It was 5pm on a Tuesday and the perfect time for some champagne. Well champagne and canapés at the glamorous new Searcy’s Champagne Bar launch, that is. And that’s exactly where Qin Xie was on the 29th of March.
Pimm’s Launch the Summer Party
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.
Baranis cocktail masterclass, cocktails with anisette
Whisky and more at 69 Colebrooke Row
Qin Xie was recently invited to sample some fine Scotch whiskies at 69 Colebrooke Row, where many a delightful cocktail had been consumed in the past. It’s the sort of bijoux venue where there’s just enough light to cast a pleasing glow over everything, and everyone. And, if you know someone who knows someone, you can even take a tour in the lab upstairs where the possibilities are simply endless.
Baking bread with Spelt from Mulberry owner Roger Saul’s Sharpham Park Mill
He may not sound like the obvious choice for expounding the virtues of the most recent super-grain to hit the mainstream, but Roger Saul, founder of handbag brand Mulberry, couldn’t be better qualified.
Hooray for the Upper Glasses
Traiteur and chef Franck Pontais won last year’s UK Iron Chef contest, although presumably not with verrines which are not exactly hunky He loves verrines, he even has a book about them, and has popped up with his pop-up Glass Kitchen, as part of Harvey Nicks Taste Lab project.
The Great British Food Revival or Dead Air Time?
The latest episode in a show that attempts to resuscitate the lacklustre British palate started with restaurateur and part-time Frenchman Michel Roux exclaiming: ‘I’m Michel Roux and I’m passionate about bread.” From these unpromising beginnings you wonder how Roux is going to make a 30 min programme on bread interesting, and to give him credit, he tries.
Celebrating 35 years of Nicolas Feuillatte
The National Cafe brings Flanders to London
The National Cafe has a new menu of food from Flanders to celebrate the Flemish artist Gossaert and his works on show at the National Gallery. There’s not a mussel in sight but, as we found out, there’s plenty of clever, tasty cooking and a range of deliciously dangerous beers.