Where to drink in the City: The changing face of Square Mile nightlife September 17, 2014 The City of London: engine-room for the country’s economy, working place of some of the most powerful decision-makers in the Western world. But the Square Mile is strangely anachronistic in terms of its watering holes. If you fancy a drink after work, the choice has tended to be between good old spit and sawdust boozers [...]
Dish of the day: Salt cod beignets with scallops and blood orange September 9, 2014 Salt cod is dried and salted and needs to be soaked before use. It’s popular in Mediterranean cooking, particularly in Spain (it’s known there as bacalao), where it’s incorporated into many different meals. One of the most popular involves deep-frying it in croquettes, similar to this beignet dish we cook at the Boundary. It works [...]
Dish of the day: Blueberry Pancakes from One Canada Square September 2, 2014 Jamie Dobbin worked at celebrity haunt The Ivy before he was appointed head chef at One Canada Square, Canary Wharf. The restaurant offers a Bottomless Brunch at the weekend, offering two courses for £20 or three for £25, with unlimited selected cocktails or wine for an extra £15. I first stepped into the restaurant about [...]
Review: TED Restaurant August 26, 2014 I’m a sustainability hypocrite. If I were at a dinner party and the host served bluefin tuna, I’d take great pleasure in making a scene. “How very dare you? Don’t you know bluefin numbers have dropped by 96 per cent thanks to intensive fishing? And while we’re at it, did you know they can swim [...]
Dish of the Day: The Noodle House’s Pad Thai August 21, 2014 The Noodle House opened on Shaftebusry Avenue in April. Ambitious head chef Dariusz Dziadkiewicz aims to give customers a taster of the diverse food of South East Asia, from curries, to noodles to spicy broths. The restaurant serves seven different types of noodle and 17 blends of herbal tea. I joined The Noodle House [...]
The best places in London to gorge on grouse August 12, 2014 Boisdale Boisdale (Canary Wharf, Bishopsgate and Belgravia) will be serving a young roasted Berwickshire grouse from tonight. From 18 August you can get the bird with game chips, and a 175ml glass of Pinot Noir for £26.50. Visit boisdale.co.uk and quote “Grouse Offer”. The Jugged Hare Traditional City eatery The Jugged Hare is kicking [...]
Dish of the Day: Salt Yard’s Ben Tish on the perfect strawberries and cream August 6, 2014 There’s nothing like the sight and scent of perfectly ripe, red strawberries to get summer spirits soaring. My take on the quintessentially English classic of strawberries and cream is quick and easy to prepare, making it a great choice of pudding for a spontaneous barbecue or al fresco lunch. Macerated simply means you’re throwing it [...]
Mix it up: Take a victory sip of the cocktail created by the UK’s best bartender August 6, 2014 For centuries, we got along just fine making cocktails without the need to turn it into a competition – the winning was in the drinking. But in recent years, drinks companies have been putting on more cocktail competitions than you can shake a shaker at. Don’t let the thought of competitive drinking lure you in [...]
Dish of the Day: Vivek Singh’s lamb and sweetcorn curry July 29, 2014 I’ve been executive chef with the Cinnamon Group since 2001. That was at the start of the wave of modern Indian cuisine in Britain. The Cinnamon Club in Westminster was the first restaurant in the group to open about 14 years ago and it’s a temple of gastronomy. It’s very close to the House of [...]
Abandon your prejudices and drink rosé this summer July 29, 2014 It’s high summer and that can only mean one thing: death by rosé. At the barbecues and on the patios of England, pink wine is being served by the gallon. We all smile politely and neglect to tell our hosts that most of it is barely drinkable. Like others I have always been a rosé [...]