akandpa (Alan King)

akandpa (Alan King)

Having been interested in cooking from an early age, I often cooked at home as a child.  My first job was as a trainee chef at The Ritz Hotel in Central London. However, split shifts and unsocial working hours were not for me, so I left and took up office work. I entered a career in the Civil Service, where I worked until late 2008, when I took early retirement.  I now have the privilege of working on things that I enjoy. Food and its creation has remained a passion throughout my life and I have been writing about it for some years now, originally as a house reviewer for london-eating, I moved to foodepedia at its launch. I write under the akandpa name as it is more distinctive than Alan King – there are a lot of Alan King’s out there!

  • Restaurant safari with Taste of London

    Tuesday May 31st, 2011

    Invited to a Soho restaurant safari by the Taste of London people, I accepted  straight away. The Safari was to give us a flavour of some dishes that three Soho restaurants, Quo Vadis, Gauthier Soho and Bocca di Lupo/Gelupo, would be serving up at the forthcoming Taste of London, held at Regent’s Park from 16 to 19 June this year.

  • New beginnings at Ponti’s: lunch with Stafano Ispani

    Thursday May 26th, 2011

    Alan King talks with the owner and CEO of Ponti’s, Stafano Ispani, over lunch at the recently re-launched Ponti’s Italian Kitchen, Oxford Circus. Stafano talked about his vision for the future of the group. Having previously avoided Ponti’s, Alan is favourably impressed by the style of the place, the artisan produce offered and the quality of this authentic Italian cuisine.

  • The Grazing Goat. New Quebec Street, London

    Monday May 23rd, 2011

    Recently refurbished, The Grazing Goat has a ‘modern rustic’ feel, both to its bar and the first floor restaurant, with its wood clad walls, wooden floors and furniture enhanced with a scattering of artefacts. We had a great meal at The Grazing Goat, their service is attentive and the staff very helpful.

  • Red Stag launches in the UK

    Tuesday May 17th, 2011

    I knew it was going to be dangerous soon after I arrived there, having rocked up at L’Atelier des Chefs for an event that was part of the launch of Red Stag. I was immediately brought a cocktail, which had been predetermined by my answer to a multiple choice question when responding to the invitation. My Claremont Julep went down very easily, a little too quickly and it confirmed that the evening was likely to be a slippery slope.

  • McGuigan Wines launch The Shortlist

    Tuesday May 17th, 2011

    ‘You’ve been shortlisted’, it read, and actually I knew that I had been, I’d been keeping a date free in my diary for months. This was my invitation to The Roof Gardens in Kensington for a formal(ish) four course dinner to celebrate the UK launch of the McGuigan range of award winning wines, The Shortlist.

  • Iberica wines, a taste of Spain

    Monday May 9th, 2011

    This is an exciting development and I selected six of these new wines to these shores, two white and four red, to give you an idea of the flavours you might expect as well as their quality. These were some lovely wines with good fresh vibrant flavours; they’ve been well selected by Bruno Murciano, Iberica’s sommelier.

  • Petrichor, The Cavendish Hotel, London

    Thursday May 5th, 2011

    Petrichor has a seasonal a la carte menu and describe their cooking style as ‘contemporary British’. The ingredients used in preparing their dishes are sourced wherever possible from British farms and producers. The food at Petrichor was excellent and the atmosphere was sedate and charming we very much enjoy our meal there.

  • Tasting Languedoc wines

    Tuesday May 3rd, 2011

    It has to be said and perhaps many of you will know already, I’m not a lover of going to wine tastings. But having found some gems at the Languedoc Grands Crus tasting I was actually quite pleased that I had gone. I got to taste some lovely wines. Now it’s up to you, if you feel inspired, check them out.

  • Celtic Marches Liqueurs

    Sunday May 1st, 2011

    Celtic Marches Beverages has created two liqueurs, both brandy based. The ‘Bloody Furlong’, flavoured with apple and maple and the ‘Number Nine Liqueur’ flavoured with apple and blackcurrant. Each of these liqueurs is made from fruit grown on the family owned farm where the liqueurs are produced.

