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
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.
The Frog launches in Clapham Old Town
It was only when we approached The Frog for the re-launch event that we realised that we must have passed it a number of times before, but never noticed it. Well, it’s much more noticeable now: the exterior is light and inviting, with a fresh feel to it.
Massimo Bottura’s Magnum of Foie Gras
This is a rich dish that requires some skill and ideally some professional kitchen equipment, however experienced home cooks might improvise in order to achive similar results to those achieved by Massimo Bottura.
Le Cafe Anglais
Just moments from the Queensway drunks and suited career climbers (drunker still), Le Café Anglais occupies its own private entrance on Porchester Gardens. Lift ahoy up to the first floor (making it all feel a bit private members club) and you’re in.
Cedar Falls- Spa hotel in a Somerset style
Cedar Falls is one of the most refreshing places I have been to in a long while – figuratively speaking as much as anything else. A beautiful Georgian Manor House in the pretty village of Bishop’s Lydeard in Somerset, it’s a spa-and-stay kind of affair (although day guests are welcome too) with a very exciting and ambitious young chef to boot
Lunch with Massimo Bottura
While in the capital for Identità London recently, two Michelin starred Chef Massimo Bottura entertained food writers and bloggers to L’atelier des Chefs in Wigmore Street to present five dishes, all with the common ingredient of the event sponsors, the Italian lager Birra Moretti. The recipes were created to reflect the lead theme: The Luxury of Simplicity.
Keema Muttar
Keema Muttar is one of my favourite dishes and features on takeaway menus up and down the country. ‘Keema’ means minced meat (always lamb) and ‘muttar’ are peas and together, with an earthy blend of spices, they are transformed from two humble ingredients into something rather more special.
Hix Oyster and Chop House – Mark Hix
A new recipe book from Mark Hix, he of all the restaurants strewn around London bearing his name and the chef most beloved by ‘blokes’. Not for Mark the pansy hand of fusion, the effete mannerisms of molecular gastronomy. He’s the prop-forward of seasonal cuisine, always ready for a ruck, a maul and a singsong with the critics in the showers afterwards, while trying to stitch his ear back on.
Babur, London
‘Worth making the trek across town for.’ You know what that means? It means ‘located in South London.’ Why do so many reviewers make readers feel that when you cross the Thames heading south the map should be marked ‘here be dragons’ and illustrated with drawings of 4x4s being consumed by sea serpents?