Author: Lorna Wilson

Balan’s Soho Society Celebrates British Food Fortnight and Their Beautiful Refurbishment

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What To celebrate British Food Fortnight we were invited along to Balan’s Soho Society to indulge in all things British! Experience Everybody loves locally sourced food, other than the fact it is fresher and is better for your local economy- there’s something satisfying about knowing that the radish you are nibbling on was grown just down the road. It also helps when we are lucky enough to have some of the highest quality food produced right at our doorstep. On Thursday evening we were treated to a delicious array of locally sourced food (and drink!) at a newly refurbished Balan’s Soho Society. We began our feast with Scottish smoked salmon supplied by legendary East London smokehouse Foremans (served with wasabi and said radish). This was followed up with Cornish crab (also from Foremans) – this was a highlight for me – deliciously light and rich all at the same time. We then transitioned from the sea to the land with a mouth-watering Cod fishcake (South Coast fisheries) served with a perfectly poached Woodlands Farm egg …

Wine in the city

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What A boutique wine bar, sourcing wine directly from vineyards all over the world, Humble grape aims to bring amazing wine and simple, high quality food to customers in London City. Where Humble Grape http://www.humblegrape.co.uk/ 1 St. Bride’s Passage, London EC4Y 8EJ Experience Humble Grape is on a mission ‘to make wine socially inclusive and approachable by anyone’ and is successfully doing so by creating a relaxed ambience in a beautiful location. Shying away from the typical wine cellar feel of barrels everywhere, they use champagne racks mounted on the walls throughout to subtly allude to the theme of the restaurant. We arrived on a buzzing Wednesday, and were kindly seated, while our enthusiastic and knowledgeable waiter went through the wine and food menu.  He was keen to find out what our normal go-to wine was and why. I said a dry white and he listed a number of wines, all of which sounded amazing, before we narrowed it down to a white from The Islander Estate in south Australia. It was the so delicious, …

Mojitos on London’s Answer to a Beach

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Where La Terrazzo at Number 90 Bar & Kitchen What Number 90 Bar & Kitchen’s newly opened Mexican style Terrace space for canal side cocktails in Hackney Wick. Experience Pop up’s in East London over summer are hardly something new, but I think the team at Number 90 Bar and Kitchen have really hit the spot for the perfect watering hole for those long summer afternoons. La Terraza is a Mexican style terrace bar that is now open Wednesday through to Sunday for the rest of summer. I’m not sure about you, but when I hear the word Mexican my brain switches straight to Margaritas and Guacamole, and this is exactly what you will get. Saturday’s see La Terraza offer “Bottomless Frozen Margaritas” for £20 (time limits do apply), giving a nice summer alternative to London’s new favourite pastime – the Bottomless Brunch. The Frozen Margarita’s come in classic, strawberry, and my personal favourite, the deliciously sour and refreshing Passionfruit. If cocktails aren’t your thing, there are also both Mexican and Local craft beers on offer – …

Bodeans – a perfect marriage of meat and beer

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Where Bodeans, Covent Garden http://www.bodeansbbq.com/site/coventgarden What Following the success of Bodean’s five other restaurants, they have opened a new haven for all meat lovers in Covent Garden. Experience A night of meat and beer would not normally be my first choice, however when I came home and told Jack that we had been invited to a five course tasting at Bodeans, his enthusiasm seemed to suggest not going wasn’t an option. We arrived and were greeted with a background on Bodeans and their beer selection. Whilst this was being explained, it dawned on me that not drinking tonight was not a viable option. I ran through the possible excuses in my head for not drinking and decided that claiming pregnancy would be a little crazy and I decided to suffer the Thursday hangover instead. Decisions aside, the food arrived and it did not disappoint. We started with a chargrilled chicken and avocado salad paired with a golden ale from Kona brewery in Hawaii. It was a delicious and a surprisingly light start to evening. We …

Noodle Heaven in Zone One

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Where http://www.kanada-ya.com/home/ What Due to Kanada-Ya’s success in Covent Garden they have opened another sister restaurant just off Leicester square, it is just as busy, just as good and a must visit for any noodle lover. Experience I, like Sarah, have dreams of visiting Japan, which are mainly fuelled by watching too many episodes of Anthony Bourdain no doubt, however this does mean when I was invited to review Kanada – Ya, I jumped at the opportunity. Kanada- Ya is similar to what I imagine Japan to be like in spring; light, airy and with a range of wooden benches and round tables suitable for solo or group customers. As an acclaimed condiments and extras lover, the first thing I noticed was the mounds of fresh ginger, garlic and fermented mushrooms on every table. At this point I knew we were in for a treat. We both ordered the chicken paitan, accompanied by edamame beans drenched in delicious truffle oil, seared chasu pork belly and karaage. The staff were incredibly friendly and always at hand …