Viajante. London

Viajante is not your average eatery, let’s be honest… it is more of an ‘experience’ than a run-of-the-mill restaurant, but it is quite special indeed. I think that it is definitely somewhere that the consummate foodies among you should experience before it becomes too trendy, too popular and too impossible to get a reservation at.

A foodie weekend in Aberdeenshire

Venison and whisky lord over the menu when Anita Pati takes a foodie trip of Aberdeenshire. And the cock pheasants spar while the Cairngorms twinkle. What else in a land where monarch of the glen, stovies and a warming dram bring a welcome fit for royalty?

Fish n Chips – still flying the flag after 150 years

Fish and Chips, now 150 years old is, depending on where you live in the UK, good bad or downright terrible. The dish that helped batter Hitler – it was never rationed and special trains were laid on to ensure the whole country got their portions every day – has in too many places descended to be a sad shadow of its former sel

Avalon opens in Shoreditch – ironic trilbys get a night out

Avalon grew on me as the night progressed, but a couple of things still spoiled my evening. A packed guest list meant that the venue was too full and made moving around almost impossible. Then there’s the lighting, which baffled me. If your main clientele are the colourful array that Avalon will presumably attract then covering everyone in red lighting, which not only dulls outfits but also conceals the luxurious décor, seems a wrong decision.

Bellevue-designed to a T

It’s not often we spend more time in the office looking at packaging rather than the food within it, but the Bellevue Tea sample pack had designers rushing over from their Macs to coo and drool over this elegant tea’s exterior.

Le Garrick, Covent Garden, London

No one’s looking for Michelin Stars at Le Garrick; it exists to serve well-priced., well-cooked food in a cosy, clubby, environment. And it is very well-priced particularly at lunchtime with set menus. They’ve launched the Lunch Club which gives a 10% discount off a lunch bill to all members. Membership is free, so what’s not to like about that?