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Boulogne Bar
A few months ago I wrote about the “London bubble“. How it’s easy to get complacent, shuttling along from home to work to home, rarely visiting new areas. Or maybe that’s just me? Anyway, as per previous post, I have lived in London for a long time but there are still parts of town that I have never been to. One of these is Kentish Town. Which is a bit embarrassing actually, as it’s not like it’s on the furthest fringes of the city, like Edgware, or in a public transport vacuum like most of south-east London. Although, in my defence, I’ve never really had any reason to go there. But then I…
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The Best Food and Drink of 2016
Yes, everyone keeps saying that 2016 has been the worst year ever. But when it comes to food and drink, this year has been a cracker. With more new restaurants and more foodie entrepreneurs than ever, there is no excuse to eat badly. Here are the best things that I snaffled into my greedy face this year: Chicken and pistachio shish from Arabica Bar & Kitchen I wanted to eat everything on Arabica Bar & Kitchen’s menu. I’ve eaten a lot of samey mezze over the years, but these guys really know how to sex it up. It’s easy to be bamboozled by choice; however, you should definitely include the…
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The Holly Bush
Picture the scene. You plan a long-overdue visit to one of your favourite restaurants. You sit down, browse the menu and immediately spot an amazing sounding dish. This is definitely what you are going to order and you can’t wait to tuck in. But then – disaster! The waitress informs you that it’s not actually available. A mistake was made and the menu is incorrect. Sad times…. This is exactly what happened on my visit to The Holly Bush in Hampstead and, needless to say, I was more than a little irritated. However, all was not lost. This story does have a happy ending… The Holly Bush is a wonderful pub.…
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The Manor, Clapham
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The Plot Twist
Beans on toast. Steak and chips. Wine and cheese. All pretty familiar meal time combinations. But Hungarian food together with Italian food? Never heard of that one before! While both of these cuisines rank pretty highly on my list of favourite foods, I’ve never eaten them in the same sitting. There may well be a reason for that, which I shall come to later. However, I found myself indulging in the staple food of both of these great nations thanks to The Plot Twist and their new pop-up restaurant in Holborn. If comfort food is your thing then you need to hit these guys up because you won’t be disappointed. The…
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Tang at St Giles
Don’t get me wrong. I love autumn. In fact, it’s probably my favourite time of year. But the combination of the clocks going back and stupidly long hours spent in the office have left me in need of a little pick-me-up. And pick-me-ups don’t get much littler than Tang. Not because it didn’t have the desired effect, but because it is genuinely tiny. This weeny Chinese restaurant is hidden away in one of those strangely unpalatable parts of the West End, just off Tottenham Court Road, and you’ll definitely need to keep your eyes peeled to find it. It’s worth wandering up and down the tourist-choked streets of WC1, however, because Tang is a hidden…
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London Cocktail Week 2016
My poor liver. It’s taken a bit of a battering lately. All in the name of research, you understand…. Recently one of my favourite events took place – London Cocktail Week. Now, usually I try and pace myself, spread my “investigations” throughout the week, break it up a bit. But this year? No. This year I decided to cram it all into the final weekend. So it was less “London Cocktail Week”, more “London Cocktail Weekend”. Never before have I planned a drinking sesh with such military precision, and never before have I necked drinks with such speed when it’s not closing time. However, I lived to tell the tale so here are my highlights…
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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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Tequila, mezcal and all things agave
Hands up if you have ever had a “bad experience” with tequila. Ok, hands up if you think tequila tastes pretty nasty. Just so you know – my hand was up both times. I may like alcohol to bite back, but tequila has never floated my boat. To me, it’s just firewater with about as much subtlety as a house brick. Now, hands up if you have heard of mezcal. Until recently, this drink wasn’t even on my radar, let alone my palate. So when I had the opportunity to go to a festival celebrating all things agave, I jumped at it. I would get to do some mezcal tasting and maybe…
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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…
