Food and Drink

By Jack Peat, Editor of The London Economic  The internet has given birth to a new generation of consumer power. Whatever the product or service the web has become a platform upon which open letters of praise or grumble can be voiced, which means for better or for worse, there's no hiding from the wrath of public opinion. There was once a time when a recommendation or word of caution from a friend or family member would be enough to sway your evenings plans....

By Seb Dean from Find London Apartments. 1.     Foxcroft & Ginger 3 Berwick Street, W1F Foxcroft & Ginger serves wonderful coffee efficiently, which is surprising to say that they get rather busy. They also serve the light snacks that you’d expect of a coffee shop, including croissants which, we must say, provide a lovely breakfast! 2.     Speakeasy Espresso Bar 3 Lowndes Court, W1F Located just off Carnaby Street, the Speakeasy Espresso Bar is a perfect place for a mid-day coffee-stop...

Shoreditch is the renowned capital of London's uber-trendy East End. Residing in the London Borough of Hackney, recent gentrification has turned the town into one of the most happening places in the capital with bars, cafes and restaurants popping up left right and centre. For the TLE team it has become a regular meeting spot for our less formal meetings, and the Book Club is a particular favourite of ours. We descended on the Leonard Street joint on an early...

When tourists ask me to point them in the direction of a real British pub in London I send them to one of more than 20 Sam Smith’s pubs. They may not be tourist hotspots and are certainly not glamorous, but in the parlance of Jarvis Cocker, “you want to live like common people, you want to do whatever common people do”, go visit our Samuel. But equipping yourself with a bit of context beforehand is advised. Sam Smith's is...

Standing outside La Porte des Indes it's difficult to know what to expect. Neighbouring a Grade II-listed Edwardian Gothic Revival church and amongst the familiar stock bricked houses of the neighbourhood it was more reminiscent of an out-of-place Italian eatery than the Edwardian ballroom I'd read about, but once we walked through into the restaurant area, it was like walking back in time…in a good way. In fact the “gateway to India” name and the menu makes a nod to the food of Pondicherry, which was a...

By Charlotte Hope, Lifestyle Editor @charlottehope I like cocktails a lot. There, I said it. I like drinking them, I like looking at them, I like making them, and I like drinking them. I normally err on the side of gin-based cocktails, but for whatever reason this has been the summer that the Aperol Spritz has come into its own. Clever marketing enterprising on a lust for the Italian way of life (minus the political corruption and bunga-bunga parties) has...

By Jack Peat, Editor of The London Economic  Sunday morning, blue skies and a crisp autumn breeze wafts aromas of exotic street food across London's East End. It was an idyllic start to the day, but I'd got a cob on. I've just been seated at a trendy Peruvian cafe by a cheerful and polite hostess. Chefs were busy preparing an array of breakfast options in the open plan kitchen and my Americano had arrived promptly in a nice tactile...

By Jonathan Hatchman @JonHatchmn “Shrimp is the fruit of the sea,” once quoted Mykelti Williamson's character “Bubba Blue” in the Tom Hanks led academy-award winning 'Forrest Gump', unbelievably released a whole 20 years ago. And Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. - the latest addition to Central London's Trocadero centre, sandwiched right between tourist destinations Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square, boasts a menu that, evidently, is bursting with a plethora of different shrimp-based dishes as well as many more American-inspired treats. Themed heavily...

By Ben Davidson, Total Diet Food Days are long and intense in the city, and food is for wimps. Too much to do and not enough time to do it, let alone take a break and look after yourself. But taking that break might actually make you even more productive, and could more than make up for the time lost. We’re hearing a lot of debate just now about whether it should be ok to powernap at your desk. The...