All posts filed under: Food & Drink

Decaf Delights

Published by

What was becoming a seemingly endless quest in my life, may now finally be drawing to an end and it looks like there may in fact be light at the end of the tunnel. It’s rare to come across a decaffeinated coffee that is so rich in flavour and still gives you that same satisfying feeling as when you are indulging in a fresh, steamy hot cup of coffee. As the name already says, Decadent Decaf is the height of luxury when it comes to the magical black been that has been energizing man-kind for the past thousand years. This one without the caffeine of course, but don’t let that lead you into thinking it will be flavourless and and sans body. Quite the opposite, times are changing and decafs are entering the 21st century with a bang.  As many others, I was of the belief that the decaffeination process sucked all the life out of coffee beans and left a kind of dirty coloured undrinkable matter. Guy Wilmot, Co Founder of Decadent Decaf, explains …

When hearts and bellies meet

Published by

What Pasta’n’Goulsh http://www.pasta-n-goulash.co.uk What A ‘Hungarian-Italian fusion’ winter pop-up bar and kitchen, right in the heart of Holborn (for now) Where Temporarily homed in The Plot Twist in Russel Square Experience While Hungarian and Italian might not sound like the most naturally complimentary cuisines, they are united by one crucial characteristic that we all crave at this time of year – stodge. Pasta’n’Goulash is the brain child of partners in business and in life, Agata and Tamas, and comes to the bellies of Londoners at a time when we need it most (because nothing trumps winter quite like potatoes served in bread). On arrival, we were greeted by the aforementioned couple who, I think it’s safe to say, were no less than the most charming hosts I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. I am a sucker for schmaltz so fell hook, line and sinker for their tale of love at first sight. Originally from Parma and Budapest respectively, the pair met in London and ‘from that moment decided to share life together’, uniting their …

Sunday lunch with the Jones Family

Published by

Where Jones Family Project http://jonesfamilyproject.co.uk/ What A comfortable, chic bar in Shoreditch with a passion for wine, cocktails and delicious locally sourced food Experience Situated in the heart of bustling Shoreditch and within strolling distance of Old Street station is The Jones Family Project, which I discovered is a gem of two parts this Sunday. As you enter, you walk into a welcoming bar in a setting that is comparable with a chic New York loft mixed with a 1970s lounge and obviously one hell of a good bar. There are booths, high tables, coffee areas and my personal favourite were the drawers built into the bar to give the illusion of a tea tray. Downstairs is a beautiful restaurant, again with an expansive bar and dining room with fairy lit trees and dim lighting. It’s honestly beautiful. We were greeted by Alejandro, who is the assistant general manager and a massive food and wine enthusiast. He is friendly, informed and really passionate about The Jones Family Project. He recommended we tried the squid to …

Aquum, Clapham

Published by

What Aquum has re-launched as a late night drinking, dining and dancing destination. Where 68-70 Clapham High St, London SW4 7UL Experience It was my first visit to Aquum which has been completely refurbished into a modern, vibrant restaurant – turned late night bar. It was the type of place you could imagine ordering shots and dancing until the early hours. I was joined by an old friend Lucinda who within minutes was speaking to a handsome man at the bar. I left her to it while I pondered over the menu. My first drink of the evening was a Greek Negroni. A thirst quenching blend of Campari, Bombay Sapphire, sweet vermouth, and made Greek by the addition of Skinos Mastic liqueur. The liqueur made the usually bitter cocktail sweet enough to be palatable for the rest of the evening, so I ordered another. The food menu offered contemporary Greek dishes which features sharing plates, fresh salads and grilled meats. Lucinda and I sampled a few sharing dips with sourdough bread. If you are familiar …

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

Published by

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 …