Why Madeira deserves to be saved from obscurity January 21, 2014 Bottle.opener@cityam.com Call it a busman’s holiday but I have just had a sunny week in Madeira, sampling the delights of… Madeira. I was lucky enough to meet Chris Blandy, the seventh generation of the Blandy family to run the Madeira Wine Company (MWC), the mainstay of the island’s remaining wine industry. Madeira is the most [...]
Review: Foxlow, Clerkenwell January 14, 2014 RESTAURANT WHERE 67-79 St John Street, EC1M 4AN Tel: 020 7014 8070 FOOD Three Stars VALUE Three Stars ATMOSPHERE Four Stars Cost for two with wine: £100 HERE at City A.M. we are big fans of private equity buyouts – largely because they give us something to write about. They’re also a cracking excuse to [...]
Mix it up: Drop the Jägerbombs for the sophisticate’s explosive drink January 14, 2014 There are two competing theories of the human condition. The first suggests we are rational beings acting on free will, while the second assumes the environment determines our actions. I tended to err on the side of free will – that was, until the invention of the Jägerbomb. You don’t like Jägerbombs, do you? What [...]
Review: Ballaro, Haverstock Hill January 7, 2014 RESTAURANT WHERE 154 Haverstock Hill, NW3 2AY Tel: 0207 586 1107 FOOD One Star VALUE One Star ATMOSPHERE Two Stars Cost for two with wine: £130 THERE’S a theory that the range of choices available in our modern, Western lives, while producing a wonderful aggregate effect of driving standards up and prices down, can be [...]
Mix it up: The perfect way to break those healthy New Year resolutions January 7, 2014 JUST as November has become Movember – the ritual month in which every male is expected to don a moustache in order to prove they are inferior to Burt Reynolds – January is fast becoming “Dry January” or Dryathlon: 31 days of repenting the sin of having enjoyed ourselves a little too much in December. [...]
I mince pie with my little eye… December 17, 2013 This week, we salute the humble mince pie. They’re as much a part of a British Christmas as Buck’s Fizz, crackers and pigs in blankets. Here, the City A.M. team gives their verdict on the best luxury pies in the run up to the big day Konditor & Cook Mince Pie Dozen 7.8/10 With the [...]
Get Fit Diary: Balancing newfound fitness with Christmas indulgence December 17, 2013 @AlexDymoke WHEN I tell people I’m doing a 12-week Get Fit challenge, everyone always asks the same thing, “What about when it finishes? Are you going to carry it on?” Short term at least, the answer is simple: no. Christmas is around the corner, and if you think I’m going to spend the party season [...]
Christmas cheers December 15, 2013 Our very own wine buff Neil Bennett quizzes the City glitterati about their Christmas wine plans AMID the piles of Christmas wrapping paper and credit card bills, there is one gift wine lovers can give themselves on Christmas Day – setting aside a special something to share with the family. Personally, I spend far too [...]
Review: The Sign of the Don November 26, 2013 FOOD Four Stars VALUE Three Stars ATMOSPHERE Four Stars Cost for two with matched wine and some sherry £148 Address: 21 St Swithins Lane, EC4N 8AD Tel: 020 7626 2606 If you were taking a partner out for an important occasion – an anniversary, maybe, or the death of a loved one – would you [...]
Mix it up: Grab yourself a cornflake Daiquiri this Christmas time November 26, 2013 @philip_salter IN case you hadn’t noticed, Christmas is creeping into our lives, bringing out the inner-child or Grinch depending upon whether your glass is half-full or empty. But whatever your disposition don’t despair – even Mr Scrooge can enjoy the hallowed traditions of Christmas films and gentle inebriation. For those whose glasses are full to [...]