Michelin Guide 2017: The 15 new Bib Gourmand restaurants in London October 7, 2016 The UK’s Michelin Guide 2017 has been unveiled, and there’s new addition to the accolades handed out to restaurants with exceptional cuisine. Bib Gourmands are given to less formal restaurants offering exceptional good food at moderate prices. Restaurants which achieve this special honour are not required to offer the same level of service as those [...]
M Restaurants hits its £1.35m crowdfunding target in 60 hours October 5, 2016 City favourite M Restaurants has raised £1.4m on crowdfunding platform Seedrs, beating its £1.35m target within 60 hours of launching its campaign. The award-winning group, which currently has restaurants M Threadneedle and M Victoria, hit its target last night and is now overfunding to £1.5m, raising the money to aid expansion. It plans to build M Social, a [...]
The 7 best places to drink champagne in London October 5, 2016 1. Osteria Barbican Centre, City of London A neon sign illuminating the herringbone parquet flooring of the Osteria bar boldly reads “Amore Bibo” or Latin for “Drink with love”, a knowing nod to the adjoining restaurant’s bold Italian cuisine. This week, it’s inviting guests for a themed tasting menu inspired the champagne house behind the [...]
Working Lunch: Cabotte review – a restaurant made by wine lovers for wine lovers in the heart of the City October 4, 2016 Cabotte 42 Gresham Street, EC2 WHAT? Winos of the world unite – a new restaurant has opened in the city curated by wine lovers for wine lovers. Two master sommeliers, Xavier Rousset and Gearoid Devaney, opened Cabotte a couple of weeks ago to marry the cuisine and vineyards of Burgundy. All senior staff are former [...]
Malbec in Bordeaux and in Burgundy bottles to boot: The new label extraordinaire going against the grain October 4, 2016 France has always been a nation of revolutionaries, whether they are political ones like Robespierre and Danton, scientists such as Marie Curie, or philosophers like Descartes or Jean Paul Sartre. So I suppose I should not be surprised to find a genuine wine revolutionary living next door to my new home in Gascony, who is [...]
These are quite possibly the eight best bottles of cognac in the world October 3, 2016 All cognac is brandy, but not all brandy is cognac. The real stuff is distilled in a small and highly protected wine-growing region around the town of Cognac in the south west of France and, like many wines and cheeses, it must meet the strict requirements of the ‘appellation d’origine controlee’ before it can be [...]
Our resident chef Mark Hix on why these orange giants should be eaten all year round September 27, 2016 Pumpkins and squashes aren’t just for Halloween. We should eat them like we do other more mainstream root vegetables, because they are equally delicious. The pumpkin and squash family, collectively known as cucurbits, are actually a fruit. They have hundreds of relatives; nearly a thousand to be precise, including melons and cucumbers. Years ago you would [...]
Dinner at The Twits at The Vaults is impressively immersive, but the food is as bad as it looks September 22, 2016 Dinner at The Twits invites you into the dining room of Roald Dahl’s most hideous creations, with the chef’s special being lashings of nostalgia. The Vaults at Waterloo has a revolving door of left-field productions, but this is the best use of the space I’ve seen, with real attention to detail in the creation of [...]
Our resident chef Mark Hix on how British farmers are extending asparagus season to incredible new lengths September 21, 2016 Traditionally, the asparagus season is a brief one, running from late April until late June depending on how our British weather behaves. But thanks to milder winters and clever growers, that season is getting longer. One producer who’s really put some thought into fighting the overseas competition is the Chinn Family, who grow asparagus in [...]
The six best hot dogs in London: From huge poles to dirty dogs, it’s our pick of the best sausages-in-a-bun September 20, 2016 1. The Polish Dog The Diner, Strand Proving it’s possible to give a hot dog a name you’re not embarrassed to say in front of your grandmother, The Polish Dog is a beef and pork wiener with caramelised onions and French’s mustard. Good job, The Diner, for not submitting to the childish temptation to call [...]