Discovering Turning Leaf colours

Californian winemakers Turning Leaf have recently launched their ‘Discover the Colour” campaign to present their portfolio of five wines as expressions of colour. To be precise, Turning Leaf’s oenologist Stephanie Edge has teamed up with Dutch chef Esther Röling to create a new series of colourful recipes designed to match the Turning Leaf wines throughout the seasons. Qin Xie was invited to sample their selection of wines and some of the summery dishes to match.

The’Eye’, a focal point of the London Restaurant Festival

The London Restaurant Festival team recently set things in motion by putting tickets on sale for what promises to be perhaps the most exclusive pop up restaurant. Starting with drinks at the Savoy guests will be taken by boat to the London Eye where a capsule will have been transformed into a ten seat restaurant serving dishes from a glittering cast of Michelin starred chefs.

Gidleigh Park, Chagford, Devon

The trouble with heading someplace that everyone proclaims ‘you’ll absolutely love!” is that it immediately puts the recipient of such a comment on the back foot. But Gidleigh Park deserves all its accolade and acclaim. The food is sublime; packed with beautifully juxtaposed flavours.

One Greedy Italian

It’s hard to stop grazing on the anti pasti, which is what makes Italian food so great; the sense of sharing, of conviviality, of food as life. It’s all so different from the Church of Food we seem to have constructed for ourselves here in London. Heads down, talk only in whispers and raise reverential gazes to Chef in His Kitchen.

Tamarind to take on the Terminator

Tamarind, the posh Indian restaurant in Mayfair, has decided to end the spice drought in Arny Schwarznegger’s California and open Tamarind of London in Newport Beach, Orange County one of the best beachside cities on the Pacific Coast.

The Grazing Goat. New Quebec Street, London

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.

Feng Sushi’s Japanese Barbecue on the South Bank

The preponderance of chains on the South Bank leaves many spoilt for no real choice. Feng Sushi’s innovative summertime only barbecue allows us to break free from the formulaic and, as Joanna Biddolph discovered, grab a quick bite and a cocktail, to fill a gap, on the way to a concert, film or play – or as an after-work snack. The barbecue fills a physical gap on the South Bank, too.