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Chifafa
You don’t mess with a man’s kebab. No, that’s not a euphemism. This was a piece of advice given to me by my teenage crush John, back when I used to hang out in the dive bars and clubs of Newport. You see, John was more interested in his post-club styrofoam container of kebab meat and chips than he was in talking to me so, in a fit of pique, I knocked it out of his hands and on to the floor. It did not have the desired effect. With his faith in the five second rule clearly intact, John gathered his food off the pavement and so spoke those words of wisdom. I have…
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A Mexican adventure with Yelp
Everyone’s a critic these days. And with so many apps and websites around, having your say on a bar, restaurant or hotel has never been easier. But how do you pick your weapon of choice? Really, what’s the difference between them all? Well, most of you have probably heard of Yelp. But what you may not know is that they also organise events and reward their members with something other than a virtual badge. If you write lots of reviews, you eventually get made into a “Yelp Elite” which gives you access to all sorts of goodies. I’m not a “Yelper” (as they like to call themselves), but I was…
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Mercato Metropolitano
Every now and then, a magical night happens in London. They are little gems, strung together like a Swarovski bracelet, that remind you why you love living in a big, chaotic city. I recently experienced one of those nights at, believe it or not, a disused factory down the road from Elephant and Castle station. Sounds a bit odd? Well, this old factory has been transformed into the most wonderful food market called Mercato Metropolitano. If Italian food is your thing, then this is the place to be. And if Italian food just makes you yawn and shrug your shoulders, then this is definitely the place to be, because your mind will be changed. Mercato…
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Tayyabs
First dates are the worst. I particularly hate first dates that involve going to a restaurant because I get so nervous that eating – such a simple thing – becomes impossible. So a first date that involves not just food, but very spicy food, really is the stuff of nightmares for me. On the plus side, however, this date took place at Tayyab’s. Despite the fact that the relationship eventually crashed and burned, I will be forever grateful to him for introducing me to this gem of a restaurant. Tayyab’s is a Punjabi restaurant tucked away down a side street in Whitechapel. It is something of a local institution, with people prepared to queue…
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Artusi
London’s a strange one. You move here all bright eyed and bushy tailed, excited by the endless variety and eager to explore all that the capital has to offer. Fast forward several years and you find that the city has shrunk to a bubble of “home” and “work”. That’s why it’s great to suddenly find an excuse to venture beyond the borders of your own little world. For me, that excuse has been flat-hunting – and my search took me to Peckham and Artusi. Peckham’s association with Only Fools and Horses is long gone. These days you’re more likely to find a beardy hipster sipping on a Negroni instead of Del Boy knocking back…
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Cafe Murano
Mondays suck. There is very little doubt about this. Dragging yourself out of bed at an unreasonably early time, squishing onto the sweaty tube, dealing with emails before you’ve had a cup of coffee. No thank you. However, there are one or two things that can improve a Monday. Leaving work at lunchtime always helps. A visit from your mum and lunch at a top restaurant, like Cafe Murano, pretty much guarantees a better start to the week. Here’s the thing. Cafe Murano isn’t actually a cafe. It’s a rather sophisticated restaurant from Angela Hartnett, former chef-patron of The Connaught. The “cafe” element comes from the fact that it’s a more laid-back version of…
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Bao
I used to date a guy whose motto was “we don’t queue, we don’t pay, we just large it”. Many years later, I can safely say that I do pay and I’m not really sure that I large it. I do also often find myself queuing, much as I dislike it. Therefore queuing for a restaurant is something I try to avoid, especially when there are plenty of bookable, queue-free options around and when London weather is not exactly queue-friendly. This is why I had never been to Bao. Until now. And yes, I did have to queue. And yes, it was totally worth it. A bao is a Taiwanese steamed bun…
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Gold Rush
Channelling my inner Yosemite Sam isn’t something I tend to do very often. Yet last Friday night I found myself “yee haw”-ing to my heart’s content, whilst downing shots of buffalo juice. This was not some marathon session of Looney Tunes, however. It was Gold Rush. Gold Rush is the latest pop up from Django Bango. Sounding like a cross between a Tarantino film and a 90’s dance tune, the team have previously held successful events such as Wild West Town in Shoreditch earlier this year. Gold Rush sticks to the Wild West theme; this time transforming a steel yard in Vauxhall into a gold mine worthy of the Klondike. A…
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Syrian Supper Club – Part 2
A little while ago I wrote about the Syrian Supper Club and the Hands Up Foundation; a group of young people who were motivated to start a pop-up event aimed at raising money for those affected by the crisis in Syria. Well, the sound of all that Middle Eastern food made me really hungry so I decided to put my money where my mouth is and check out one of their supper clubs. Supper clubs are very much on trend at the moment, but I’m a bit ashamed to admit that I had never been to one before. There are so many to choose from, where do you even start? So…
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The Little Taperia
On a grey bank holiday Monday, it’s tempting to spend the whole day watching Netflix in your onesie. Alternatively, you could pretend that you’re somewhere else entirely, somewhere with good food, good wine and summer vibes. Tooting may not be the first place that springs to mind, but step over the threshold of The Little Taperia and it’s as if you’ve gone through a wormhole to sunny Spain. The Little Taperia is the lovechild of two of Tooting’s leading foodies: Hikmat Antippa of Meza and formerly Caprice Holdings, and Madeleine Limm of The Little Bar and ex-Food & Drink editor of the Independent magazine. There is much noise made about Tooting being…
