• 10 Greek Street

    I started this blog with the intention of working my way through Time Out London’s top 100 restaurants.  Well, it’s now April and so far I have managed to visit just one restaurant from their list.  I fail at converting intentions into reality.  However, I have broken the seal with my visit to 10 Greek Street.  In fact, the seal was veritably demolished, along with my lunch and my waistline. 10 Greek Street is as discrete and unassuming as its name.  Small and spartan, with white walls, wooden flooring, and the dishes of the day chalked up on blackboards, it has that whole effortlessly chic thing down to a tee.  Even the menus are…

  • Taking A Bite Out Of…Krakow (Part 2)

    Having resigned myself to the fact that I may put on a pound or two while in Krakow (although calories on holiday don’t count, right?), it was time to fully embrace a cold weather diet.  This was helped along by the fact that the best pierogi shop in Krakow – Przystanek Pierogarnia – was situated right at the end of my street.  Pierogi are boiled dumplings usually filled with potato, cheese or meat – sometimes all three – and topped with fried onions.  This is food that really sticks to your ribs.  I went for the potato and bacon dumplings, and just kept going back for more….  Comfort food has…

  • Taking A Bite Out Of….Krakow (Part 1)

    Winter in London is a bit of a non-event really.  On the rare occasion that it does snow, you can guarantee nothing but grey slush and deadly pavements in a matter of hours.  So this year, I decided to escape the capital for somewhere that can offer a proper winter.  The Polish city of Krakow did not disappoint.  Not only did it provide lots of fluffy white snow for me to jump around in, it is also the best place to experience good, hearty winter cuisine to warm you through. My first meal in Krakow set the tone for my visit.  Braving the drunken hoards of the Old Town, I headed to Pod Aniolami,…

  • Taking A Bite Out Of….Venice (Part 1)

    Thank God for Skyscanner and the boredom of a long, dark winter.  One spur of the moment decision later, and I’m off to Venice for the first time ever.  How have I waited so long to visit this most beautiful of cities??  I envisaged dimly lit alleyways, hidden squares, and narrow bridges over dark water.  Mist rolling in from the lagoon and echoing footsteps.  A place that has inspired tales of murder, lust and the supernatural.  It did not disappoint.  However, Venice may be a place of great beauty, but I had read that it is not a place for great food.  Apparently you should consider yourself lucky if you manage…

  • The Manor, Clapham

    “This drink tastes of plants” declared my dining companion.  Our lurid green sorrel and elderflower bellinis were perhaps an inauspicious start to our meal at The Manor, as was our rather over-keen waitress who had seemingly been told to push the tasting menu for all it’s worth or risk pain of death.  At one point, we did think that she was going to hang around the table while we perused the a la carte options, but thankfully duty called elsewhere.  However, things only improved from then on. The Manor is owned by the team behind The Dairy, which has had rave reviews and full tables since it opened in Clapham last year.…