Tag Archives: London
Dishoom King’s Cross
Nothing like a posh soiree out in a glamourous and theatrical setting to quicken the blood, is there? Especially when most of my week is spent chest-deep in chaos dealing with disorderly small family members. I recently had the task of organising one of my dearest pals N’s hen dinner, and thought immediately of having […]
Maltby Street Market & Monty’s Deli
Everyone who comes to London gets told about Borough Market as a foodie destination. I’ve got fond memories of Borough from its early days, but it has become a victim of its own success, gridlocked with daytrippers. You’ll easily pay £10 for a punnet of olives and you have to queue for absolutely bloody […]
Brawn
It’s not often I go out to a restaurant and end up with wine in my armpit. But it did happen at a recent meal at Brawn, on Colombia Road in Hackney. The very nice waitress was opening a bottle of pink plonk at our table and the cork shot out. She exclaimed ‘Oh!’ in a […]
Ferdie’s Food Lab
I recently celebrated my birthday (a big one, ok?) and I wanted to have a generous, sprawling dinner out in London with a good bunch of mates. But I faced a quandary – there were so many things that I didn’t want. No chain restaurants. No way. Nor anywhere too expensive, because I don’t hang […]
Beef, bacon and ale stew
Before I talk about the stew, I need to have a rant. About those expensive shops that purport to be selling the notion of comforting nostalgia, fine craftsmanship and warm, old fashioned values…at a whacking great price. Yes you, SCP. Yes you, Labour and Wait. And others that I can’t be bothered to mention, but […]
101 Thai Kitchen
If you like Thai food that is properly spicy and tastes just like it comes from a stall in a sweaty Bangkok night food market, you MUST head over to West London to eat at 101 Thai Kitchen. The dishes here are so far removed from the tragically dumbed-down food you get in most Thai […]
Manchurian Legends
So here’s what happened – we had a rare NIGHT OUT in Soho the other week, us lucky entertainment-starved parents – whoop! We wanted dinner somewhere fun and noisy, at one of those dimly lit joints with no reservations where you get drunk in the queue while you’re standing around in unsuitable shoes, shivering in […]
Street Feast London
It’s no secret that Dalston in East London has gone a little bit posh. But it was not always thus. When I temped at a charity there years ago, it was pretty grungy. Every day I’d pick my way down Kingsland High Street, edging over discarded takeaway chicken bones and broken glass, avoiding rough looking […]
The Pear Tree
Tucked away down a quiet side-street in Fulham is a hidden gem of a pub called The Pear Tree serving wonderful food – but it wasn’t ever thus. The management (cheery bar staff wearing cute vintage attire, a fresh-faced chef) took over running things not so long ago. Before the change of […]
Toast & Butter 