Flamboree review: The tarte flambée touches down in London June 11, 2019 The first tarte flambée restaurant in London, Flamboree! has got an exclamation mark right there in the name, meaning you’re obliged to shout it out of a window or pop a balloon every time you say it. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves: what exactly is a tarte flambée? And why should [...]
Bob Bob Ricard City review: This bonkers restaurant is the Square Mile’s new best place to eat June 6, 2019 There are many laudable things about Soho’s Bob Bob Ricard: the fancy Titanic-meets-Orient-Express interiors, the no-nonsense Franco-Anglo-Russian menu that turns a fish pie or a chicken kiev into a minor culinary event. But the thing everybody remembers is the “Press for Champagne” button on every table, a gimmick that perfectly encapsulates the personality of the [...]
Fevertree Drinks: Does 20% slump offer rare chance to buy? June 5, 2019 | City Talk By Edmond Jackson from interactive investor. It’s one of the great stock market success stories but is vulnerable to shifts in sentiment. Our companies analyst shares his thoughts after a savage sell-off in May. Following my recent review of soft drinks firm Britvic (LSE:BVIC), it is pertinent to compare the risk/reward profile of AIM-listed Fevertree (LSE:FEVR) – both as a potential [...]
Weekly Grill: Double Michelin starred chef Hélène Darroze talks about her new restaurant in Paris, the joy of boiled eggs and cooking for Jacques Chirac June 3, 2019 Who are you and what do you do? My name is Hélène Darroze, I am a cuisinière and mother. Most Londoners will know me from my eponymous restaurant, Hélène Darroze at the Connaught, which holds two Michelin stars. What’s new? I’m opening a new restaurant, Marsan in Paris. It’s in the same location as my [...]
HP Sauce changes iconic brown sauce label to show Big Ben covered in scaffolding May 31, 2019 HP Sauce has changed its label for the first time in 123 years to reflect the fact that Big Ben is currently draped in scaffolding. The brown sauce bottle's famous label featuring Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Bridge will now reflect the refurbishment works that have seen Big Ben go silent since August 2017. [...]
Gourmet Burger Kitchen sales begin to recover after £4.6bn loss May 29, 2019 Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK) has posted a partial recovery in sales since it suffered a record £4.6bn loss last year, when it got the green light for a string of restaurant closures. Read more: Creditors give green light to Gourmet Burger Kitchen closures The restaurant chain’s like-for-like sales fell 9.7 per cent in the first six [...]
Greggs shares are on fire, but can it last? May 24, 2019 | City Talk By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. After some great results, shares in fast-growing Greggs have taken just seven months to double in value. Thanks to a social media frenzy and masterclass in PR, the Greggs vegan sausage roll is now surely a thing of stock market folklore. The transformation of the Greggs (LSE:GRG) brand and [...]
DEBATE: Does the Jamie’s Italian chain have only itself to blame for its demise? May 23, 2019 Does the Jamie’s Italian chain have only itself to blame for its demise? Patrick Clover, founder and chief executive of BLACKBX, says YES. It’s a sad story for all involved, not least the 1,000 workers made redundant, but to call Jamie’s Italian a victim of external forces is too simplistic. The climate for mid-market restaurants [...]
Why Domino’s Pizza sell-off was overcooked May 14, 2019 | City Talk By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. Hungry bargain hunters gobbled up shares in Domino's, correctly betting than an early slump was unfair. After selling 12 pizzas every second on New Year's Day, the rest of 2019 certainly hasn't panned out in the same emphatic fashion for Domino's Pizzaor its investors. Shares slumped as much as [...]
DEBATE: At $1.5bn, is plant burger firm Beyond Meat over-valued? May 2, 2019 At $1.5bn, is plant burger firm Beyond Meat over-valued? Chris Beauchamp, a senior market analyst at IG, says YES. For many, Beyond Meat’s IPO would seem to mark the perfect “market top” moment. A company producing a cutting-edge product, with ongoing losses and the risk that it may never make a profit, is seeking to become [...]