Tag Archives: restaurant

Lunch at Assiette Anglaise, Liverpool Road, N7

I had a fantastic lunch last week at Assiette Anglaise, a relatively new restaurant for Highbury and a welcome one indeed! It’s is a fine little neighbourhood brasserie which locals should be proud to call their own. Everybody else? This all day eatery’s only a short stroll away from Highbury and Islington Station (and is just about as close to Holloway Road and Caledonian Road stations too). The delighful meal I had was certainly worth the time I spent on public transport to get there. Continue reading

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Bourbon Tasting Flights and a Steak of the Month at JW Steakhouse, Park Lane

JW Steakhouse at the Marriott’s Grosvenor House hotel has recently introduced a couple of brilliant new reasons to pay this fine dining establishment a visit post-haste: a series of four bourbon tasting flights and a Steak of the Month. Both these offers represent deliciously good news to be sure! However, what is perhaps even more deserving of me shouting about you making speedy beeline to enjoy is the simple fact that, as I discover during my dinner last night, everything else about this American style Steakhouse is fantastic too. Continue reading

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Samphire Picking in the River Dart Estuary (Great British Chefs)

It’s low down dirty work gathering samphire. But that doesn’t mean it’s bad, just that you’ve got to get in the mud and squat, stoop, bend or crawl to pluck the tasty little stems from the earth. A trusty pair of Wellies are obligatory and, as I recently discovered, wearing kneepads would be a smart idea as well. Up until last week, picking samphire meant pointing to a container inside a deli counter and saying something along the lines of “May I please have 100 grams, please?”. Now, after accepting an invitation to Devon by Riverford Organic Farms to harvest wild samphire in the River Dart Estuary, I have a new appreciation for what goes into bringing this crisp and salty coastal treat to my London plate. Continue reading

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Sunday Lunch: Paradise by Way of Kensal Green

I don’t want to give away too much about the fantastic dining room of Paradise by Way of Kensal Green. If you’ve never been, it’s worth a bit of uncertainly for the wonderful surprise of seeing the interiors for the first time. And, of course, if you have been then you know what I’m talking about. Nice place for a drink, eh? But have you tried the Sunday lunch? It’s full-on (and filling!) and as lovely as you might expect to enjoy in such a pleasant setting. Continue reading

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New Reasons to Love an Old Favourite: Gourmet Burger Kitchen at the N1 Centre, Angel

Remember when Gourmet Burger Kitchen was virtually the only place in London where you could go for a halfway decent burger? I guess such a time really wasn’t all that long ago but it seems like ancient history given all the choice we have for burgers now. I reckon GBK deserves much of the credit (or should I say blame?) for creating the conditions that led to the burger mania that’s swept London these past couple of years. And now that a number from the recent onslaught of burger joints seem to have eclipsed GBK in popularity and success, is the beefy trendsetter still worth taking a bite out of? Yeah, I’d say so. Continue reading

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New Restaurant Review: The Potato Merchant, Exmouth Market

The Potato Merchant, London’s first restaurant and grocer specialising in potatoes, has recently opened at Exmouth Market. I had a nice dinner there recently and thought the restaurant would be worth keeping in mind for locals looking for a thoughtful take on the UK’s favourite starchy staple. Continue reading

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New Bento Express Menu at Buddha-Bar London (CDCLifestyle)

Buddha-Bar’s new bento features a tasty selection of light Pan Asian starters and mains from which to create your own meal for £27. The bento includes a bowl of miso soup, a side of wakame salad and a choice of steamed rice or Buddha-Bar noodles. Quality of the food is high. Portion sizes are ample with the bento prettily presented. Service is efficient and cordial. If you know Buddha-Bar then you’re aware that the setting is extremely attractive and rather plush, whether you’re there for drinks or a quick meal. Continue reading

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Grand Old Brighton: Dining in Style at GB1 (Blue Tomato)

Newly opened at the recently refurbished Grand Brighton hotel, GB1 Seafood Restaurant & Bar serves up a treat for lovers of expertly prepared fruits of the sea. Making ye olde cheeky jaunt down to Brighton all the more enticing, GB1′s menu of local, fresh and sustainably sourced fish and seafood presented in a fabulous setting sure does beckon foodies from far and wide. I’m certainly hankering to get back down there for more great seaside grub. Continue reading

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GNH Bar (Blue Tomato)

I have long felt that a significant number of the best cocktail bars in London are hidden away in some of this city’s finer hotels. There’s the Coburg Bar at the Connaught, the Mirror Bar at the Landmark, the American … Continue reading

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Upscale Bento at Buddha-Bar London

