It’s not often I enter a restaurant and immediately lower the average age of the clientele by about thirty years. All around us glided silver haired, straight- backed gentlemen of ex-Brigadier appearance, accompanied by their good lady wives decked in the family jewellery. It was rather like entering one of the last books of A Dance To The Music of Time. Mark Members over there, Sir Magnus Donners at the door and to the side, balefully watching the throng, Widmerpool himself.
Jazz up your afternoons at the Cadogan
Every Thursday during December 2009, Latin Jazz band, Sol Chango, will perform exclusively from 6:30pm until 10:30pm, in the lounge at The Cadogan Hotel in Knightsbridge.
Opera all over your Sunday lunch at Brasserie St. Jacques
On Sundays Brasserie St. Jacques has its live Opera brunch for only £25 per person, or £30 with a glass of Charles Heidsieck Champagne. Every Sunday diners can listen to the beautiful sounds of Oyster Opera from Noon till 4pm, accompanied by dishes such as Salade d’endive et bleu; Merlan en colere with peas, frites and sauce tartare; and Meringue Mont Blanc.
bottlegreen spiced berry cordial returns for the winter season
Made from blackcurrants and aronia berries, blended with a selection of winter spices to capture that taste of the festive season, all you need do is add hot water to a measure of bottlegreen Spiced Berry Cordial to release its warm aromas.
Vasco & Piero’s Pavilion
Mid week and mob handed we were having no luck getting a table at a new Soho hip hangout, so it was with bitterness in our hearts, and a copy of that restaurant’s lunch-time only booking number in our hands, that we sought the reliable shelter of Vasco & Piero’s Pavilion Restaurant.
Whoopie for the Whoopie-Pie!
The Whoopie Pie is divine cake-like sandwich has already taken America by storm, where they are flying off the shelves at speciality shops and bakeries up and down the country. This week, The Whoopie Pie makes its British debut at Harrods and having had an exclusive taster, I can tell you that they are every bit as scrumptious as they look.
PINCHITOtapas Auction Exclusive New Year’s Eve Parties on Ebay
Winners of the Imbibe Service Awards as ‘Best Neighbourhood Restaurant’ in October 2009, and Restaurant Magazine’s ‘Best Dish in the UK’ for 2 years running for their cheese plate, the PINCHITOtapas, group, is putting an exclusive New Year’s Eve party up for sale on eBay at each of their sites.
Vineet Bhatia’s Rasoi: New Indian Kitchen
Vineet Bhatia’s Rasoi: New Indian Kitchen is a beautiful book that refuses to patronise its readership. From the wry black flock cover that mimics high street Indian Tandoori décor to the serene, understated photography, this 272-page cookbook should thrill the style seekers.
Wagamama Restaurant in London
Somehow I missed the golden age of Wagamama. A time when everyone was ‘queuing down the street!’ the manager tells me, wistfully recalling early days in the 1990’s. I must have been somewhere else I suppose, possibly Covent Garden, because this is the first time I have ever been inside one.
GAIL’s Christmas event is a cracker
GAIL’s bakery will be kicking off this year’s festive season with a Christmas stall held at each of their stores (St John’s Wood, Hampstead*, Notting Hill and Battersea) on December the 5th from 10am till 6pm.