The Drinks Master: Why whisky is the big cocktail mixer of 2018 – whatever gin fans might think October 15, 2018 Everyone is talking about gin, but it’s whisky that’s quietly dominating the British spirits market. It reclaimed its top spot this year – from vodka rather than gin – as Britain’s favourite spirit, selling 2.7m more litres than the year before. That’s an extra 54m neat drams, whisky gingers, manhattans, and old fashioneds. But there’s [...]
Working Lunch: We try the three course foraging feast at Native’s new home near Borough Market October 9, 2018 Native 32 Southwark Street, SE1 WHAT AND WHERE? Native recently got into a spat with its neighbours in Covent Garden, so has moved to a new home near Borough Market. And it’s gorgeous – low-key, exposed brick with leafy vines climbing the walls; rather like eating in a secret courtyard. The food’s an attempt to [...]
The Green Room review: Find out what corporate hospitality means at the Kia Oval before you fork out to impress clients October 3, 2018 The last time I sat in a corporate box, it was miserable. A relative who worked for a bank had been offered tickets to a Muse gig at Wembley Stadium and invited me along as box meat to fill the space. At the time, I was a fan of the Devonshire space rockers, but I [...]
Our resident chef Mark Hix on what to do with all that nice stuff you scoop out of your gourd October 2, 2018 It’s almost Halloween and we’re about to undergo a form of international mass hysteria, buying a shed-load of pumpkins, scooping out all the lovely edible bits, putting them in the bin and carving faces into the remains. Madness. Pumpkins and squashes are delicious, and they deserve better than being unceremoniously ditched in the name of [...]
Working Lunch at Quo Vadis: We review the generously portioned Soho Set menu and rave about an eel sandwich October 2, 2018 Quo Vadis 26-29 Dean Street WHAT AND WHERE? If you haven’t heard of Quo Vadis by now, then quo eras? The once-notorious brothel, and former home of Karl Marx – though not at the same time – first flung open its doors to Dean Street diners in the 1920s and it’s been a Soho staple [...]
Weekly Grill: Indian chef extraordinaire Vivek Singh tells us about his City restaurant turning 10 and memories of lamb cooked over cowpats October 2, 2018 Who are you? I’m the founding chef at Cinnamon Collection. Our group has been revolutionising Indian Dining since 2001, with The Cinnamon Club in Westminster, Cinnamon Kitchens in the City, Oxford and Battersea and the magical Cinnamon Bazaar in Covent Garden. What do you do? I dream up dishes. What’s new at Cinnamon Group? Lots! [...]
The drinks master: There’s more to champagne than big names, try some grower-producers October 2, 2018 The Grand Marques, or big houses, in Champagne have always dominated the market. With their bulging marketing budgets, they are able to place their names everywhere from billboards, to sponsorships at major sporting events, to having their names elegantly etched into bars and restaurants all over the world. Most big Champagne houses are négociants, which [...]
The Brolly and the Ivy: New Ivy restaurant prepares to open in Canary Wharf with heist-themed launch October 2, 2018 The latest instalment of Richard Caring’s Ivy Collection has opened for bookings, marked by a theatrical dance stunt themed around heist film The Thomas Crown Affair. Actors in bowler hats twirled umbrellas and danced to mark the upcoming launch of The Ivy in The Park, a new all-day dining brasserie at Canada Square, Canary Wharf, [...]
Working Lunch: Gunpowder Tower Bridge brings its flavour-packed Indian food south of the river September 26, 2018 GUNPOWDER TOWER BRIDGE, SE1 WHAT IS IT? It’s the second outpost of Gunpowder, a critically-acclaimed Indian restaurant that opened in a tiny space in Spitalfields in 2015. The new one joins the Bridge Theatre and a new branch of The Ivy brasserie at One Tower Bridge, the glassy part of the South Bank next to [...]
How to Mix: The Ned’s Breakfast at Emily’s cocktail is the wake up call you deserve September 24, 2018 It’s fine to drink a cocktail at breakfast. Every culture does it. We Brits love a Bloody Mary, while the Italians prefer a Bellini and the Spanish sip a Mimosa. But over at The Library Bar, the newest watering hole to open at City-based behemoth The Ned, they’re creating their own brunch beverages. The cosy [...]