Food and Drink

It’s a brave soul that opens a new restaurant in Chinatown. Rental prices are notoriously expensive - around half a mill a year for a decent-sized place. How many meals do you have to serve just to cover those costs alone? So I arrived a Hot Pot for a pre-cinema meal hoping, for their own sake, it would be a success. The signs were good; ‘display eating’ has always been a popular choice of dining experience, from crêpes suzettes at...

Created by Alex Robson and Howard Raymond, King of Soho gin is a tribute to Howard’s father, Paul Raymond: the original King of Soho. This gin intends to capture the essence of the man famed for revolutionising Soho, founding iconic nightclubs including Raymond Revuebar and Madam JoJo’s. Crafted in small batches in the heart of London, King of Soho gin is distilled using traditional methods by an 11th generation master distiller. Quite fittingly, King of Soho’s master distiller comes from...

Tequila’s complex sibling, mezcal is finally beginning to receive the attention it deserves. Tying in with London Mezcal Week, taking place later this month, The Bloomsbury Club Bar at The Bloomsbury Hotel,on Great Russell Street, will celebrate by adding 30 varieties of mezcal to their drinks list; making it one of Europe’s largest mezcal collections. A traditional Mexican liquor, mezcal is distilled using the agave plant’s heart (piña), which is cooked and aged. Made from over 30 varying agave species...

Have you ever wanted to know what a 46 year-old single malt whisky tastes like? Scottish distillery Bunnahabhain has unveiled its oldest single malt to date; though one of the strictly limited bottles (198 worldwide) will set you back an eye-watering £5,000. Also known as ‘Eich Bhana Lìr’ - meaning “the great waves of the God Lìr” - Bunnahabhain’s 46 year old expression is named in tribute to God Lìr, the Gaelic God of the sea. According to Gaelic mythology,...

Celebrity power couple Beyonce and Jay Z have given veganism a major public image boost, according to new academic research. Not so long ago, veganism was considered suitable only for only extreme animal rights activists and hippies. Now the diet is considered trendy and healthy - and much of the credit for turning people off meat and on to veganism is down to the A-list couple along with their celeb pals Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Lopez , according to a...

It’s no secret that many of the world’s steakhouses are unashamedly masculine. Within such man caves of brawn and brew, men in their most pre-evolved state are an almost guaranteed fixture, coarsely yamming lavish cattle (nearly always Wagyu) washed down with the most expensive bottle of Merlot justifiable on the company credit card. It’s an old stereotype, but this tired notion of toxic masculinity is still showing no sign of wavering. At Macellaio RC, with four restaurants across London, the...

Since launching their Ancient Grains range of beers in the UK last year, Green’s has become quickly renowned for a unique and complex brewing approach which doesn’t use wheat or barley in the brewing process. As a result, the beers are naturally gluten-free, targeting a constantly growing community of experimental beer connoisseurs. In addition to being suitable for those in need of a gluten-free diet – Green’s beers are naturally gentle on the digestive system and boast healthy attributes, with high levels of...

One of the best wine scenes I've ever come across - other than the classic "I'm not drinking f*cking Merlot" line in Sideways - is the last supper in Of Gods and Men. The monks share red wine to the accompaniment of Tchaikovsky's Grand Theme from Swan Lake, playing on an old tape machine in the corner. Xavier Beauvois's camera does nothing but pan slowly around the table while this happens, minutely watching these men's careworn faces as they absorb the mystery...

A BBQ restaurant has created a pizza with a difference - in a YORKSHIRE PUDDING. Rebels Smokehouse has created the combo after realising the traditional Yorkshire savoury provides a perfect base for the deep-sided Italian pizza-pie style dish. Owner Sean Singer said they were looking at nostalgic foods for their menu and were looking at the Chicago pizza when they had the tasty brainwave. Speaking from his restaurant in Beverley, East Yorks., Simon said: "I was working with co-owners Jason...