Mention the lavish Buddha-Bar in Knightsbridge to anyone and thoughts of a glamorous night out sipping exotic cocktails with a soundtrack of signature lounge and chill-out tunes wafting through a beautiful people filled lounge probably spring to mind. But what about a “Buddha Bento” express menu for a no fuss lunch or a pre-theatre dinner with a promise to having you in and out within 40 minutes? Continue reading

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Mozzarella Month at Sartoria, Savile Row

The masterclass – conducted by Head Chef Lukas Pfaff and his mozzarella supplier, Andrea Livi of Bianca la Bufala – was a delicious opportunity to sample fresh and top of the line mozzarella di buffala along with a range of similar southern Italian cheeses such as smoky scamorza, proper pizza topper fiordilatte, and gorgeously creamy burrata. Continue reading

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Colombian Chef Harry Sasson “Pops Up” at the Intercontinental London Park Lane (CheapOair)

InterContinental London Park Lane is to host its very own pop-up version of chef Harry Sasson’s pioneering Bogotá restaurant, Club Colombia. Known as one of South America’s most celebrated Chefs, Harry and his team will take over the iconic London hotel’s Cookbook Cafe from 17th to the 25th of May to recreate his modern and refined approach to Colombian cuisine for a British audience. Continue reading

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Tapas Recipe: Apple Crumble Crema Catalana by Jose Pizarro

A few weeks back I had the pleasure sampling the results of chef Jose Pizarro and Codorníu cava teaming up to create a series of “Great British Tapas”. You can read about that experience in my write up for Blue Tomato. I really enjoyed … Continue reading

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Tapas Recipe: Beef and Pimentón Yorkshire Mini Puds by Jose Pizarro

A few weeks back I had the pleasure sampling the results of chef Jose Pizarro and Codorníu cava teaming up to create a series of “Great British Tapas”. You can read about that experience in my write up for Blue Tomato. I really enjoyed tasting … Continue reading

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Tapas Recipe: Fish and Chips Tostados by Jose Pizarro

A few weeks back I had the pleasure sampling the results of chef Jose Pizarro and Codorníu cava teaming up to create a series of “Great British Tapas”. You can read about that experience in my write up for Blue Tomato. I really enjoyed tasting … Continue reading

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Tapas Recipe: Shepherd’s Pie Croquetas by Jose Pizarro

A few weeks back I had the pleasure sampling the results of chef Jose Pizarro and Codorníu cava teaming up to create a series of “Great British Tapas”. You can read about that experience in my write up for Blue Tomato. I really enjoyed tasting … Continue reading

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Tapas Recipe: Full English Sourdoughs by Jose Pizarro

A few weeks back I had the pleasure sampling the results of chef Jose Pizarro and Codorníu cava teaming up to create a series of “Great British Tapas”. You can read about that experience in my write up for Blue Tomato. I really enjoyed tasting … Continue reading

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Slider Decider at The Gun Pub in East London (OneTravel)

On Thursday May 16, chefs rom across the UK will gather at celebrated East London pub, The Gun, to pit their slider skills against The Gun’s own head chef, Quinton Bennett, to determine who deserves the title of Slider Decider Champion 2013. Continue reading

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Breakfast at The Botanist, Sloane Square

As elegant as any casual dining establishment you’re apt to come across in upscale Chelsea and just a stone’s throw from Sloane Square Station, the Botanist is as smartly situated as London restaurants come. And with a newly introduced breakfast menu available all week, it’s now a smart place to start your day as well. Continue reading

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Fried Alligator Tail and More at Camden’s Blues Kitchen

An invitation to try a new reptilian starter at Blues Kitchen on Camden High Street led to an overall great night out that was way more down home and delicious than I’d hoped. Continue reading

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New Menu at Salaam Namaste, Bloomsbury

I’ve been on a bit of a curry kick lately, trying out a bunch of Indian restaurants around town and having a great time doing so. South Asian cooking is the sort of food that once I get a taste of I start craving for more and more. So when the invite came to have a taste of the new menu “combining Indian culinary traditions with more diverse and progressive recipes” created by Chef Patron Sabir Karim, I was keen. Continue reading

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A Beefy Visit to Smithfield Market with Tom Hixson & Co (Great British Chefs)

There’s a good chance that if you’ve recently enjoyed a cut of USDA Prime beef at a London steakhouse or cut into a sumptuous mound of bife de lomo at one of this town’s many Argentine restaurants, your steak found its way to your plate via Tom Hixson & Co of Smithfield Market. Continue reading

