Benares was the first ever true Indian fine dining restaurant I tried, maybe 14 years ago. I remember being knocked out by the elegance of the cooking while a symphony of spices were gradually building to a mighty crescendo on my palate. I’ve had a lot of fine Indian food since then but I’ve always …
Tacos are definitely the fine dining cliche from the last 2 or 3 years. It’s the strangest thing, but I’d swear that three quarters of the tasting menus I’ve eaten lately have included some form of taco. There’s no real point I’m heading for here, I can’t really mock the trend or fall in love …
We dropped into Manteca for a pre-theatre bite and it turned out pretty perfect; good food and brisk service, we told them we only had just under an hour and they looked after us. Manteca is another modern no-fuss Britalian restaurant along the lines of Padella or Bancone. Yes, I’m coining a new word! This …
It’s great when you come away from a meal inspired. In this case I’m both inspired and armed because chef Charlie Tayler has taught me how to make herb flavoured oils! Take equal parts of herb and oil, then whiz them in a blender. Whiz them long enough that the blender heats up, gets really …
I love how London is strung together, an endless brightly lit web of streets full of places to shop and eat, and how you can walk in a few yards from one socio-economic area to another. You can be strolling past name-brand boutiques and identikit chain shops along the edge of Spitalfields Market… then drift …