Gordon & MacPhail: World’s Most Exclusive Whisky Unveiled

Contrary to popular belief, my lunchtimes rarely involve strings of Martinis punctuated by amuse-bouches, but rather a more conventional sandwich or perhaps an impromptu reformulating of last night’s culinary experiment (dinner).  On Wednesday the 2nd of September however, I had the pleasure of being invited to a somewhat hush-hush unveiling at the Royal Opera House,…
View Post

Extended Shell Life: Interview With Bon Viveur And L’Escargot Reviver, Brian Clivaz

On opening in 1927, L’Escargot became Britain’s first restaurant to serve snails. ‘Amusingly enough, the word oleaginous comes to mind when describing Tony, our snail man,’ purrs the Soho stack’s co-owner and reviver, Brian Clivaz, as we appraise salted morsels roasted over coals and bathed in butter. ‘He’s a wonderful fellow with two-to-three million Herefordshire…
View Post

Don’t Go To Original Sin

Julian de Feral wants you not to go to Original Sin. Okay? *tappy nose thing*   Don’t go to Original Sin if you think a good drink is made good by precariously attaching an elaborately crimped zest fashioned in the shape of a hummingbird on to a burning lavender sprig with a mini-peg and served…
View Post

Hidden gem: M Raw in the City

Tucked away along a side street in the Square Mile is a monument to food with a capital M. Part meat fest, part pared down ingredient led, topped with a small but perfectly formed bar, it’s a cavernous site befitting of an area that is no stranger to excess. With London summer in full swing,…
View Post

A Taste of Japan A Le Cordon Bleu

Le Cordon Bleu London
It takes a rare individual not to be fascinated by Japanese culture. From the Geishas and Sumos of ancient tradition, to Manga, Samurai, slashers and street fashion, there is something for everyone. Japanese cuisine, too, has widespread appeal. An art in itself, it marries simplicity with the finest ingredients, winning hearts and minds along the…
View Post

Taj 51 Buckingham Gate Suites and Residences Opens New Restaurant Kona

Having an affair? Starting an assignation? Then Kona is your destination. Extremely discreetly hidden within one of the Victorian townhouses of the five-star Taj Hotel in Buckingham Place, its setting couldn’t be more spectacular yet peaceful, despite being minutes from Victoria. Taking its name from Sanskrit meaning ‘corner’, Kona is not indian cuisine. Rather, executive…
View Post

House of Ho, Soho, London

Vietnamese food never fails to set my taste buds alight – aromatic lemongrass, tangy fish sauce and sharp slivers of red chillies liberally doused with fresh coriander, that most divisive of all herbs, Thai basil and mint. I first experienced the explosive taste sensation in my university days, experiencing the night life of Shoreditch one…
View Post