Why The Gallivant is a wine-lover’s happy place February 25, 2025 Oh, The Gallivant, how I love you. I would say “let me count the ways” but there would be too many for this column’s wordcount. Despite my loving almost any excuse for a celebration, Valentines Day has not cut the proverbial mustard enough times and it has lost its lustre. Going out means sitting elbow [...]
Eat, drink, sleep, repeat: Martin Williams’ own Michelin guide February 20, 2025 There are birthday parties, and then there are A list celebrity parties, complete with The Box style live entertainment and lashings of champagne. Music producer and celebrity booker Azim Majid has been a friend since 2015 when we first hosted his birthday at M in Threadneedle Street and have continued to do so most years [...]
When drinking wine can actually be good for you February 18, 2025 At a recent event, a gentleman humbly recounted a story to me. He had been boasting of his impressive collection of Chateauneuf du Pape to a wine merchant, but upon revealing the vintages, he was dismayed to be told that all these prized bottles would now be past their best and he should have drunk [...]
Whisky Business: The Glenlivet’s oldest permanent expression to date February 14, 2025 Whisky Business: City AM’s monthly look at the world of whisky. The key to whisky’s unique flavour is patience, but for producers, there will always be a trade-off between patience and profit. While the process of distilling whisky only takes a few days, Scotch whisky must be matured for a minimum of three years, a significant [...]
The Italian job: My favourite places in London to gorge on pasta February 13, 2025 The greatest restaurateur of my generation was Russell Norman, the founder of both Polpo and Brutto. Exuding charm and charisma, he immediately lit up a room; shining brighter than most Hollywood A-listers. Omnipresent at his Smithfield restaurant Brutto, he would recognise every guest by name, carefully choosing where to seat each to ensure everyone enjoyed [...]
Dancing the Brave Goose to Britney February 12, 2025 MY FRIEND Lela is wild, heaps of fun and always seems to be doing something exciting with her time. One evening I casually liked her Instagram story in which she was strutting her stuff at a dance class, and found myself agreeing to join her for the next one. SOS Dance pitch themselves as “The [...]
London restaurants honoured in 2025 Michelin guide February 11, 2025 Jason Atherton’s iconic Tower 42 restaurant City Social was stripped of its Michelin star at the food guide’s annual awards ceremony this week. In a bittersweet evening for Atherton, his new Row on 5 restaurant on Savile Row – seen as the celebrity chef’s flagship venue following the closure of Pollen Street Social last year [...]
The Best Wine List in London February 11, 2025 STOP the press! I have found it! The golden fleece of gastronomy. This is the best wine list in London. Now, admittedly, I have not tried every single wine list in our sprawling capital but given my proclivities, I have tried a great many – and rarely, if ever, have I found one as beguiling, [...]
The most romantic restaurants in the City February 6, 2025 I’ve never met the intrepid Mr Gordon Ramsay, yet our lives have been semi-entwined for over two decades. During his initial peak in the noughties, as I began my own career, I recall my first experience dining in his The Londoner restaurant in NYC, where a maitre d’ complete with Dick Van Dyke accent greeted [...]
From Rapid Tapping to mindful drinking with Poppy Delbridge February 5, 2025 I AM ALWAYS looking for ways to balance wine and wellness, to discover new ways to embrace a healthy lifestyle while enjoying a tipple. So when Poppy Delbridge invited me to her Rapid Tapping session at the refurbished Kensington Roof Gardens, I jumped at the chance. Rapid Tapping is nothing to do with getting your [...]