Tag Archives: restaurants

#BBQbound: An Epic Quest for the Best BBQ in the American South

I don’t mean to rub it in, but I’ve just returned from one of the sauciest adventures I’ve ever undertaken: a three-week road trip covering more than 2,500 miles across six states. The aim of my low ‘n slow sojourn was as straightforward as it was overindulgent – to find (and devour) the best BBQ in the American South. Continue reading

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Win a Pair of Tickets to BBC Good Food Show London 13 or 15 November

Interested in nibbling your way through an array of some of the UK’s best food? I’ve got a pair of tickets to share with one lucky reader for the upcoming BBC Good Food Show at Olympia London (plus tix to the Supertheatre). Keep reading to find out how you can win. Continue reading

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Cocoa Loco: Chocolate For Breakfast Never Looked So Good (Or Healthy!)

A photo posted by doisy & dam (@doisyanddam) on Sep 25, 2015 at 2:14am PDT Join Maddie Salters for a wholesome superfood breakfast. The scene outside of the 26 Grains Porridge Cafe could have been taken straight out of a … Continue reading

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Breakfast at The Alice House Queen’s Park

A recent invitation to try the newly launched morning menu at The Alice House in Queen’s Park (its sister venue in West Hampstead has been serving breakfast for a while now) proved a great reason to get up early and enjoy that most important meal of the day recently. How do like your eggs in the morning? Go tell Alice. Continue reading

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4 of the World’s Best Cities for Pizza (OneTravel)

October is Pizza Month, so we’ve compiled a short list of where to get the best in the world. Now, where did I leave out and where do you think the world’s best pizza can be found? Should your hometown, … Continue reading

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Create Your Perfect Pizza at PizzaBuzz, EC2

Custom-create your own pizza pie at newbie pizzeria, PizzaBuzz, on Worship Street (about halfway between Old Street and Moorgate Stations). While you’re there, enjoy the relaxed atmosphere, have a beer, some burrata and maybe some homemade ice cream too. Whether … Continue reading

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The Bell & Brisket Kitchen Takeover at The Barley Mow, Shoreditch

I’ve known Bel Shapiro – owner of The Bell & Brisket – for a number of years now and have been a fan of her “seriously pimped up salt beef bagels” all the while. I’ve also very much admired how she’s resisted any trendy urges to “go burger” along with the hipster tide and rather has looked to more local gourmand traditions to come up with something yummy that’s no less “street” and certainly just as zeitgeist-y as any other London grub you’re apt to sink your teeth into. Continue reading

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My Mini Grand Tour: A Great Stay in Gruyeres

A most memorable part of my recent visit to Switzerland was the time spent in and around Gruyères. In a lot of ways, the area was an ideal stomping grounds for me. Offering access to amazing art, great regional food, … Continue reading

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Waffle On at The Watch House

Waffle On at The Watch House is an evening kitchen takeover that, as far as I know, is an indefinite collaboration. Still, I’d recommend heading over ASAP because Waffle On’s buttermilk waffles are delish and The Watch House is comfortably cosy café whether you’re craving waffles or not. Continue reading

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Piled High and Fantastically Assembled Sarnies: Cafe Mish, Shepherd Market

I can’t claim to live in Mayfair, but any given week sees me passing through there multiple times. So a new (and good!) place to eat that doesn’t require making a reservation, refinancing my mortgage, or wearing fancy clothes is a most welcome addition. Continue reading

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One Sixty – City: “US Style” Smokehouse and Bar

After epic success with its original restaurant in West Hampstead (I’ve never been but have heard great things), the team behind One Sixty have opened a sister site roughly equidistant to Liverpool Street and Aldgate Tube stations. Meathead carnivores and folks in the area who like a strong drink: start salivating now if you haven’t already dabbled in the excesses on offer. Continue reading

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Grillstock London: A Walthamstow Hillbilly’s Homecoming?

