Author: Sarah Kemp

Brawn

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As you may have seen, I only very recently visited Terroirs for the first time so having heard that the owners have just opened a brand new restaurant on Columbia Road called Brawn, we decided to take my mum and check it out when she came to visit the weekend before Christmas. It was the coldest day of the year and we trudged across London through the snow to get there. Market stalls outside were selling Christmas trees like crazy, which added to the Christmassy atmosphere! Brawn doesn’t have a sign outside – luckily we had taken note of the building number before we left. The decor is different to Terroirs – Brawn is very East London with cool, vintage/reclaimed furniture and the inside is white, much brighter than Terroirs. The tables are white with old reclaimed wooden chairs, good quality cutlery and very thin glass beakers, which I LOVE. I scanned down the menu and immediately decided to order the Pork Rillete – after having the Duck version at Terroirs a couple of weeks …

Drink Shop & Do

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My dream is to open somewhere like Drink Shop & Do. Everything in this quaint cafe in Kings Cross is for sale – crafts, vintage tea sets, 1950’s dressers and unusual tables and chairs. Plus, they serve home made Cakes, Ice Cream, Speciality Teas and even Cocktails. They hold a range of events and are open to serve afternoon teas, lunch and the have a licence to serve cocktails at what they call ‘Cocktail o’clock’. The shop is in two parts – a sweet shop in the front as you walk in plus a range of designer crafts for sale – even wool and knitting needles if you wish to have an afternoon nit in the cafe up at the top. Then it’s up the stairs to the high ceilinged cafe. We sat on a large round glass table with mis matched vintage chairs – there were a few board games under the table to play if you wanted. There is a selection of food available from Sandwiches, Pork Pies and Quiche to home made …

The first Brunch. Toast, East Perth

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I’m probably one of the luckiest people that passed through Heathrow last weekend. Normally I would be so happy that snow had stuck to the ground but not then. Two days before we were due to fly to Australia, the snow came thick and fast and temperatures dropped to their lowest for 20 years. There was carnage at Heathrow airport, which was the worst affected airport in the country. Great. We weren’t able to get much information as our airlines phone lines were engaged for two days – finally we got through to Heathrow on the morning who said that our flight was scheduled. We arrived to queues to even get into the airport – they weren’t letting you in unless your flight was going. Struggling to hear the Heathrow workers, we stood behind a mass of people eagerly awaiting an announcement. Then it came, our plane had just landed from Singapore – and we were in. Straight to the check in, straight through security and a short wait before we boarded the plane. We …

Vinoteca, Marylebone

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A few weeks ago I was invited to check out the build of the new Vinoteca in Marylebone. The aim of the visit was for Vinoteca to show us their new bag in box wine concept. Now, while they know that this is by no means a new concept, they want to prove to us that you can get really good quality wine in the boxes. We were able to try all of the wines and they were all very good. My favourite was the White. They are sold by the bottle and are priced at around (I say around because I can’t remember the exact prices) £17 for a bottle at the table, £7 to take away and £6.50 for a refill. So when my dad asked me where I wanted to go for my Birthday/Christmas dinner, naturally I chose the new Vinoteca. They don’t take bookings so it is advisable to arrive relatively early. We arrived at 6.30pm and were shown straight to a table, which I think was the only free one. …

Kopapa

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The Providores is a great place to go on a lazy Sunday for a pot of tea and a read of the papers. I have never eaten in the restaurant but I’m told that the food is brilliant. Peter Gordon, fusian chef extraordinaire has just opened a brand new sister restaurant in Seven Dials called Kopapa. I went with a couple of friends on Monday evening for a few plates from the Tapas menu and a few glasses of wine. A couple of us arrived at 6.30 and had a glass of bubbly and a bowl of Edamame while we waited. My initial thought was that the Edamame was double the price it should have been, or at least the bowl should have been twice the size. At £4.80, the profit margin must be huge! When our friend arrived, we perused the menu and decided on 6 dishes. I have never been much of a fan of Tapas because I think it gives restaurants an excuse to charge £7 for 1/3 of what you’d get …