Food and Drink
Beer of the Week – Weird Beard Brew Co. ‘Little Things That Kill’
Brewed: Ealing, London Strength: 3.9% ABV Launched at the beginning of 2013, Weird Beard Brew Co. operates from a site near Ealing and produces a number of hop-driven beers alongside classic styles. With the aim to “satisfy, enthuse and be enjoyed by whoever the drinker,” Weird Beard offer a number of core beers as well as some occasional, specials and one-off brews that push creative boundaries. “A violently hoppy little beer”, ‘Little Things That Kill’ from the brewery’s core range...
Nespresso Launch ‘Be Your Own Barista’ Pop-Up in London
Tying in with the launch of the Creatista, the latest machine from Nespresso, the Creatista Studio in West London will be serving complimentary coffees for a limited time from Wednesday 22nd February. Popping up across the UK and Ireland over the next two months, the Creatista Studio will first open its doors in London on 22nd February, before travelling to Leeds on 8th March then to Dublin on 22nd March. In addition to free coffees, customers will be encouraged to...
Restaurant review: Cubana Tapas Bar and Restaurant, Sheffield
By Terry Siddall The Cubana has had a presence in Sheffield for some fifteen years and gained a good reputation for its authentic Spanish/Latin tapas menu. Leopold Square where the Cubana restaurant and bar is situated is in the heart of Sheffield city centre where Leopold Street meets the end of West Street. The square is fairly close to the two main theatres in Sheffield, that of the Crucible and the Lyceum and has easy access to bus, tram stops and...
Restaurant Review – El Pirata
Brian May is an undoubtedly accomplished guitarist, but he’s hardly renowned for good taste. Yet according to their website, Mayfair tapas restaurant El Pirata (‘The Pirate’, in English) are very proud that the Queen guitarist once visited and said, “El Pirata rocks”. There’s also a testimonial from Johnny Depp, who apparently loves it here, and may or may not have visited in his Captain Jack Sparrow costume. Having been around for just under a quarter of a century, El Pirata...
Is pairing wine and food all it’s cracked up to be?
Wine has long been seen as the stuff of connoisseurs, a beverage which comes with its own arcane mythology, only slurped and understood by an insufferable few. Films like Sideways and Somm have only served to deepen the mystery around the hallowed grape, and most sensible-thinking people are put off by anything breaking the dreaded £10 barrier. “Sometimes,” as the great cultural critic Alan Partridge once said, “you just want to say, sod all this wine, just give me a...
The 15 best vegan pizza places in Britain
Today is National Pizza Day, and what better way to celebrate it than to take a look at how far vegan pizza has come these last few years? From something we vegans would have to sadly make at home on pitta breads (or shyly ask for without the dairy) to being widely available nationwide, vegan pizza is on the up and up. Two and a half years ago only one national chain, Pizza Express, provided vegan pizza on the menu:...
Beer of the Week – Lowlander I.P.A
Brewed: Amsterdam, Netherlands Strength: 6% ABV Heavily inspired by the often forgotten history of Dutch brewing, using herbs, spices and fruits brought home by Dutch sailors, Lowlander Beer use botanicals during the brewing process of all of their beers. Named after the literal meaning of The Netherlands (‘Low Lands’), the brewery source all of their botanicals, herbs and spices from Jacob Hooy, the oldest spice store in Amsterdam and intend to ‘create great tasting beers which are full of both character and...
Vodka Revolution: Brits get a taste for premium spirits
"Vodka is a tainted spirit in Britain", we wrote back in 2014 at a tasting session for the world’s first super-premium vodka from Ukraine. After all, "its bedfellows are typically a sugary brand of the Coca Cola franchise or the more fashionable pick-me-up-throw-me-down energy drink mix - very few people would opt to drink it straight". Britain is undergoing a spirit revolution of late, with premium gins littering the market and a smorgasbord of rums now on offer. But vodka has...
Valentine’s Day in London: Where to find the capital’s most romantic restaurants
London's most romantic restaurants for Valentine's Day Valentine’s Day is around the corner and if you like me have left booking a place to eat until the last moment, never fear. We have a list of London’s 10 most romantic restaurants to eat from this weekend right through to the special day. From Nordic set menus to wine matching evenings we have compiled something for everyone in this list of London’s Valentine hotspots. There is also something to suit all...