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The Great British Tapas Project with José Pizarro and Codorníu (Blue Tomato)

With his eponymous and popular tapas bar and an equally adored sit-down restaurant (each just a minute’s walk away from the other on the trendy restaurant row that is Bermondsey Street), chef patron José Pizarro knows a thing or two about tapas and the British palate. Now, this master of the London tapa (before opening his own eateries, José was a chef at Eyre Brothers, Gaudi and Brindisa) has teamed up with cava brand, Codorníu, to add a Spanish twist to some of Britain’s most popular dishes – with the launch of the Great British Tapas project. Continue reading

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So Impressed! Mozzarella & More, King’s Road SW3

Mozzarella & More is the newest outlet (and concept) from the Made in Italy restaurant group. One part trattoria, one part mozzarella bar and one part deli, M&M is located just a couple of doors down from the original Made in Italy restaurant. It’s also the only restaurant in London producing its own mozzarella. Continue reading

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Prime Steak and More at Palm London (CDCLifestyle)

Star of the table at Palm London is the steak: New York strip, rump and boneless rib-eye to be precise. Sourced exclusively from Smithfield stalwart – Tom Hixson & Co – and grilled to perfection by Executive Chef Spencer Westcott and his kitchen, the Palm serves gorgeously marbled and tender corn fed, hand selected USDA Prime beef aged for a minimum of 35 days … But the reasons to choose Palm don’t stop with the steaks. Continue reading

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GB1 Seafood Restaurant & Bar at the Grand Brighton (CDCLifestyle)

Newly opened at the recently refurbished Grand Brighton hotel, GB1 Seafood Restaurant & Bar serves up a treat for lovers of fresh and expertly prepared fruits of the sea. Continue reading

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Imli Street: Renamed, Revamped and Reopened

Soho Indian restaurant, Imli, goes “street” to keep up with the competition. Is it any better than before and worth actually coming in off the street for a taste of the new menu? Continue reading

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Clockjack Oven (Blue Tomato)

All in all, my lunch at Clockjack Oven was way better than I’d expected or even hoped – so satisfying, in fact, that I could definitely see myself craving for a repeat visit soon. Continue reading

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Venerdi (Blue Tomato)

The pizzas coming out of the oven during my recent lunch at Venerdi were just those sort of ideal Neapolitan style pies: crisp outer crust with a slightly soupy interior. Nothing fancy. Just right. What I had for my lunch certainly met my palate’s preferences and exceeded my wishful expectations. If I’d had my Venerdi pizza while in Italy it wouldn’t have tasted out of place. Continue reading

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“Pay by the Clock” at Palm London Restaurant and Bar (OneTravel)

The welcoming atmosphere – along with a really tasty range of dishes – should certainly offer reason enough to visit, but a newly launched “PrimeTime” discount menu of cocktails and “Prime Bites” adds excellent and affordable incentive to pay this great place a visit. Continue reading

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Fantastic Free Range Rotisserie Chicken and More at Clockjack Oven, Soho

Clockjack Oven brings a supremely simple and savoury dining option to Soho with its free range rotisserie chicken and yummy back-to-basics menu. Continue reading

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Venerdi, a Very Welcome New Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant on Chatsworth Road, E5

Not quite two months old, there’s nothing particularly fancy or especially novel about Venerdi (well, aside from the half of a Fiat 500 mortared into the restaurant’s interior back wall) – just a superb selection of pizzas, pastas and classic Italian comfort food dishes. The vibe is friendly, as are the servers and even the patrons (an all-ages cross section of pleasant local yocal types). Continue reading

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Blue Boar Smokehouse & Bar, at London’s Intercontinental Westminster (OneTravel)

At £45 (about $68) per adult and £15 ($22) per child, brunch at the Blue Boar is an indulgence. Still, if you come with a hearty appetite and plan to relax over a few drinks, you should find the experience to offer exceptionally good value for an especially great meal. You’ll also be treated to friendly and efficient service along with live music in a chilled out and comfortable setting. Continue reading

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Luxury Sunday Brunch at the Blue Boar (CDCLifestyle)

Service was efficient and friendly … there was live music a la an acoustic guitarist … and just about everything pertaining to my brunch was pleasant and relaxing. The Blue Boar’s main dining room is especially comfortable. Beyond the dining area, an expansive bar and maze of cosy Chesterfield nooks await. Continue reading

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PrimeTime at Palm London, Belgravia

I really enjoyed my visit to Palm London and found its newly launched PrimeTime discount menu of cocktails and “Prime Bites” to be an excellent way to get a taste of what makes this neighbourhood favourite so special. Continue reading

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