Italy: From fine wine backwater to Sassicaia superstar March 27, 2015 It is only in the last 40 years that Italy has been re-discovered and recognised as a high quality wine producer – but now it is a source of a great variety of fine wines. There are an estimated 1,000 vitis vinifera varieties cultivated in Italy and it has more than 300 different wine producing regions [...]
All about Bordeaux: Why Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the Left Bank and the Right is perfect for Cabernet Franc March 27, 2015 Bordeaux is the predominant region in the world for fine wine investment, completely dominating all other regions and comprising anywhere from 60-85% of regional trade by value in fine wine trading. Located in the southwest region of France, Bordeaux has three main wine producing regions: the Left Bank, Entre-Deux-Mers, and the Right Bank. Wines from [...]
The Brits are catching up to the French, says Le Pont de la Tour head chef Tom Cook March 24, 2015 Tom Cook tells Melissa York that French food doesn’t have to mean heavy A Salade Lyonnaise is a very traditional dish that we serve in the Grill, which is a sort of brasserie with lighter, more traditional dishes than the fine dining restaurant. During the winter we have two or three salads on there, [...]
Mix it up: Take a tipple – it might even be good for your health March 24, 2015 As any good doctor will be all too ready to tell you, alcohol is bad for you. They’re right, of course – up to a point. Too much of the stuff is ruinous. But you can also drink too little. While ten cocktails a day may destroy your life, one in the evening might be [...]
Why Engawa is an unusually well thought-out restaurant March 17, 2015 In Japan, the fax machine is still king of the office. While the western hemisphere abandoned it at the first whiff of email, the Japanese persevered, appreciating the personal touch that comes from a hand-written note, even if that note has been broken down into a series of blips and hisses and reassembled somewhere far [...]
The latest gimmick (or the next big thing): Cheese and coffee March 17, 2015 How does a new restaurant make its mark on a London foodie scene already reaching saturation point? There’s the old fashioned way: serving great food at a reasonable prices. And there’s the 21st century way: coming up with a gimmick, a weird pairing, some novelty way of serving or ordering food, something to make people [...]
Restaurant review: Typing Room is a local with verve March 10, 2015 On the ever-spinning carousel that is the London restaurant scene, there are inevitably winners and losers. When Nuno Mendes packed up Viajante to help create London’s most papped eatery, Chiltern Firehouse, it seemed Bethnal Green would be one of the losers. But the space he vacated – the old town hall off Cambridge Heath road, [...]
Spoil your mother with foodie treats March 10, 2015 Balthazar’s Mother’s Day Goodie Bag Forget flowers, send your mum a gourmet breakfast in bed instead. £30, 24-hour notice required, 020 3301 1155 British hero menu at Skylon Three courses of comforting classics at the Royal Festival Hall’s restaurant on Sunday. £45, skylon-restaurant.co.uk Jazz brunch at Northall Boogie down with mother this brunchtime at the [...]
Rib-thumpingly good beef: STK’s sticky shortrib March 10, 2015 Barry Vera on the rib dish that keeps his discerning STK customers coming back for more. Ribs were an obvious choice for STK because of the American influence, but I wanted us to create something a bit better than your standard sticky ribs that get all over your fingers. I wanted something that you could [...]
Gastro events to keep foodies happy in the run-up to spring March 3, 2015 From the best grilled cheese sandwiches in London to the World Food Market in Devonshire Square, there are plenty of great culinary events taking place this month CINNAMON KITCHEN: Brighten up your winter by throwing paint at your colleagues or friends at Devonshire Square’s Cinnamon Kitchen, which will have a dedicated “party pod” to get [...]