Food and Drink

When tourists ask me to point them in the direction of a real British pub in London I send them to one of more than 20 Sam Smith’s pubs. They may not be tourist hotspots and are certainly not glamorous, but in the parlance of Jarvis Cocker, “you want to live like common people, you want to do whatever common people do”, go visit our Samuel. But equipping yourself with a bit of context beforehand is advised. Sam Smith's is...

Standing outside La Porte des Indes it's difficult to know what to expect. Neighbouring a Grade II-listed Edwardian Gothic Revival church and amongst the familiar stock bricked houses of the neighbourhood it was more reminiscent of an out-of-place Italian eatery than the Edwardian ballroom I'd read about, but once we walked through into the restaurant area, it was like walking back in time…in a good way. In fact the “gateway to India” name and the menu makes a nod to the food of Pondicherry, which was a...

By Charlotte Hope, Lifestyle Editor @charlottehope I like cocktails a lot. There, I said it. I like drinking them, I like looking at them, I like making them, and I like drinking them. I normally err on the side of gin-based cocktails, but for whatever reason this has been the summer that the Aperol Spritz has come into its own. Clever marketing enterprising on a lust for the Italian way of life (minus the political corruption and bunga-bunga parties) has...

By Jack Peat, Editor of The London Economic  Sunday morning, blue skies and a crisp autumn breeze wafts aromas of exotic street food across London's East End. It was an idyllic start to the day, but I'd got a cob on. I've just been seated at a trendy Peruvian cafe by a cheerful and polite hostess. Chefs were busy preparing an array of breakfast options in the open plan kitchen and my Americano had arrived promptly in a nice tactile...

By Jonathan Hatchman @JonHatchmn “Shrimp is the fruit of the sea,” once quoted Mykelti Williamson's character “Bubba Blue” in the Tom Hanks led academy-award winning 'Forrest Gump', unbelievably released a whole 20 years ago. And Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. - the latest addition to Central London's Trocadero centre, sandwiched right between tourist destinations Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square, boasts a menu that, evidently, is bursting with a plethora of different shrimp-based dishes as well as many more American-inspired treats. Themed heavily...

By Ben Davidson, Total Diet Food Days are long and intense in the city, and food is for wimps. Too much to do and not enough time to do it, let alone take a break and look after yourself. But taking that break might actually make you even more productive, and could more than make up for the time lost. We’re hearing a lot of debate just now about whether it should be ok to powernap at your desk. The...

By Charlotte Hope, Lifestyle Editor  There’s something so appealing about Bloomsbury's latest take on the American diner; the American Graffiti and Grease - soundtracks and mood-boards for my childhood - immediately set the mood.  When I heard that VQ, which holds the honour of being high in Gordon Ramsay’s esteem when it comes to the fry-up, had opened a new 24 hour diner near Tottenham Court Road, I knew the 50s sock hopper in me had to go and try it out. Tucked away...

Nestled just behind Liverpool Street station and slightly away from the throngs of after work drinkers, Mrs TLE and I found the La Tagliata, an Italian brassiere on Sandy’s Row. We opted for the set menu, three courses (£29 a head) and just the one bottle of house white. Easier on the pocket…and on the head. Ok, we had a couple before we arrived, but don’t judge us! The A la carte menu looked interesting as well, with a wide...

By Jack Peat, Editor of The London Economic  Brits tend to approach Subcontinent cuisine with a degree of apprehension. Unlike other food imports the number of variables at play when perusing the menu surpass the basic ‘will I have that with chips’ and thus render us completely dumbfounded. Will it be too hot? How will my innocent palate react to unfamiliar spices? This apprehension has led to a new, British Indian cuisine consisting of Korma, the Glaswegian Tikka Masala, Rogan...