A London café specialising in sweet treats was transformed into a Catalan home kitchen for one night only. Courtesy of Cava producer, Codorníu, ‘Bea’s of Bloomsbury’ was decorated with Bacchanalia.
Byron Hamburgers
I liked Byron a lot despite my burger prejudices. From what I’ve seen they make each outlet appropriate to the building it’s in and don’t enforce homogeneity. The meat is well sourced and, I suspect, normally correctly cooked too. The idea that good burgers can be found in normal places with professional service, pricing and consistent quality may be anathema to the burger bloggers but Byron is a chain I can’t see breaking anytime soon
Nepenthe wines – an elixire, or simply great wine?
The name Nepenthe is drawn from one of the most famous works of historic Greek poet, Homer. In the Odyssey Homer described Nepenthe as an ancient herbal drink so powerful that it eases grief and banishes sorrow from the mind. Do these Nepenthe wines have magical qualities that raise the spirits? I’m not sure, but what I can say is that they are great quality and absolutely worth seeking out.
Namaaste Kitchen, lunch like no other
When you get invited to sample the menu at a new restaurant, you sort of expect to try a few things that define the restaurant and make up your mind based on that. Generally, they’re the most interesting things on the menu anyway but you will almost always walk away more than satisfied. On this occasion, Qin Xie was invited to sample the new menu at Namaaste Kitchen – a restaurant so new, even finding its website on Google had been a struggle. But they do have one, it’s at www.namaastekitchen.co.uk.
SIX at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Arts Gateshead
Annie Lund heads to the top of the BALTIC centre for dinner at SIX. It’s all capital letters but is it a capital meal experience?
Karam Sethi Takes Trishna
Karam Sethi will take over as head chef of Trishna, London on St. Valentine’s day. With previous experience at Bukhara in Delhi (a regular of the San Pellegrino World 50 Best Restaurants), Trishna Mumbai and Zuma London, he will bring a modern take on traditional coastal classics.
365 Good Reasons to Sit Down and Eat
I’m not sure any of us need a good reason to sit down and eat, more like a good reason not to, but it takes a Frenchman to remind us that food should be fun and not a visit to church. Here are 365 good reasons never to go to a restaurant again. Bon Appetit!
Polpo Cicheti
The Polpo Cicheti Bar is planned to open on 8th February 2011 and will be located on the lower ground floor at Polpo. The Polpo Cicheti Bar will be a place for a pre/post-dinner drink or a light cicheti snack accompanied by an ‘ombra’, in the true Venetian style.
Rosella Wild Hibiscus Flowers: perfect for a special occasion
An excellent idea for Valentine’s Day, Porter Foods, bring you Rosella Wild Hibiscus Flowers in syrup. These little blooms look great in the glass, with the bubbles from your Champagne or other sparkling white wine rising gently from them.
Little Beauty, delightful New Zealand wines, vibrantly fruity and full of character.
The Little Beauty wines come from Marlborough in New Zealand, the country’s principal wine producing region, where the climate and terrain is renowned as being ideal for growing grapes that make excellent wines. The two wines that I tasted recently, the Dry Riesling 2009 and the Pinot Noir 2009 are prime examples of this.