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!

  • De Bortoli vat 12 Sangiovese 2008

    Thursday August 12th, 2010

    This is a very good wine that would work well with a variety of dishes and would be a great candidate to take along when invited to lunch, dinner or indeed, a barbecue.

  • Cuvee Royale, Crémant de Limoux Brut

    Wednesday August 11th, 2010

    Cuvee Royale, Crémant de Limoux comes from the Languedoc region of France, which is steeped in wine making history dating back to the 5 th century BC. This fresh, clean tasting Crémant would make a great aperitif. It is also an excellent choice for drinking well chilled on a hot summer’s day while relaxing in the garden or having a picnic in the park.

  • Volupte introduces Tuesday evening and free lunchtime show packages

    Thursday August 5th, 2010

    Decadence is the order of the day at Volupté, rich deep maroon colours on the walls, with feature walls and areas, and low lighting to accentuate the feel of something just a little naughty. It is definitely a little different from any other restaurant lunch or dinner.

  • Mont Tauch Fitou 2008

    Thursday August 5th, 2010

    Mont Tauch is the largest co-operative in Fitou, southern France and their Cellar Reserve Terroir d’Altitude Vieilles Vignes is made from grapes grown at high altitudes on old vines. The Mont Tauch Fitou is available Morrison’s at £7.99 which is good price for this lovely wine, it is versatile and worth putting on your shopping list this summer.

  • New Wave Spanish wines

    Wednesday July 28th, 2010

    On, reportedly, the hottest day of the year, when the temperature in London had been predicted to rise to a sweltering 32 degrees I attended the New Wave Spain wine tasting at The Worx in Heathmans Road, Parson’s Green. The wines were lined up on long trestle tables set up end to end, a little like the set up for a jumble sale or a bazaar.

  • Alvin Leung cooks up a storm

    Thursday July 22nd, 2010

    I was invited to Alvin Leung’s cooking masterclass at L’atelier des Chefs in Wigmore Street recently to see how Alvin creates some of his X-treme Chinese cuisine at Bo Innovation in Hong Kong, where he holds two Michelin stars.

  • 2009 – A good year for Beaujolais

    Thursday July 22nd, 2010

    I have never been a real fan of Beaujolais, my experience has mainly been the race each November to get and drink your first glass of that year’s vintage of Beaujolais Nouveau as soon after its release as possible.  So having been invited to ‘Fabuleux Beaujolais 2009’ in Paris, how fortunate that I accepted, my eyes were opened to the great diversity of the produce from this part of France.

  • The Bull Hotel Restaurant and The Stable, Bridport, Dorset

    Thursday July 22nd, 2010

    The Bull a double fronted Hotel on East Street gives the impression that it is a fairly modest establishment. However, apart from the nineteen guest rooms, there are two bars, a dining room and a rather impressive ballroom. There is also The Stable, which has its own bar, where cider is the focus, together with some interesting and tasty pizzas and pies.

  • Zan Zi Bar, High Street, Edgware, Middlesex

    Sunday July 11th, 2010

    The food at Zan Zi Bar is excellent, and worth going out of your way for, or maybe trying a take away or home delivery, we certainly enjoyed their food, beer and the Sauvignon Blanc.

  • Château Thivin 2007

    Saturday July 10th, 2010

    Chateau Thivin has an attractive deep ruby/claret colour in the glass.  This is a lovely wine that is great to drink on its own, or with food, this wine’s smooth fruity flavious with a slight acidity would work equally well with cheeses and dishes that have a richness to them.

  • The Bernard Series Basket Press Syrah

    Tuesday July 6th, 2010

    This rather lovely wine which comes from the Bellingham winery, which is more than 350 years old and located in Franschoek, a short distance from Cape Town. The Bernard Series Basket Press Syrah, 2007 is an excellent wine, a joy to drink and lovely on the palate, it is currently available from Sainsbury's at £9.99 and worth every penny.

  • Bob Bob Ricard, Upper James Street, London

    Thursday July 1st, 2010

    Bob Bob Ricard is a great place to eat, you could simply go there and experience the Zakuski and ice cold vodka, or other small plates, with vodka shots or other drinks, alternatively choose from their a la carte menu which has items to suit all pockets. We had a great time there and will definitely go back. We loved it and are sure you will.

  • The Lock, The Runnymede-on-Thames Hotel, Egham, Surrey

    Thursday July 1st, 2010

    The Lock is an excellent restaurant to seek out and go to for lunch or dinner. The decor in the restaurant is relaxing and makes for a great setting in which to sit and enjoy a meal, the patio should you wish to eat outside has a great outlook. With great views and really good food, this is a place worth making your way to.

  • Restaurant at The Petersham , The Petersham Hotel, Richmond,

    Thursday June 24th, 2010

    The Restaurant at The Petersham is excellent. It would certainly be a great place to have a celebratory meal, or just to spoil yourself when you feel inclined. It is somewhere that should be sought out and visited. Definitely one for the list.

  • Identita London

    Thursday June 24th, 2010

    Identita London brought 16 of the world’s premiere and renowned chefs together in one place to share some of their secrets and techniques with their colleagues and attendees interested in food. Now, this two day event could be a bit of a marathon, so I attended on the first morning when three of the four chefs I had most wanted to see were demonstrating the creation of some of their dishes.

  • Filippo Berio launch their new bottle design

    Thursday June 24th, 2010

    It was on a wet morning earlier this month that I went to Francesco Mazzei’s rather lovely restaurant L’Anima for breakfast, all to hear first-hand about Filippo Berio’s launch of their new olive oil bottle.

  • The Lonsdale, Notting Hill, launches

    Thursday June 24th, 2010

    We arrived at the launch party for The Lonsdale rather later than we had intended, it was after 9.30 and all was in full swing, with young and not so young, west Londoners spilling out onto Lonsdale Road with colourful cocktails and beers in hand, taking advantage of the warm evening and of course the freedom to smoke out there.

  • Tompkins, Canary Wharf, launches in grand style

    Thursday June 24th, 2010

    Tompkins launched recently to a host of invited guests, yours truly amongst them. We arrived at this vast establishment early on in the evening, and it was as well that we did as it gave us the opportunity to take a good look at the place before it was crowded with several hundred people.

  • All Bar One launches its 3rd annual Rosé Festival

    Thursday June 24th, 2010

    I always think of rosé as a summer drink, so refreshing when sat outside in some nicely shaded area on a warm sunny day with a well chilled glass of pink, droplets of water condensing on the side of the glass - heaven.

  • Richard Bertinet Launches his new book ‘Cook’ with a cooking masterclass

    Monday June 14th, 2010

    Invited recently to the launch of Richard Bertinet’s new book Cook, at a well known kitchen showroom in Wigmore Street, I arrived hot and bothered having not had the best of journeys. I descended to the lower ground floor where an active kitchen is set up to join a select gathering of food writers and others from the foodiemedia. After a quick cup of coffee, I was immediately set to work.