Food and Drink

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Just in time for the celebration of the restaurant’s 25th anniversary next year, Le Pont de la Tour located at Shad Thames and famed for its fine French food has recently undergone refurbishment. First opened at the beginning of the 1990s by Sir Terence Conran, the restaurant is now owned by D&D London – the group behind some great London restaurants such as Plateau, Restaurant Sauterelle – which has also recently reopened – and...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Having grown up in the 1990s, steak house restaurants are something that I’ve grown to constantly associate with the part of London that surrounds Leicester Square and The Strand. Harking back to early memories of eating overpriced, overcooked and underwhelming cuts at one of the many ‘Aberdeen Angus Steakhouses’ that the area has to offer - reeling in tourists with their neon red signage and a promise of offering the very best steak that...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food With December finally here, Christmas is drawing very close. So with the shops filling up, the weather changing, and as a time of true indulgence - we’ve compiled a gift guide of all of the best food and drink gifts to buy for your favourite foodies and drinks connoisseurs this Christmas. Aurora Crystal Head Vodka Arriving just in time for Christmas, Crystal Head Vodka - founded in 2008 by Hollywood actor Dan Aykroyd –...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food With plenty of exciting restaurant openings constantly taking place across the Capital, here’s our pick of the best new restaurants arriving in London over the coming month. Flat Iron – Covent Garden Ever since their initial inception as a pop-up restaurant, Flat Iron has become increasingly popular. So popular, in fact, that they’re set to open a third restaurant this month, in Covent Garden’s Henrietta Street. As is the case with the two restaurants already open in Soho,...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food For anybody that doesn’t live or work in the area - Canary Wharf is a strange place. Many people, in fact, are unaware that Canary Wharf – as an address – refers to an area, juxtaposed to just the building, the one that used to be the tallest in London before the Shard came along and ruined it for the most eastern of London’s skyscrapers. Then again, at least the name of London Bridge...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Located in Notting Hill, Kensington Place first opened back in 1987. Having grown over the years, the restaurant is now a destination space that prides itself on relaxed and casual dining with a strong focus on fish and seafood. What’s more, there’s also a bar that serves some exciting cocktails. Created especially for Christmas, this week’s recipe is for the Aztec Cocoa - a twist on Mexican hot chocolate that uses tequila, chilli, cinnamon,...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food London, at the moment, is witnessing a continuous increase in popularity surrounding American comfort food. The last few years have witnessed an uncountable amount of pop-ups becoming permanent that propel the trend even further, and there are now more gourmet burger stands, vans and shops than we can keep up with. And there’s no sign of the trans-Atlantic food craze calming down at anytime soon. What’s most exciting, however, is the growth in barbecue...

By Jack Peat, Editor of The London Economic Real ale has been awaiting a wood renaissance for some time. Unlike wine, port, sherry and whisky the expressions in ale are not afforded the opportunity to develop once they enter the cask, and so they are only ever as good as when they leave the brewery. But a group of 'woodies' have been campaigning for a change in the steel-only model of distribution for some time, and have finally found their...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor The first thing I said was, "it's a bit like secret cinema meets Winter Wonderland," but I was shot down immediately by my companions. It is the exact anthesis of the Hyde Park tourist trap, I was told. I apologised for my stupidity and took a massive gulp (ok sip through a straw) of my Jack Daniels cocktail, I had just acquired from their rooftop bar. So I will start again, "this xmas will see a...