Where to eat, drink and sleep in Birmingham for Tory Party Conference tory conference On 2 october, Tory Party Conference kicks off in Birmingham. It remains to be seen whether the city famous for its Bull Ring will witness any blood sport following the fallout from the chancellor’s mini-budget. But whether it’s toasting the new PM or ruefully navel-gazing over Keir Starmer’s poll lead, the city’s hotels, restaurants, bars [...]
M Canary Wharf is both fun and elegant fab food M restaurant has launched its newest incarnation in increasingly buzzy Canary Wharf, making the most of all the sky, steel and views over the water with floor to ceiling windows showcasing aspects and angles of the London skyline I had never seen before. Lights hang like flocks of seagulls above booths and tables designed to [...]
Alsace wines have bite as well as bark wine's world When I began to learn about wine in my early 20s, Alsace was a region I was drawn to. I loved the opulent richness of the wines, from the semi-sweet floral Gewurztraminer and Muscat to the broad strokes of the rounded Pinot Gris and complexity of the Rieslings. The good ones were balanced by a [...]
Recipe of the week: Simon Shand, head chef of Leroy, on how to cook brill September 23, 2022 As summer gives way to autumn it can be tricky knowing quite where to pitch a dish, especially if you’re buying the ingredients a day or two before you cook. You don’t want rose and salad while it’s bucketing down outside, but nor do you want to waste the last evenings of sunshine of the [...]
Very lively in Venice: Having a ball in the city of water September 13, 2022 Every Italian has their favourite region of their home country they believe to be aesthetically and culturally superior. Part of the reason is the dizzying variety of culture, cuisine and architecture, which differs dramatically from region to region, the result of foreign invasions that chopped up the boot-shaped country a dozen centuries ago. But even [...]
M restaurant founder Martin Williams on his new Canary Wharf venue September 6, 2022 Sitting in the new M restaurant in Canary Wharf, a few days before it officially opens today, is a slightly surreal experience. Overlooking the river in the new, diamond-shaped Newfoundland Quay tower, a row of people in wetsuits are doing laps around the docks below us. As they approach the restaurant they glide past a [...]
We try a Cruffin at the beautiful Richoux on Piccadilly August 26, 2022 If you live for the weekends, then start them off the right way with breakfast at the classically beautiful Richoux on Piccadilly. This is a place that caters for your hangover with some seriously indulgent comfort food, then gets the party started again with a selection of excellent hair-of-the-dog breakfast cocktails. Please do not visit [...]
Moscato d’Asti: Why this sparkling wine is pure joy in a glass August 25, 2022 In my last column’s wine recommendations, I referred to Moscato d’Asti as the happiest wine. For me, it is as joyful a glass as you could hope to have, so it surprises me that more people do not indulge in it more often. Though from the same region, around the town of Asti, it should [...]
National Burger Day 2022: We pick out London’s top patties August 24, 2022 National Burger Day is upon us, that wonderful time of year where families come together to munch upon ground beef or their preferred vegetarian equivalent. To ensure the occasion doesn’t go unmarked, try popping into one of these places, where the burgers have the City A.M. seal of approval. Dinings SW3 Chelsea Izakaya restaurant Dinings [...]
The Gardener’s Cottage and The Lookout are the perfect restaurants for the last weekend of the Fringe August 24, 2022 The Edinburgh Festival is coming to an end but thousands of Londoners are set to descend upon the city for its final weekend. And while you come for the comedy, cabaret, magic, theatre and various other barely definable acts, it’s always worth booking a decent restaurant or two before you arrive. Let me introduce you [...]