Evolv: Revenue at Quaglinos, Coq d’Argent, Madison and Bluebird owner soars May 8, 2026 The group behind restaurants including Quaglinos, Coq d’Argent, Madison and Bluebird has seen its earnings surge despite the challenges facing the hospitality sector. Evolv – formerly D&D London – saw revenue increase 20 per cent from £126.3m to £151.6m year-on-year, with Ebitda rising from £2.6m to £14.6m. Evolv reported a modest loss of £6.8m for [...]
Wimbledon to serve strawberry flavoured fried chicken May 8, 2026 Strawberries and cream have been synonymous with the Wimbledon tennis Championships ever since the very first tournament in 1877, when the fruit was served to around 200 spectactors. These days some two million strawberries are served across the 14 days of the Championships, equating to almost 40 tonnes of the fruit. The All England Lawn [...]
New London rooftop bar will be biggest ever with 1,000 capacity May 7, 2026 Getting a reservation at London’s most famous rooftop bars can be difficult, especially with the better weather. New London rooftop bar Freight Brixton will attempt to remedy that issue with room for 1,000 at the open-air venue. The bar will offer drinking, dancing and dining, with DJs spinning funk, jazz and soul tunes throughout the [...]
5 amazing things to see at the Barbican’s 1996 exhibition May 6, 2026 Ahead of the Toast the City 2026 Awards, we spotlight the venues to put on your radar this spring. Here, we look at the Barbican’s arresting new 1996 exhibition It is heralded as the peak of the Britpop era: the Spice Girls and Oasis were holding the front pages, and the country was on the brink of [...]
The Square Mile rooftop bar you’ve probably never tried May 6, 2026 Ahead of the Toast the City 2026 Awards, we meet the venues to put on your radar this spring Have you made time for Madison, sipped at Sabine and quaffed at Coq d’Argent? Then it’s time to try another of the Square Mile’s fabulous rooftop bars you probably haven’t heard of. Florattica is on the [...]
Alex Dilling: Mastering the art of French cooking May 6, 2026 After honing his craft under two titans of French cooking, Alex Dilling now presides over one of London’s most refined dining rooms. His double Michelin-starred restaurant at Hotel Café Royal is a masterclass in modern haute cuisine, writes Carys Sharkey. As a teenager in sunny, expansive California, Alex Dilling thought he’d be a punk rocker, [...]
Two million global airline seats cut as jet fuel shortage grounds travel May 6, 2026 Airlines are preparing to slash millions of seats from this month’s schedule, as the Middle East conflict and soaring jet fuel prices drive up costs ahead of the industry’s busiest travel season. Some 13,000 flights have been removed from May schedules worldwide, according to data from the aviation analytics company Cirium. Istanbul, one of the [...]
This is how to choose between Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris May 6, 2026 While on Alan Carr and Lee Peart’s podcast Bottoms Up recently, Peart asked me what is the difference between Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris. I replied, “one of them is drinkable”, which was perhaps a little unfair. It is true I would never choose to drink Pinot Grigio, but it remains one of the most [...]
Toast the City winner: The Rising Sun on what makes a great pub May 5, 2026 At the inaugural Toast the City Awards, one of the most amazing moments was seeing Sheila Dixon, one half of the husband and wife team behind City pub the Rising Sun, shed a tear as she collected our award for Best Boozer. The Rising Sun is one of those pubs where everyone feels like a [...]
Forget France and Germany – why Spain is ideal for a river cruise May 5, 2026 Elevate your European river cruise by taking the waterways to Spain I must admit I hadn’t read through the full itinerary of the last day of our Croisi river cruise. So, it was a revelation coming face to face with three life size replicas of the ships that took Christopher Colombus to the New World. [...]