So, I was all sorts of messed up this weekend. Not because of the beer (although I had access to copious amounts of it). Or the whiskey (similarly ample volumes were at my disposal). Or the meat (there were mounds of epic proportion). But because, as a judge at the Grillstock BBQ festival in Walthamstow, wave after wave of out-of-context familiarity kept slapping me silly with wafts of hickory smoke, the lilting plink of a banjo here and there, and the sight of thousands of folks come together to celebrate their love of slow and low cooked meat. Continue reading

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Squid Kitchen Brings Madrid Street Market Style to The King & Co, Clapham

Continuing with its pop-up approach to pub grubbing, The King & Co in Clapham has opened its kitchen to Madrileño style street food vendors, Squid Kitchen. A match made in heaven? It is if crisp craft beer coupled with cones overflowing with calamari sounds like you kind of fiesta. I loved my nosh through the recent launch party and am happy to gloat … erm … share the highlights of that occasion with you. Continue reading

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Donostia Social Club at Pop Brixton

I’ve snooped round container village Pop Brixton a few times now since it opened back in the spring. I like the vibe. I love the food there too – especially what’s being cooked up at street food trader Donastia Social Club’s first permanent pintxos bar loftily situated on the top level and near the entrance. Continue reading

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Classic Old School Italian Night Out at Getti, Jermyn Street

Hey, I’m all for innovation and for people attempting to wow my palate in new and different ways. Indeed, that’s what’s made writing about the London dining scene such a killer gig over these past several years. But – and it’s a big ole booty butt – if something ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And in the case of Jermyn Street’s mainstay trattoria, Getti, everything seemed A-Okay and in delicious working order during my recent visit. Continue reading

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Ninth Ward, New Orleans Style Bar in Clerkenwell

Ninth Ward is a New Orleans style restaurant and bar that opened several weeks back near Farringdon Station (there’s a more established sister restaurant in New York as well). It’s a good place to consider for your next Clerkenwell drinking session with a menu of bar snacks and American fixings to abate any appetite. Continue reading

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Vinothec Compass: A Stroke of Food and Wine Genius in North Greenwich

Realising that one of the better meals served to me this year and the best wine list I’ve come across in London in quite a long while both happened to be on offer at a new golf range in North Greenwich really threw me for a loop. But hey, I’m apt to take a swing at virtually any possibility if there’s the promise of great food and drink. Accepting an invitation to what seemed like a long shot – an evening of “Terroir and Turf” at Vinotech Compass at Peninsular Golf Range – turned out to be an ace culinary experience that’s easy to recommend and one that I hope to repeat soon. Continue reading

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16 of the Best Bars in Bali (OneTravel)

Welcome to paradise! Here have a drink and enjoy perusing this list of the best bars on the beautiful island of Bali. Cheers! Read my complete post at OneTravel.

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Wine and Spice at The Cinnamon Club

Led by affable and knowledgeable Laurant Chaniac, wine consultant to The Cinnamon Club and Kitchen, the intimate event was held in the restaurant’s intimate library, where guests were invited to sample a range of greek wines paired with exceptional dishes such as pistachio and spice crusted saddle of lamb and tandoori cod with fenugreek seeds. I loved all the wines and pairings of the night, but without doubt my favourite was the one at the end served with dessert: an especially deep flavoured Assyetiko Vin Santo 2004 (of which only 1,000 bottles had been produced). Continue reading

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Good Stuff #44

Good stuff? Great stuff! And so much of it I’m having trouble keeping track and sharing the best of it in a timely manner. But don’t let my inadequate ability to blog efficiently get in the way you having a wonderful time. Have a look a this list of 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 Fire Station Hots up Waterloo Once Again

After a year long refurb, The Fire Station near Waterloo Station has reopened with a new look and menu. I tagged along to the relaunch last month and liked what I saw and what I tasted. Continue reading

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Ask for Janice

This casual bar and restaurant is a welcome addition to the cluster of food and drink options around Smithfield Market. I loved sipping my Beast of Bourbon cocktail (Woodford Reserve, sweet vermouth, crème de mure, £9). The stout salt squid (£8) was pretty yummy too as was most everything else I nibbled. I wasn’t too sure about my grenadine-y seasonal pickles (£3) though. Continue reading

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Whaam! Win Free Banh Mi for a Week | Get a Free Americano with Purchase of Sandwich

About two months ago, I had the pleasure of reviewing Vietnamese style sandwich shop, Whaam Banh Mi, near Piccadilly Circus. Now, I’m teeming up with this friendly little Soho eatery to offer one reader a week’s worth of banh mi for free and the opportunity for everybody to get a free cup of coffee over the next week. Continue reading

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Afternoon Tea with a Difference with Bird of Smithfield and Veuve Clicquot

In celebration of Afternoon Tea Week – Monday the 10th to Saturday the 15th of August – Bird will be offering guests sandwiches with a twist, classic scones and yummy cakes – all served alongside “The Earl of Veuve” cocktails (Veuve Clicquot Rich infused with delicate Earl Grey leaves). Continue reading

