Food and Drink

What’s in a restaurant name, and does it really matter in this day and age? At the time of writing, London is home to more than 39,000 restaurants, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that so many struggle to conjure an appropriate title. Last year, Flavour Bastard managed to ruffle feathers with its opening in Soho, largely condemned for its name and boundary pushing fusion food. Along with now renamed Pussey Liquor and Sexy Fish, the respective restaurateurs appear to have been...

Vegetables are everywhere in 2018. Once considered the sole reserve of vegetarians and vegans, meat and fish-free cooking has become so revolutionised it’s no longer a constant source of taboo for staunch meat eaters. At long last, mushroom burgers and slices of neoprene, masquerading as cheese, are becoming a thing of the past. Tapping into London’s long overdue appreciation of vegetable-centric cooking, Tom Oldroyd’s eponymous Islington restaurant has launched ‘Meat Free Mondays’. A pocket-sized space on Upper Street, Oldroyd serves...

In 2004 a group of native Londoners pooled their expertise to create an ultimate guide to the capital, pointing out the places that must be seen and those that should be avoided. Included as the fourth of five tips filed under the latter category was "never, ever eat at an Angus Steak House". It may seem like an appropriate British treat, but as David Mitchell was to point out later, only because we have a "proud heritage of serving shoe...

A global celebration of cocktails, World Cocktail Day takes place this weekend (Sunday 13th May). Marking the publication date of the first definition of a cocktail, on 13th May 1806, World Cocktail Day is a fair opportunity to indulge. Showcasing the fact that classic whisky cocktails needn’t be limited to the Old Fashioned or Manhattan, this whisky highball recipe features Japanese Hakushu Distiller’s Reserve. A fresh and verdant whisky from Suntory’s distillery in the Southern Japanese Alps, Hakushu Distiller’s Reserve...

The Square Mile has a different, prettier, face at the weekend. A playground for bumbling business men during the other five days of the week, this part of the city becomes unpredictably sedate at seven o’clock each Friday, as the wolves of Wormwood Street return to Kent and Essex. Come Friday evening, however, City Social springs to life. A high-rise restaurant from chef-turned-restaurateur Jason Atherton, City Social has been operating from the 24th floor of Tower 42 for the past...

Although best known for brewing ‘the black stuff’, an experimental Guinness brewery has existed at St. James’s Gate in Dublin for over 100 years. The latest in a line of the brand’s experimental breweries, Guinness Open Gate Brewery was set up with an aim for brewers to explore new ideas and develop small batch beers to be served in the onsite tap room. Beers selected for further development are then brewed in greater quantities in Brew House 4 at St. James’s Gate,...

A leading authority on the edible wild fungi of Northern Europe, Geoff Dann published a comprehensive book on the subject – ‘Edible Mushrooms’ - in 2016 (through Green Books). Tying in with next month’s launch of a new Hardback edition, we asked Geoff to share some of his knowledge; describing five wild mushrooms you should never eat. Everybody knows there are seriously poisonous mushrooms lurking in the British countryside, but the gruesome details of their varying types of toxicity are...

Following the huge success of their much talked about ‘Ultimate Roast Burger’, Roast Restaurant has introduced a new ‘Ultimate Breakfast Burger’ to their menu. Embracing consumers’ love of over the top hybrids, the ‘Ultimate Roast Burger’ encapsulated elements of the Borough Market restaurant’s renowned roast dinners, sandwiched between a chunky potato and focaccia bun. A similar creation is now available in breakfast form. A hangover remedy like no other, Roast’s ‘Ultimate Breakfast Burger’ features a Bavarian smoked pork patty, crispy...

Ever since the Magic Roundabout opened I have been there pretty much three times a week, come, wind, rain, shine and even when no mates want to come with me, that happens a lot more often than you would think. The venue has sat upon Old Street station for a few years, helping to rejuvenate the tube station and surrounding roundabout exits, making the area feel safer and more importantly fun. However, the luxury development of flats around Old Street...