All posts filed under: London

Artisan Home Brew Master Class

Published by

Where Artisan Coffee School What Artisan Home Brew Master Class Experience A couple of weeks ago I made my way to Ealing Broadway to attend the home brew coffee course at the Artisan Coffee School, which is located within the Artisan coffee shop started by Edwin and Magda. The school offers an impressive variety of coffee courses from an Introduction to Coffee to Latte Art, to Home Brewing, right through to courses on how to start your own coffee shop. As someone who enjoys far too much coffee on a daily basis, I was really interested to find out more about what actually makes a good coffee. Even though the course is only 90 minutes, you get to learn a huge amount of really interesting factors that are involved in brewing your own coffee. The different brew methods for example, which include V60, (my favourite) aeropress, cafetiere/french press, and drip coffee. I had no idea there were so many different methods, did you? Actually to be honest, I hadn’t really given it much thought before, …

Foxcroft & Ginger – Whitechapel

Published by

Where Foxcroft & Ginger, Whitechapel What Foxcroft & Ginger is an artisan café-cum-bakery offering brunch dishes, home-made cakes and baked goods, sour dough pizzas with ingredients all freshly made in-house. They pride themselves on their exquisite coffee as well as offering a range of craft beers and cocktails. Experience On a hungover Sunday morning, it took me and Sara an inexcusable amount of time to track down our seemingly elusive brunch destination. Sara is new to London, so not only was she no help, but she also had no idea what brunch was. Ideally located right on Mile End Road with, helpfully, ‘Foxcroft & Ginger’ written in big lights on the front, this glass fronted East London version of its Soho sister sits in the iconic old building that once housed the ‘Harrods of the east’. Fancy that! It couldn’t have been easier. Finally inside and the place was packed! Despite this, the helpful waitress seated us almost instantly in a great little spot by the window where we ordered two large Bloody Mary’s to …

Lorna Loves Lobster Kitchen

Published by

Where Lobster Kitchen What Situated a 5 minute walk from Tottenham Court Road, Lobster Kitchen is in a perfect location to attract London regulars from the trendy Soho business area nearby and stumbling tourists laden down with shopping bags from Oxford Street. The Experience The Lobster Kitchen could aptly be named shack; it is authentic with décor being shipped from New England, a slate wall from Canada and a further wall commissioned by London artist Tilo Kaiser, utilising old Canadian newspapers. Everything is quaint, kitsch and works incredibly well. After an initial discussion over dinner in 2013, co-owners Abigail Tan and Valeria Cinaglia opened the doors to LK on the 22nd of October 2014 and have had a great start to the business establishing itself in its first few months trading. As a lover of seafood, I was delighted to be invited to the press opening. Upon arrival we were greeted with a prosecco and elderflower cocktail, quickly followed by a crisp, cold glass of Palmer & Co Blanc De Blancs, which Hannah and I …

ROSA’S Thai Cafe – Angel

Published by

Where Rosa’s, Angel What Drinks and Thai canapes at the Opening of Rosa’s Angel The Experience As a serious Thai food lover, I was ecstatic to be invited to the launch party of the first North London offering from Rosa’s, one of London’s most loved Thai restaurants. Starting it’s life as a market stall on Brick Lane by husband and wife duo Alex and Saiphin Moore, the family run restaurant group has fast expanded with Rosa’s Angel being the sixth location to launch shortly after opening the fifth in Chelsea. If you have not yet eaten at Rosa’s then you really must, as like the others, Rosa’s Angel offers authentic home-cooked Thai cuisine with a flavoursome modern twist. My many personal favourites include the char grilled sirloin beef on spicy Thai salad with mint and chilli dressing; the Northern Thai sausage served with ginger and fresh coriander; pork skewers, which are marinated with honey, soy and oyster sauce and served with a fresh Thai dipping sauce; and last but not least the  prawn and squid …

Valentina Fine Foods, Chiswick

Published by

Where Valentina Fine Foods, Chiswick What Valentina Fine Foods is an Italian delicatessen and restaurant group owned and run by the Zoccola and Arcari families. The original Valentina opened in East Sheen in 1991, followed by Putney, Sevenoaks, Notting Hill Gate and finally Chiswick, which opened in October 2014.  The Experience You enter the restaurant on Chiswick High Road through a delicatessen filled with a huge range of Italian delicacies such as pastas, cheese, cured meats, olives, pastries, traditional antipasti, and olive oils (including an own-label olive oil in a large stainless steel barrel with a tap, where customers are encouraged to bring their own bottle for refill). If you can pull yourself away from this initial enticement, and up a few small steps, you will find the Valentina restaurant at the top. A charming photo wall of the various family members looks over the dining area and a classic Moto Guzzi Lodola motorbike hangs from the right wall – an item I am told is found in many of the Valentina restaurants. Manager Carmine …