All posts tagged: london

Toto’s Restaurant, South Kensington

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Where Toto’s Restaurant, South Kensington What Toto’s is an elegant Italian restaurant in Knightsbridge offering contemporary authentic dishes.   Housed in the beautiful Grade-II listed Walton House, the restaurant reopened recently after an extensive two year refurbishment. A sleek bar serving Italian inspired cocktails, an intimate mezzanine overlooking the dining room which boasts a large fire place and a beautiful hidden courtyard perfect for the summer months makes it well worth the two year wait. Experience Having heard some great things about Toto’s, my sister Hilary and I decided to go for dinner a few weeks ago for a good old catch up and to see what everyone had been talking about. Even with the good reviews, we couldn’t have anticipated how incredible our evening was going to be. Upon arrival we were taken downstairs and seated at our lovely table next to the window which overlooked the courtyard. The ceiling is incredibly high so its no wonder the restaurant has a beautiful mezzanine, perfect for private dining. I also couldn’t help but notice the large …

Brunch at Beagle London

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Where Beagle London What Brunch at Beagle Experience A few Sunday’s ago I headed to Beagle for brunch and bloody mary’s for the first time.  I now can’t wait to go back again for lunch or dinner or just later in the evening on a Sunday when they have a jazz band, as the food and cocktails are just too good to only go once. Beagle is also a very cool looking place set within 3 renovated railway arches and is so easy to get to as it’s right by Hoxton station. The brunch menu is so appealing and it made me wonder not only why I don’t brunch more often, but more importantly why I don’t brunch at Beagle more often – the menu includes oysters and buttermilk pancakes for crying out loud!  So much awesome choice does however make it hard to choose what to eat, especially on a Sunday when you are a little hungover (okay more than a little) and just want to order everything, so Rob and I decided to …

Lorna Loves Lobster Kitchen

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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

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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

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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 …