Food and Drink

Just north of Oxford Street, Fitzrovia is fast becoming the restaurant capital of London. However, quite problematically, besides eating and drinking establishments, the area has little else to offer in terms of leisure, and as a result there’s an incredible amount of competition between local restaurateurs. Fitzrovia is home to the likes of the ever-brilliant Dabbous, The Ninth, and the latest opening of Bao, which has already garnered Kardashian-level social media hysteria, not unlike its big sister restaurant in Soho....

A certain level of culinary competence is, of course, a necessary element for a restaurant to succeed. But although the food is generally the crucial criteria associated with a perfect dining experience, often overlooked components such as service, ambience and décor are also essential contributors, and are sometimes just as important. Jason Atherton’s Berners Tavern, fortunately, is one of the few London restaurants that manages to deliver on all four of these. The all-day dining menu is made up of...

Strength: 4.2% Brewed: Albourne, West Sussex Based on a farm near Brighton, Bedlam Brewery prides itself not only on its quality ingredients used throughout the brewing process of their core range, but also on the environment. All of the energy that’s required for brewing comes from onsite solar panels, the brewery plant and harvest their own hops, and they also supply local farmers with free hops and spent grain in order to feed their cattle. As for the beer, all six expressions...

Creating good food isn't about being fancy. It's about doing the basic things well. Take a moment to consider some of the most successful food entrepreneurs (or fentrepreneurs) in the city. Pizza Pilgrims was started by two brothers who took a 'pilgrimage' to discover the true art of pizza making and have made a success of it because they got the fundamentals right. My oft referenced Parlour in Kensal Rise are masters of simplicity and rank among the best restaurants in London...

I always love a wine with a story. And so steeped in historical significance is The King’s Wrath Pinot Noir that this bottle may just take the biscuit. Most of us are familiar with the term ‘hanged, drawn and quartered’ which became synonymous with the Elizabethan era. But to trace its origins you have to go back to Henry III. During the High Middle Ages those in England guilty of treason were punished in a variety of ways, including drawing...

With so many food trends having continued to flourish in 2016, it's often difficult to determine where one ends and another begins. The idea of 'Half plates', for instance (the specialty at Talli Joe), is fundamentally a new riff on the small plate culture that has taken London by storm, dividing opinions along the way. A modern Indian restaurant with Executive Chef Sameer Taneja at the helm (having previously led the kitchen at Michelin-starred Benares), Talli Joe is a refreshing new...

A lesser known sibling of moules marinière - mussels mouclade is a classic French dish cooked similarly, yet traditionally using a lightly curried sauce, instead of one with a tomato base. “Inspired by a lifetime of the love and appreciation of seafood”, Ondine is a seafood restaurant based in Edinburgh’s historic Old Town, launched by Chef Patron Roy Brett. The chef’s take on mussels mouclade uses coconut milk and is served alongside poori (a deep fried Indian bread) to mop...

Despite a plethora of celebrity chefs, cooking channels and online networks such as Pinterest and Instagram, Brits still rely on recipes handed down from their mothers, a new study has found. Some 64 per cent of the average Brit's current repertoire of meals are those inherited from their own mothers, rather than found in books, with seven in ten respondents saying there is an element of comfort in using the recipe they remember their parents using. Six in ten cooks say...

Alongside becoming renowned for their seafood and steak focused menu, Brighton’s Salt Room also possesses a selection of brilliant cocktails. Located on the seafront, the restaurant’s ‘Seaside Martini’ features a base of vermouth that’s made in-house and sea herb infused Sussex Gin, both of which are teamed with a smoked sea salt saline solution and a dash of locally sourced rapeseed oil. What’s more, the drink is served over ice with some samphire and an oyster shell for the drink...