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Potbelly Brings Chicago-Style Made-to-Order Sandwiches to Westfield Stratford City

Truly impressed and way more excited than I expected to be, I’m dying to go back – on an empty stomach – to devour more. Continue reading

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The Bonneville: Absinthe Minded Pursuit of Cocktails in Clapton

However you like your absinthe served (or if you even known whether or not you actually like absinthe at all), Giles’ bar is the place to give it a go. I especially enjoyed sipping Nouvelle Orleans’ Absinthe Superieure and marvelled at all the other bottles of absinthe behind the bar (no, I wasn’t seeing double). Continue reading

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Pensacola, FL Is the Foodie Paradise You Never Knew About (Miles Away)

Sunny days, sandy beaches and sensational food – Pensacola is one of America’s tastiest seaside destinations. From farmers’ markets and “flip-flop fine dining” to innovative regional and international haute cuisine, if you’re hankering for something good to eat, this friendly Gulf Coast town has plenty to go round. Continue reading

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Brighton Bound? Bincho Yakitori for Japanese Grilled Greatness Near the Beach

Yep, the same Bincho that used to grace London’s foodie havens of Soho and Clerkenwell with its simple menu of mostly grilled meats made all the more moreish by a Japanese approach to flavour, style and service is now pleasing palates in cozy little Brighton nook only a few blocks up from the beach. Too bad so sad London, Brighton’s got ya beat this time around. I paid an early evening weekday visit a week or so ago, and had a delightful time sampling my way through the menu – at a fraction of the cost such a exploratory dabble of a meal would set me back here in London. A flight of sake to start things off (the list of Japanese drinks was impressive), followed by a pint of Super Dry Asahi and I was ready for a parade of izakaya hits. Continue reading

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Food Yard Friday at The Artworks Elephant, Elephant & Castle

I had a blast and a lot of amazing street food (and drink!) during last week’s inaugural Food Yard Friday at The Artworks Elephant (a studio and retail hub comprised of shipping containers situated near Elephant & Castle Station). And now that it’s Friday again, here’s your chance to partake in this delicious new series “of food, drink, art and music shebangs.” Whether you’re passing through or making Elephant & Castle your base for the evening, I highly recommend paying a visit. Just make sure to bring a hearty appetite! Continue reading

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It’s Dawg Days for Byron Burgers with the New Freddar Cheese

The Freddar Dawg is a cheeseburger stacked with a 6oz beef patty cut into (think: conjoined slider twins) and served in a brioche-y hot dog roll with streaky bacon, onion, pickles, shredded iceberg lettuce, American mustard, Byron sauce and (drumroll please) the newly debuted Freddar cheese. Continue reading

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Living Lech: A Taste of Austria’s Gourmand Side

Austria, like any culture-rich nation, has a consummate tradition of food: timeless recipes, fresh ingredients, and local preferences. That’s given. What I didn’t expect from my four-day trip to Lech, a traditional valley town nestled into the sprightly Alps, was for my farm-fresh experience to cross-over with world-renown couture gastronomy. And here’s the thing about couture: it always fits. (Not sure if I could say the same for my jeans afterwards.) Continue reading

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Camino Tapas Bar Carves a Path to a New Bankside Location

Furthering restaurateur Richard Bigg’s vision of casual Spanish dining in Britain, Camino Bankside offers Londoners more opportunity to enjoy Executive Chef Nacho Del Campo’s smart menu of tapas, sharing platters and more in a stylish setting with plenty of outdoor seating. Continue reading

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Nothing Jarring about a Relaxing Dinner at Drury Lane’s Jar Kitchen

A member of the Sustainable Restaurant Association, Jar Kitchen’s menu features plenty of British fare (all meat sourced from Walter Rose & Son butchers in Wiltshire) with a contemporary European twist along with tasty items presumably picked up just round the restaurant’s Seven Dials corner (chiefly Monmouth Coffee and Neal’s Yard Dairy). And – from what I could ascertain at a recent tasting event – I it’s all in good hands with Chef Dominik Moldenhauer (ex-Heston Blumenthal’s Dinner). Continue reading

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Pizza Union, Pentonville Road, King’s Cross

I’m not sure which I love more: a great pizza or a great bargain. But if I can get ‘em both in one go at a convenient and actually rather stylish setting then I reckon that’s a big tasty win that warrants a shout out! Already a fan of the original restaurant in Spitalfields, I am so pleased to share the good news that Pizza Union has opened a second location on Pentonville Road near King’s Cross St Pancras station. Continue reading

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