All posts tagged: restaurant

Cleaning up at Wringer + Mangle, Hackney

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What Dinner at Wringer + Mangle, HackneyWhere 13-18 Sidworth Street London E8 3SD Experience I didn’t realise it at the time of booking the dinner, but Wringer + Mangle was the first venue I visited after landing back in the UK following a year and a half hiatus from my beloved London. I turned up to my friend’s surprise birthday party horrendously jetlagged and struggled to sip on delicious cocktails from ridiculously big jugs. It’s all a bit hazy, but I remember hoping I would return when I was settled back to UK time. I had far less of a foggy head during my second attempt and last night was joined by a couple of good friends for dinner and drinks. As soon as I arrived, I recognised the outside seating area immediately and plodded past to enter the huge loft style dining room, which stretched as far as the eye could see. The space felt quiet for 7pm on a Thursday night and I hoped it would get busier as we walked towards our …

Diciannove

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What Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar near Blackfriars. Experience Diciannove is an Italian restaurant situated on the ground floor of the Crowne Plaza hotel in Blackfriars. Formerly known as Refetorrio, the restaurant has reopened with a refurb and the addition of a new deli and so I went along to try it out. This was my first time eating around Blackfriars and I have to say that I was slightly dubious about what I could expect from a hotel restaurant. Unsurprisingly, the place has a very international feel and was littered with business suits and hotel guests but we were settled in to our own cosy corner by the lovely waitress and left to look over the extensive all-Italian wine menu. This made us feel right at home. During the evening there is a 3-course menu and our selections included the spaghettini all’ astice (fresh lobster, Pigato thyme and fresh tomato), filatto di manzo (beef fillet, potatoes tortino, sautéed leeks and veal sauce) and mozzarella di bufala (Buffalo mozzarella, roasted balsamic beetroot, mixed leaves and beetroot …

Colouring at KuPP.

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What The Art of Mindfulness Colouring at Scandi-inspired KuPP this March Where KuPP 5 Merchant Square Paddington London W2 1AS Experience I’ve been hearing a lot of great things about colouring books recently, mainly that they relieve anxiety and help clear the mind. KuPP have come up with the genius idea of combining their Scandi-inspired menu with colouring in between courses this March. When being seated I was handed a book containing different colouring sheets. The trick is to pick the right sheet or else I might have given up half way through. The traditional owl picture inspired me most so I set about racking up the crayons for my purple and turquoise colour scheme – it was an avant-garde colour scheme, granted. After a few minutes I realised just how into colouring I was, not least because I got to enter a competition at the end of it. My friend arrived and it was time to order our starters. We shared Goats Curd & Beets and House Smoked Pork Meatballs. The meatballs were without …

Calçotada at Tramontana Brindisa

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What Tramontana Brindisa has added another feather to its cap of authentic, Spanish experiences; the Calçotada. Unknown to even many Spanish people, the Calçotada hails from the North-Eastern region of Catalonia, well-known for its gastronomy, tourism and football, and less well-known for its large, spring onion-esque vegetables. It is, essentially, a festival to celebrate the arrival of Spring, and indeed these fresh, quality ingredients, artfully prepared and delivered almost as entertainment, are quite something to celebrate.  Where Available at: Morada Brindisa Asador 18-20 Rupert St London W1D 6DF   And Brindisa Tramontana 152 Curtain Rd London EC2A 3AT   Experience Before arriving at Brindisa Tramontana on a cold, rainy Tuesday evening, I had little idea of what a Calçotada festival actually was. Intrigued, I waded my way towards the Shoreditch restaurant, struggling to imagine how a re-enactment of a Spanish Spring festival could possibly be achieved in weather such as this. And little did I know that the Calçotada was to be held outside. I needn’t have worried; as I was shown out the back …

Jet-Set with NY-LON Lounge Bar

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What NY-LON Lounge Bar brings the best of New York and London style, design, glamour and mixology to The O2. Where Unit 4.03 Entertainment Avenue The O2 North Greenwich London SE10 0DX Experience Having arrived at the O2 a little early, I marched straight over to NY-LON. I was met at the door by a smartly dressed waiter who showed me to my seat in the slick, shiny new bar and restaurant with a first class Virgin Atlantic Lounge feel. After a long ponder on the cocktail menu I ordered the 30, 000Ft. It was a modern‎ variation on the old fashioned with a Woodford Reserve bourbon base, orange and maraschino cherry notes, taking you right above the London clouds. The menu offers up a selection of small plates and sharing platters inspired by New York and London. Specialities are New York speciality cured meats and Billingsgate fish pie. My friend and shared some small plates to ease the pressure of choosing what to eat. The Brooklyn crab salad was light and fresh and was …