Food and Drink

Forget Peckham, Shoreditch and Dalston – one of London’s most exciting neighbourhoods for eating out, at the moment, can be found in a considerably more central location. Tucked between Islington, King’s Cross and the square mile, Farringdon (commonly known as Clerkenwell) has always been deeply rooted in food history, but has – in the past ten years - finally become recognised as such an exciting cornucopia of brilliant restaurants, cafés and bars. Smithfield meat market, for instance, has operated continuously...

If there were superheroes of the wine world, Masi's Tour would undoubtedly be one of them. Considered “the Valpolicella of tomorrow” this is intense and full-bodied wine would fill out a muscle chest Superman outfit with ease. It's name, which derives from the volcanic rocks of its vineyards of origin, has kryptonite qualities and its punchy qualities owe their heritage to Oseleta, the forgotten native variety rediscovered by Masi. The nose combines familiar Corvina aromas with the firm character, power and...

With Michelin-starred restaurants Galvin at Windows and Galvin La Chapelle, chefs Chris and Jeff Galvin’s set-lunch menu offers some of the best value fine dining in London. The same can be said for each of the other restaurants in the pair’s constantly growing restaurant empire (Galvin HOP, Bistrot de Luxe, etc.) within their respective price brackets. Speaking to The London Economic in a recent interview, Chris Galvin said: “Both of us feel strongly that when you visit an establishment such...

A bottle of one of the world's most sought after whiskies has sold for a whopping £11,450 -- more than 150 times its original price. The Black Bowmore 1964 1st edition has legendary status in the whisky world. But even specialists were astounded at the price paid for the bottle, setting what is believed to be a record auction price for this particular dram. Whisky expert, Laurie Black from auctioneers McTear's, said: "The Black Bowmore has been rising in price...

A petrolhead has made sure his local is never far away - after converting his VW campervan into a PUB. Ben Levy, 29, spent months painstakingly transformed his Volkswagen 1957 Splitscreen into a mobile boozer - which comes complete with an optical bar, pub seating and even a dart board. The car nut has splashed out thousands of pounds fitting it out with beer taps, wine racks, disco lights as well as a bell to ring for service. The pub...

Occupying an underground space near Holland Park tube station, Flat Three has become renowned for serving brilliant Japanese, Scandinavian and Korean-inspired dishes since opening in 2015. In addition to the rest of Flat Three’s menu, the restaurant has a dedicated ‘Plant-Based’ section on the menu – hoping to end perceptions that vegan food can’t match meat or fish on taste and variety. Flat Three chef and co-owner Pavel Kanja says: “We extract every flavour we can, using fermentation, smoking and...

Festival organisers in Brighton are in for a grilling after punters turned up to their cheese extravaganza only to realise they had sold out of cheese. The "Cheese Fest" event sent Twitter into a storm last night as punters faced long queues and deplenished stock. According to one source the organisers had said in their defence that "the demand for the cheese on offer wasn't anticipated". Odd, for a "cheese" festival. It's a cheese festival and they didn't anticipate a demand...

London’s most sensorially stimulating restaurant, bar and art space – sketch has become a London icon since opening in 2013. An idiosyncratic blend of ineffable luxury and off the wall interiors, each visit feels like a tumble down the rabbit hole into Wonderland. Directly opposite the powder pink dining room of The Gallery, adorned with over 200 David Shrigley artworks and those pod toilets – The Glade has recently launched a redesigned bar menu from new Bar Manager Pepijn Van-den...

The world’s oldest existing rum brand, Mount Gay has collaborated with the Bourne & Hollingsworth Buildings, in Clerkenwell. Showcasing Mount Gay Black Barrel, the all-day dining space’s bar team have created a refreshing cocktail (‘Water of Life’) that’s available until the end of August, aiming to bring a taste of Barbados to East London. With the oldest surviving deed for the company dating back to 1703, Mount Gay’s Black Barrel expression is a small batch, handcrafted blend from Master Blender...