Tag Archives: wine
Good Stuff #47
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. Tacopedia: The Taco Encyclopedia Published … Continue reading
Win a Case of Prosecco Spumante Extra Dry Vallate from WineTrust
Online wine retailer, WineTrust, offers discerning customers a “ruthlessly edited selection” of wines from small independent wine makers whose products have “character and deliciousness that over-perform for their price.” Sounds good to me! So when the opportunity to pop the cork and collaborate with WineTrust presented itself, I raised my glass high to such delectable ambition and suggested we find a way to pass the bottle on to you lovely readers. Continue reading
Good Stuff #46
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. Lazy Arm With its 700mm … Continue reading
My Mini Grand Tour: Abbaye de Montheron
Set beside the Talent River within the wooded Jorat Valley (and only about a 15 minute drive outside central Lausanne), the Abbaye de Montheron is an ideal venue for special occasions, dynamic dinners paired with long forest walks, and quick rural retreats without having to put too much of a pause on all that urban luxury just up the road in Lausanne. Continue reading
TONIGHT: Milano Exposed at Old Spitalfields Market
This afternoon and tonight are your last opportunities to sample the range of Italian delicacies at the Milan Exposed event celebrating the best of aperitivo Milanese. Continue reading
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
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
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
My Food Assembled! Falling in Love with Food Assembly
Have you heard about Food Assembly? It’s a convenient new way to shop locally and seasonally that I’ve just come across – and have fallen in love with. Over the next few weeks, I’m going to share my personal Food Assembly experience across a series of My Food Assembled! posts to whet your appetite (and maybe even run a fun competition to give one lucky reader the chance to shop Food Assembly for free). Continue reading
Yelp London’s Big Night In: Free Treats and Services Delivered to Your Doorstep
Have you heard about Yelp’s Big Night In? With mega-loads of free treats and services being offered to 30 lucky Yelpers, a quiet Friday night at home never looked so good! Continue reading
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
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
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
Dining at the Renewed Aqua Nueva
It had been some while (like a couple of years) since I had last dined at Aqua Nueva, but I still held strong memories of how much I enjoyed my meal when I recently accepted an invitation to return for a visit after the soft launch of this Spanish restaurant that’s just reopened after a long hiatus for refurbishment. Continue reading
A Taste of Puglia: Drinking
The last post in my Taste of Puglia series was about the best bites from the region. But what drinks pair well with all that excellent southern Italian food … wine … coffee? Sure! Puglia can be proud of its contributions to these two most significant liquid elements of Italian culture. Continue reading
Maze Grill, Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea
Another week, another chance to visit another Maze Grill in Chelsea. Or so that’s how things have shaped up here on this blog with Leila Duke’s review last week of Maze Grill Park Walk and now my own write up of another recently opened MG in Chelsea – this one on Royal Hospital Road. Continue reading
Bird of Smithfield Soars into a Second Year
Happy birthday to Bird of Smithfield and cheers for the brilliant self-hosted bday par-tay! I had a blast and loved exploring your multiple floors of foodie fun – especially hanging out at your Veuve Clicquot roof terrace taking in the views of Smithfield Market and Clerkenwell. Continue reading
Find Sicily’s Tastiest Spots with the Free Agromobile App (OneTravel)
A recent and delicious visit to Sicily was made all the more juicy, fruitful and scenic with the Agromobile app. Agromobile is a website and a free to download app sharing food and wine related itineraries in Sicily. Interested “land … Continue reading
Artistan Wine Fair – RAW – Returns to Truman Brewery
My favourite wine event of the year, Raw, returns to London this Sunday and Monday (note: Monday is trade only) featuring “one of the most exciting collections of fine, natural, organic and biodynamic wine artisans” sharing some of the best … Continue reading
Le Vie della Zagara: Ceramic Dynamic Caltagirone
Caltagirone was one of those places where soon into my time there I started wondered about the price of local property. Could I afford to chuck it all in and relocate? How could I make such a transition work – and what kind of work would I even be able to do if I actually did settle there? Such a feeling of immediate attraction to a place often used to overwhelm me when travelling in my 20s and early 30s. It’s a less frequent – but much deeper and more exacting – experience when it hits me these days. No, I don’t think I’ll actually up and move to Caltagirone (and I very much love my life here in London), but that possibility lingers still in my thoughts as I remember it. And I sorely hope I’m don’t have to wait too long to return there for further exploration. Continue reading
The Real Greek Soho? It’s Real Good!
Maybe it’s just been a long time since I last visited one of the eight or so Real Greek restaurants around town, or perhaps this group of all rounder Eastern Mediterranean-style taverns has recently upped its game. Whatever the case … Continue reading
Win a Box of Wine from The Grape Club
I have recently tried and would love to recommend to you The Grape Club,– an online London-based subscription service that sends an assortment of four bottles of wine in a sturdy and easily transportable box to its members every month. There’s no membership fee, just a month payment of £45, which covers all the costs of having the club deliver a quartet of smartly selected quality quaffs directly to your door. Keep reading for more grape news about this new service as well as details about the chance to win a selection of four wines from The Grape Club. Continue reading
Fine Dining with a View to Match at Galvin at Windows, London Hilton Park Lane
Twenty-eight storeys up, the Michelin star shines brightly (and rightly) from Galvin at Windows restaurant atop the London Hilton Park Lane where diners are just as likely to ooh and ah over the food and drink as they are about the panoramic views of the city. Continue reading
On Safari with Chef Chavot (Great British Chefs)
Do you know what’s better than going on safari at one of South Africa’s most luxurious private game reserves? Going on safari at one of South Africa’s most luxurious private game reserves. Then heading back to the reserve’s award winning … Continue reading
Soho Stalwart Carom Gets a Refurb
One of Soho’s best destinations for a quality Indian meal, Carom, recently underwent refurbishment. Taking the popular pan-Indian restaurant up on an invitation to view its new “rough-luxe” interiors provided a good opportunity to have another taste of this Soho … Continue reading
Wine for Your Event
Planning a special event such as a wedding, family reunion, or birthday party, or even something business related for clients or colleagues? Running out of money, time and energy? Not sure how to make all the loose ends come together … Continue reading










