By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor @TLE_Food Having first opened its doors in November, M is the relatively new, debut solo venture from Gaucho’s Managing Director Martin Williams. Located just a stones throw from The Royal Exchange, on Threadneedle Street, the restaurant’s downstairs is split into two contrasting dining concepts, while the upstairs features a range of private areas as well as a well equipped cocktail bar. The most popular of the two M restaurants – Grill – specialises in high-end steaks,...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Upon entering a relatively late restaurant service, escaping from the abhorrent coolness of a springtime evening, the overwhelming aroma of rich spices is always a welcome greeting for any food enthusiast. Situated within a large former Bank building, Zaika has recently reopened its doors after originally opening way back in 1999, boasting high ceilings with huge walls covered in Empirical artworks and a kitchen that delivers a vast range of delicious Northern Indian inspired...

By Alex Jones (@Alex_Jonze) Oh to live in Australia, the sun, the sea, the sand…the sun again. It must be a joyful existence, I mean even their rock bands are chirpy! Case in point is four piece pop rockers The Griswolds. The quartet from Sydney tackles some pretty heavy topics on their debut album “Be Impressive”, not that you’d know it from the musicianship. Every song is bathed in a glow of pop goodness. Opener “16 Years” describes the sensation...

By Declan Roberts (@DeclanMR) Kent-based duo Teal have returned with their first new track since last years' self-titled debut EP. 'Klangfarbenmelodie' features huge crescendo riffs and driving drum beats that sees the band taking their sound in an entirely new direction. Imagine the lovechild of Jon Hopkins and Giorgio Moroder in their early stages and you're somewhere close to 'Klangfarbenmelodie', popping and dropping in all the right places. Promising stuff indeed from the duo. I caught up with Rosa Loveridge-Green (drums) and...

By Stephen Mayne @finalreel Roy Andersson’s films are so uniquely his own it’s hard to reconcile them with the world around us. Yet were anyone to venture into the idiosyncratic Swedish director’s head, I strongly suspect they would reveal themselves as a weirdly precise form of documentary filmmaking. A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence, the third in his loosely connected “living” trilogy, resembles a world watched from afar by a viewer not completely familiar with the ways...

Sport News 24/7 By David de Winter - Sports Editor @davidjdewinter  @TLE_Sport With England’s failure to win the first Test in Antigua last week, the debate over Kevin Pietersen’s return to the international fold has taken on even greater significance.  Never one to shirk the limelight, Pietersen announced in March that he was eschewing his IPL contract with the Sunrisers Hyderbad in favour of playing a full county season with Surrey in an attempt to force his way back into...

By Nathan Lee, TLE Correspondent  Next-generation betting exchange Smarkets has reached the one billion pound traded milestone. A strong response to the Cheltenham Festival and record-breaking interest in the Grand National built on momentum from 2014 pushing the company over the £1 billion mark. Cheltenham saw trading volume grow by 320 per cent year-on-year, whereas the response to the Grand National smashed the company’s one-day record for GBP volume traded, recording a revenue increase of 359 per cent. Revenue has snowballed in the...

By Nathan Lee, TLE Correspondent  Social media was born on ideals of friendship, but new research has found it could be doing more to dismantle our relationships than bolster it. A study in to modern friendship, commissioned by Thomas J Fudge’s Remarkable Bakery, revealed the majority of Brits (58 per cent) think that social media has a negative impact on their friendships, with nearly two thirds fearing their friendships are becoming more superficial. Researchers found 45 per cent fear they are ‘addicted’ to checking their social media...

Sport News 24/7 By Sean Simara  @Sean_FootyMad  @TLE_Sport We have finally reached the NBA playoff s.  Here’s the lowdown on the first round match-ups and who I think will get to the NBA finals.  Remember, it's the best out of seven each series and the higher ranked team have home court advantage. Eastern Conference First Round (1) Atlanta Hawks vs. (8) Brooklyn Nets The Atlanta Hawks ending up as the number one seed from the east was quite surprising.  I...