! Hear! I’ll drink to that! Continue reading

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Good Stuff

Good Stuff and lots of it! Here’s the low down on some fine things to see, sip or savour – all of which I’ve recently come across and thought were worth sharing with you. Enjoy. Continue reading

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Jerusalem City Break: Eat, Drink and Be Merry

A man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry (Ecclesiastes 8:15). So said Solomon – one of Jerusalem’s more notable personalities from the past two millennia – and so was the case during my visit to his hometown a couple of weeks back. I believe I only began to scratch the surface of the good food scene in this ancient city. Whatever the case, here’s the scoop on some of the yummier findings from my time in Jerusalem. Continue reading

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The Langham Afternoon Tea with Wedgwood

The Langham Afternoon Tea with Wedgwood historic home of the afternoon tea – and one of the most stylish venues I’ve yet to encounter in this town – The Langham London has collaborated with leading luxury brand Wedgwood to launch a new afternoon tea featuring a special menu of delectably dainty creations by Executive Pastry Chef Cherish Finden (one of my London foodie heroes!) inspired by and to be served alongside Wedgwood specialty teas in bespoke “Langham Rose” Wedgwood teaware. Launching across all The Langham and Langham Place hotels and ahead of The Langham London’s 150th anniversary in 2015, new tea offering is available now. Continue reading

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Sunday Brunch at The Jones Family Project, Shoreditch

The Jones Family Project is an “ever-evolving restaurant, bar and social space in the heart of Shoreditch.” Keen to keep up with all the Joneses and their foodie doings (there’s actually no one behind this venue named Jones funnily enough), I dropped by this past weekend for a taste of the restaurant’s recently added Sunday roast menu and left satisfied and hoping the Sunday offering is one new evolution that will last. Continue reading

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Elegant Japanese Dining at Kouzu, Belgravia

Japanese fine dining restaurant, Kouzu, opened with a hush of a soft launch (although apparently the Prince of Monaco had already caught wind and paid a visit) last week. Via an invitation extended by the restaurant, Kemey and I dropped by Saturday for what turned out to be a most elegant meal. Continue reading

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A Night Out at The Hippodrome

I’ve walked by The Hippodrome Casino at Leicester Square a zillion times. Not a gambling man, I never thought there was much inside the large scale and lavish venue for me. However, taking up an invitation to give Hippodrome’s food, booze and entertainment a try, I discovered there’s more to this Central London landmark than gambling. Continue reading

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The Hunt London Features Some of My Favourite Independent Businesses in London

The HUNT Guides are city guidebooks highlighting “authentic eating, shopping and lifestyle experiences” in a range of popular destinations with listings that are all independently owned. I contributed to The Hunt London, Third Edition which came out earlier this year. It was a delight to write about some of my favourite indie enterprises in London. Continue reading

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