Wagamama owner enjoys sales rebound but warns of ‘uncertain’ consumer environment September 8, 2022 The owner of the Wagamama restaurant group has seen sales surge in its half-year results, as an “uncertain consumer environment” looms. The Restaurant Group said total sales hit £423.4m in the 26-week period to 3 July, versus £216.8m in 2021. Diners returned to the group’s restaurants and pubs after the easing of Covid restrictions, with [...]
Tasting rare 16-year-old beef at Meatopia food festival September 7, 2022 Thick wafts of smoke cover me in the sweet smell of resin and meat. The translucent shapes of the fumes drift skywards from more than a dozen barbecue grills. I’m at Meatopia on the top floor of Regency-era warehouse Tobacco Dock, a fitting name for the sight I see around me. Halfway along the top [...]
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 [...]
Gaucho restaurant boss claims steaks would have to cost £100+ to cover rising energy bills September 6, 2022 The hospitality chief behind the Gaucho steak restaurants has said his venues would have had to charge beyond £100 for steaks in order to cover energy costs if they were not fixed. Restaurant bosses have urged the new Prime Minister Liz Truss to issue emergency support for the sector as some venues grapple with bill [...]
Visit Corfu in the glorious autumn to get closer to the island’s enchanting history September 5, 2022 The flight from Heathrow to Corfu soars above central Europe, then tracks the Adriatic coastline along the Balkans. Waiting to land at the airport beside Corfu Town, the plane circles the island, and looking out the window you’re well aware that you’re closer to Albania than to mainland Greece. The surrounding sea — a brilliant [...]
Bitcoin bear markets are a great time to build, but not with shocking US prices September 2, 2022 The price of Bitcoin continues to trade flat, remaining just above $20,000 where it has held ground since a six per cent drop last week.
Franca Manca owner says trade is ‘resilient’ despite travel disruption and consumer slump August 31, 2022 Franca Manca owner Fulham Shore has said that despite the turmoil in the UK economy and travel disruption, trading remains "resilient".
Al Mare restaurant review: Forget La Dolche Vita, there’s an ideal Italian escape in SW1 August 31, 2022 Living and working in the Square Mile, I rarely venture too far west, but when I do I get all the rush of a foreign holiday. There’s the expansive feel of the grand parklands and the glamorous feel of the hotels with air-conditioned lobbies. Then there’s the contrasting intimacy of the red brick mansions on [...]
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 [...]