The Live Lounge is situated in the Tudor Gardens on the sixth floor of the building, on the corner of Kensington High Street and Derry Street, where the entrance it opposite the old Barkers building. It promises to be a unique experience for visitors, both the gardens and the lounge are stunning and will undoubtedly make for a special night out.
Luvvie for the day, with the Come Dine With Me iPhone app! An application to help you plan your dinner party and allow you to play come dine with me with your friends.
I arrived and was introduced to the crew and fellow contestants, before being asked if we would like to sample some of the Hardys wines that we would be able to select from to go with our individual courses. As you are probably aware, Hardys sponsor Come Dine With Me and of course, my fellow contestants and I were more than happy to taste the wines.
New restaurant, Kopapa, in Seven Dials, Covent Garden, London
Lucky old Seven Dials, not only do they have the most fashionable steak and burger place in town in Hawksmoor, they now have another foodie magnet arriving in the shape of Kopapa, Peter Gordon’s newest restaurant, next Tuesday. Bloggers! Charge your camera batteries!
Road-testing Jamie’s 30 minute meals by Jamie Oliver
As the book that accompanies Jamie Oliver’s Channel Four series of the same title, Jamie’s 30 minute meals has received a lot of publicity. Lots of people have tried cooking along with the show, and failed. Qin Xie too has watched in awe as Oliver apparently peeled and chopped an entire tray of fruit in about two minutes, gawping at the impossibility of the task at hand. And yet here she is testing out the paper version.
Hard Rock Cafe 150 Old Park Lane, London W1K 1QZ
Before the burger became fashionable and big steaks become big draws, you only had one choice for a for a fix of American easy-eating. The Hard Rock Cafe. Joanna Biddolph fails to find her flared jeans to wear for the occasion but otherwise enjoys travelling back to the 70’s for a plateful of nostalgia.
Willie’s Chocolate Recipes
Recipes taken from Willie’s Chocolate Bible, published by Hodder & Stoughton (£25)
Willie’s Chocolate Bible by Willie Harcourt Cooze
When Willie Harcourt-Cooze first burst on to our TV screens in 2008, immersed in a bath of chocolate, it was the stuff of children’s books. This was a man so passionate about chocolate that at the start of his journey, he sold his home in London and moved to Venezuela where he bought a cacao farm – Hacienda El Tesoro. Qin Xie reviews his latest book.
Dining with Bisol Prosecco at Le Cafe Anglais
When Harrods officially opened the doors to the new Wine Shop on the 16th of November, Bisol threw a little celebratory dinner party to celebrate its new display in the champagne section. Qin Xie attended the celebrations and rather enjoyed the proseccos.
Marmite marketing drives one loyal user insane
The trouble with Marmite marketing started when they handed over the concept, and a large sum of money no doubt, to the Social Media marketers, the ones who sit around sockless in Hoxton, talk a lot of impenetrable jargon about Web 2 and attempt to grow beards before the hormones are ready to oblige.
Elena’s L’Etoile, 30 Charlotte Street, London, W1T 2NG
Elena’s L’Etoile, with its bistro charm, kicks out naughty frills and Frenchness like the can-can. Its eclectic and Art Deco decoration includes random brass wall inlays and two stained glass windows inserted in the ceiling. Pictures of actors and slebs – not all visitors – plaster the tobacco-coloured walls. Diners are respectable, good-humoured, full of bonhomie.