Black and Blue is a no-nonsense chain of steakhouses, loitering somewhere between an upmarket TGI Friday and a downscale Gaucho. Still relatively young, with seven branches already open across London, so far, so good.
The Bolingbroke
Named after a legendary politician and rake, the Bolingbroke feels very much part of its environs; large fronted and smartly decorated, it spreads a warm glow on a frankly nippy evening. Regular readers will know that we are fans of the Renaissance chain and The Bolingbroke certainly has enough good stuff to make it worth a visit if it’s in your neck of the woods.
Enjoy fine wines from Alsace with Andrew Jefford at Boundary in Shoreditch – just two tickets remaining
Experience classic French cuisine accompanied by stunning Alsace wines at a lunch hosted by wine writer Andrew Jefford at Boundary restaurant on Saturday 26th March
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.
Five Fat Hens: The Chicken and Egg Cookbook
This is a lovely book to read and cook from. As good to dip into on the commute to and from work as it is to use in the kitchen. So many cookbooks appear every week by people who are just after your money. Tim is after your soul or at the very least your yolk.
Pier Pressure:The Velvet Lobster, North Quay, Isle of Man
There’s a kind of mutual osmosis between The Lobster and its diverse clientele, and this stops the place being hijacked by cliques; not everything is fair-trade or organic, not all the staff have dredge locks, and it’s unlikely that someone will start strumming the guitar or free-styling poetry while you attend to your bagel. You can plug into the low-key buzz, or spread yourself out with the paper, a piece of coconut cake, and a view straight out of a great seafaring yarn.
The Manor Arms, Streatham, London
Maybe I’m being biased toward my own manor, but the Manor Arms is just what Streatham needs. We have wide-open spaces, we have large houses, our streets are prettily decorated with Tyskie tins and now we have somewhere to eat that isn’t Subway. If the kitchen could speed up, and the waitresses not forget things, it could be a real winner innit?
A Mother’s Day wine selection?
We have looked at a four wines that you might want to consider buying for your Mother’s Day meal, these might help you select the right ones for your table on this special occasion.
Laithwaites’ lucky dip, select a £900 bottle of wine for £5!
The lucky dip starts at 10 am on Saturday the 26th March until 8 pm that same day. We’re told that last year the event was so popular that entrants were queuing around the block to take part and the event as a whole was a sell out. So advice is that you should arrive early to ensure that you aren’t disappointed.
Asda makes a Mother’s Day treat
As we all know flowers and chocolates are the obvious Mother’s Day gift idea and we all rely on them year after year. But this year Asda have combined both of these traditional fall back options many of us buy for our mums into one product, their three dimensional Chocolate Flower Pot Cake.