Why there’s more to Sauvignon Blanc than your ‘standard’ Savvy B April 29, 2026 Sauvignon Blanc remains anchored in the UK’s top three white wines and this fantastically flavoursome grape gets to celebrate its success with International Sauvignon Blanc Day on the first Friday in May. It can be enjoyed in many guises, so which one appeals to you? If you like a wine that makes an entrance and [...]
These are the best bottles of wine to buy for the warmer weather April 28, 2026 It’s almost May, a time that brings its own particular joys when it comes to seasonal food. It therefore offers an opportunity for different wines to take centre stage after winter’s more hefty warmers. Spring’s food, however, is notoriously tricky for wine pairing. Here is a quick guide to the best bottles of wine to [...]
Jeremy King: My honest thoughts on The Ivy £1bn sale April 21, 2026 The Ivy and Simpson’s in the Strand restaurateur on holding his nerve, having no regrets and bringing fun back to London dining “People come in crying,” says Jeremy King from a white tableclothed banquette in his new British restaurant, Simpson’s in the Strand. “They have so many stories: my father brought me here, my godfather [...]
Pub of the week: The Walrus and Carpenter is pints perfection April 17, 2026 We have opened nominations for the Toast the City Awards 2026. Each week we’ll be profiling some of the nominees: today it’s the Walrus and Carpenter, a pub like no other beside Monument. To find out more and to nominate your favourite bars, restaurants and hidden gems, visit the website here. “‘The time has come,’ [...]
The Galvin brothers: Our Toast the City award means the world April 16, 2026 Our Toast the City Awards return for a second year, bigger, better and more ambitious than ever. We will once again shine a light on the restaurants, bars, green spaces and cultural hotspots that make the Square Mile one of London’s most exciting places to work and play. This year we’ve invited the winners from the [...]
Aziz Ansari talks cooking and writing over dinner at Hoppers April 13, 2026 Stand-up, actor and director Aziz Ansari is interviewed by his friend Karan Gokani, the restaurateur behind Hoppers. They tuck into a South Indian banquet at the brand new Hoppers Shoreditch to talk careers, inspiration and Indian cooking The Meal: Karan Gokani: Do you remember how we met? Aziz Ansari: Yeah, of course – I started [...]
Why I love hotel restaurants – and two of my favourites April 10, 2026 Our top columnist on the joys of a hotel restaurant, and two of his favourites London is rightly famous for outstanding hotels that are home to amazing restaurants. The Mandarin Oriental created this movement, breaking the mould fifteen years ago when the most excellent restaurateur Mark Hastings opened Dinner by Heston and Bar Boulud in [...]
The new Simpson’s in the Strand is a classic for a new generation March 25, 2026 The culinary calendar is hotting up and the Square Mile and its surrounds are right amongst it. This week I turn to two restaurants in the City of London and the hotly-anticipated ‘new opening’ on the Strand, Simpson’s by Jeremy King. Kolamba East I first discovered Kolamba during the pandemic. One of the few successful [...]
A hundred not out… yet: Why Veeraswamy is in trouble March 25, 2026 Veeraswamy, the Michelin-starred Indian restaurant on Regent Street, celebrated its centenary on 18 March. But it has found itself in the headlines for other reasons recently: glowingly reviewed by City AM’s own Adam Bloodworth two years ago, it is now in dispute with its landlord, the Crown Estate. Campaigners have even called for the King [...]
Hands off our spuds: How Americans ‘discovered’ jacket potatoes March 24, 2026 The New York Times has found about the jacket potato, a British staple the world isn’t ready for, says Steve Dinneen Sometimes in this tightly interconnected world of ours, it takes a New York Times headline to remind us that stark cultural differences still exist. “The British Have Finally Learned to Love Peanut Butter”, the [...]