Restaurant review: There’s more to Palm Court than afternoon tea, thank god October 29, 2015 If I could click my fingers and banish one element of our national cuisine, it would be afternoon tea. It’s a dreary throwback to a time when we felt the need to ape our social betters, in this case by eating wildly overpriced cucumber sandwiches. Its emergence is often credited to Anna Maria Russell, the [...]
Celebrate Dom Perignon’s 2006 vintage champagne release by joining the City A.M. wine club and spending an evening tasting the stars October 28, 2015 This month Dom Perignon released its highly-anticipated 2006 vintage. For £455 per case of six in bond, you can enjoy a bottle so good it’s already received 97 points from leading Champagne critic Richard Juhlin. This acclaim puts it on a par with the legendary ‘64, ‘61 and ’49 vintages, and surpasses even the ’96, [...]
Lessons in wine: Tis the (Harvest) season for truffle and wine enthusiasts in Italy October 13, 2015 October is the most awaited month of the year in wine country. Harvest is a most decisive moment in the winemaking process as it determines the acidity, sweetness, characteristics and, in general, the style of the wine we will be drinking. The precise date varies, but the majority of wineries in Europe harvest during this [...]
Jamaican restaurant Rudie’s doesn’t fail: Dalston’s Caribbean food rivals the best of West London October 13, 2015 RUDIE'S 50 Stoke Newington Road, N16 7XB FOOD ★★★★☆ VALUE ★★★★☆ ATMOSPHERE ★★★★☆ Cost for two with wine: £100 Is Dalston over? Have the new-media types migrated to farther-flung locales to write their articles for Vice about taking ketamine at Center Parcs? I have no idea. I’m well into my 30s and no longer hip enough to gauge [...]
Lessons in wine: Tis the (Harvest) season for truffle and wine enthusiasts in Italy October 13, 2015 October is the most awaited month of the year in wine country. Harvest is a most decisive moment in the winemaking process as it determines the acidity, sweetness, characteristics and, in general, the style of the wine we will be drinking. The precise date varies, but the majority of wineries in Europe harvest during this [...]
World’s Best Bar Awards 2015 winner: London’s Artesian at The Langham Hotel is officially the best bar in the world October 13, 2015 The best bar in the world is London's Artesian. At least, it is according to the authoritative annual World's Best Bar Awards. (Or, more precisely, the drink industry supremos that make up the award's academy.) But I look on bars as a parent looks upon their offspring, so I can't pick favourites. So here are [...]
Working Lunch: Brasserie Blanc, EC2 October 13, 2015 Melissa York on the best places to eat during office hours in the City and Canary Wharf WHAT? Raymond Blanc’s first City brasserie re-opened last month after a complete refurbishment. Gone are the fussy white tablecloths and pristine cutlery, in favour of rustic oak tables, thick ceramics, pendant light fixtures and vintage French mirrors. [...]
Mix it up: Why you need to try a goat’s cheese cocktail October 6, 2015 Shoreditch’s Worship Street Whistling Shop has undergone a face-lift and has a new cocktail list to boot. I popped down to check out its new drinks, and though the paint wasn’t yet dry the cocktails were perfectly polished. Its new menu is based around the elements – earth, wind, fire and water – and the [...]
Lessons in wine: Your plonk smells off? Don’t blame the cork October 6, 2015 "This wine is corked" is a statement I hear a lot, used pejoratively to describe any wine with a fault. It’s usually an unfounded accusation. There are several innocent non-faults that are considered signs of corkage, including: • Cloudy wine, generally found in mature wine once sediment has been disrupted. • Bubbles in red wines, [...]
Restaurant review: Sauterelle is elaborate, confident and fun October 6, 2015 Sauterelle Royal Exchange, EC3V 3LR FOOD ★★★★☆ VALUE ★★★☆☆ ATMOSPHERE ★★★☆☆ Cost for two with wine: £180 October is the month that most of us turn our central heating back on. I heard this on a news bulletin last week and thought: good on you for squeezing such a banal piece of information onto a national radio broadcast. [...]