Food and Drink

Just a couple of years ago, the notion of opening a successful, trendy café off the main drag of Balham High Road would have perhaps seemed unthinkable to anybody without a SW12 postcode. Yet what with nearby Brixton unexpectedly becoming the place to eat, with Clapham not far behind, it was only a matter of time before the surrounding areas would begin to follow suit. Set up by three friends and launched earlier this year, Brother Marcus is stylised as...

Australia’s leading tea retailer – T2 – offer the country’s largest range of premium tea and tea wares sourced from across the globe, including their own Matcha blend – a Japanese green tea that has become incredibly popular in the UK, in recent years. As well as making a delicious cup of tea, T2’s special edition Matcha blend can also be used as flavouring for various foods, making the product absolutely ideal for recipe use. This week’s recipe is a...

There is something gloriously refined about drinking Venetian wine on a warm summer’s evening. Located in the best vineyard sites in foothill and hillsides near the Italian Austrian border, winemakers Masi has been at the forefront of Venetian wine for several decades, working to identify the historic "cru" vineyard sites for Amarone. They produce modern, attractive and well-balanced wines credited for “revolutionising the art of wine-making in the Venetian region”, defined as a “touchstone” of the area by Hugh Johnson....

Is White Rioja an underrated classic? That’s the question Quentin Sadler posted on his wine pages recently, and one I set out to explore on a warm mid-week evening drinking al fresco in central London. Bold red wines are as synonymous with the Rioja region as light clarets are to Beaujolais. But there is a notion that we risk seriously underestimating the region by narrowing our focus on just red. Brits have traditionally eschewed Spanish white wines because they have...

Brewed: Brooklyn, New York Strength: 6.9% ABV Brooklyn Brewery are one of the very few craft beer giants that deliver consistency, when brewing is concerned. Their flagship lager is, somehow, nothing like the over-sweetened, over-carbonated lagers that we’re used to in the UK, and is all the better for it. Their American brown ale is classic, yet well executed and their slightly spiced autumnal seasonal that features pumpkin is an ideal companion for the cooler months. Even the brewery’s less...

As the largest global provider of qualifications in the fields of wines and spirits, the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) have teamed up with three of London’s top bars this year to offer a series of immersive ‘From Still to Bar’ experiences. Each focusing on a different spirit, June saw Chef Mark Hix’s Mark’s Bar taking part, with a focus on rum, while The London EDITION’s Punch Room will host WSET’s gin experience for the rest of this month....

Before you get excited, Poke (pronounced “poe-kay”) and the multiple Poke Bars that have sprung up in London of late have absolutely nothing to do with Pokémon Go. Instead of serving slivers of pan-fried Pikachu or mock Squirtle soup, places like Mayfair’s Black Roe Poke Bar and Grill specialise in the Hawaiian dish traditionally consisting of raw fish - generally ahi tuna - served on a bed of short-grained rice. Opened in March, Black Roe is the latest venture from...

Back in 2010 Italian chefs pooled together to reclaim their national dish of spaghetti bolognese. They claimed the original recipe had become so corrupted it was in urgent need of a culinary rescue, penning an authentic recipe which reflected its historical routes. But here's the rub. Brits don't seem to give two hoots. According to new research eight in ten people in the UK never use a recipe when creating the dish, and 56 per cent regularly improvise – adding Worcester sauce,...

The UK's first sweet pie company, One Four, is bringing a mix of American deserts to Clerkenwell from next week at East London eatery, Printworks Kitchen. Running from 22nd - 26th August, it’s time to leave your diets at the door and dig into some seriously dirty desserts this summer. Chocolate and nut lovers will be spoilt for choice between the positively filthy Peanut Butter and Chocolate Pie and mouth-watering Pecan and Bourbon Pie, whilst fruity favourites include the sinful Banoffee...