  • Mont Tauch L’Ancien Comté Grenache Blanc

    Wednesday April 27th, 2011

    Wines made entirely from Grenache Blanc aren’t commonly available in the UK, making this wine something new for most people’s palates to savour. L’Ancien Comté Grenache Blanc has body from its oak ageing giving it a slightly syrupy feel in the mouth, yet retaining a lovely tingly effervescent quality, particularly at the edges of your tongue. It’s a nicely challenging white with great character.

  • Barbican Lounge

    Sunday April 24th, 2011

    The Barbican Lounge is a relatively new restaurant, the space having been completely renovated, retaining a 60’s/70’s style (yeah baby!). The menu is anything but 60’s/70’s, they have gone for tapas style eating. So, if you just want some great food served in a tapas style while enjoying a relaxed atmosphere, it's a great place to visit.

  • Namaaste Kitchen: lunch at the Chef’s Table

    Tuesday April 19th, 2011

    For lunch we worked our way through a range of tasting plates that had been specially selected from the Namaaste Kitchen menu. These were all very tasty dishes, bright and full flavoured, giving the taste buds a great work out, I absolutely savoured and enjoyed every mouthful.

  • Pommery Champagne

    Thursday April 14th, 2011

    Champagne is seen by many as a drink to have just at special times, but why restrict ourselves to just those occasional moments? Champagne is an ideal wine to drink and share with your partner or introduce to your guests at any time. If the sun’s out and you’re relaxing having a pleasant afternoon, that’s reason enough in my book.

  • The Sustainable Restaurant Association; a year on, 600 members

    Thursday April 14th, 2011

    The Sustainable Restaurants Association, is a ‘not for profit’ organisation and although their principal aim is to help restaurants become more sustainable, they also aim to help you, the customer, make more sustainable choices as to where you might eat out. In these days of growing ecological concerns, the SRA is an organisation we should all consider getting behind.

  • Claude Bosi, Isabelle Legeron and biodynamics at Hibiscus

    Monday April 11th, 2011

    My lunch with Isabelle Legeron, at Claude Bosi’s two Michelin starred restaurant, Hibiscus, was a great experience, both interesting and enlightening. I had been invited to sample the pairing of some of the Biodynamic wines Isabelle has selected for the Hibiscus list, with the excellent organic dishes on the menu. So, what is biodynamic production?...

  • Redwood Creek wines

    Thursday April 7th, 2011

    The Redwood Creek range of wines from Californian is being marketed, to some extent, to those who are ‘rugged’ and outdoorsy. So as non-outdoorsy people, OK neither are we rugged, we decided to try some of these fruity Californian wines and let you know if this was a pre-requisite to enjoying them.

  • Chez Gerard, Tower of London

    Wednesday April 6th, 2011

    The restaurant has an authentic French feel about it reminding me in its style of several I have visited in Paris over the years. Chez Gerard, Tower of London, certainly didn’t feel like part of a chain, the food was very good indeed. We certainly enjoyed our meal there.

  • Flavours from Piacenza

    Tuesday April 5th, 2011

    ‘Aperitifs as 7.00pm – Dinner at 7.30pm’, the invitation from the Consorzio Piacenza Alimenttare and Confindustria Piacenza said. So not wishing to be a rude guest, and being quite ready for an aperitif we arrived at the Italian Cultural Institute in Belgrave Square soon after 7.00pm.

  • Pimm’s Launch the Summer Party

    Saturday April 2nd, 2011

    Launching their Summer Party, the people at Pimm’s took over parts of Lambeth Palace and the Secret Garden within the Palace’s walls, dressing the place with garlands of coloured lights and bunting. I have to say that it was a bit quirky, well quite a lot quirky actually.

  • Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé Brut

    Wednesday March 30th, 2011

    Looking for something a little more special and elegant as a Mother’s Day gift, or indeed a gift for any celebration? You might like to consider a bottle of Laurent-Perrier Cuveé Rosé, a lovely Champagne that’s presented well in its characteristic bottle. It looks and indeed is, an excellent bottle of wine.