Social Pantry is the kind of café which is a pleasure to have locally. The counter is heaving with freshly baked cakes, cookies and meringues, the staff are super welcoming and friendly, and the space has a pastel bright feel with mistmatched wooden tables and chairs. Despite having resided off Lavender Hill for over a … Continue reading Social Pantry
Pining after the falafel bars and hummus joints of Tel Aviv since my trip there last October, one of my biggest London foodie joys of recent times has been the rise and reformation of Middle Eastern dining. In that spirit, the Good Egg had long been on My List: invoking Jewish culinary traditions, this haunt … Continue reading The Good Egg
Vienna offers a melange of everything you’d want from a city escape – melange coffee of course, but also culture, fantastic food, palatial suites. Though the City has a timeless beauty, a more modern undercurrent also seems to be flourishing. Beyond the high culture and Habsburg-era attractions are hip restaurants, bars and boutiques. Those in … Continue reading Vienna: A Weekend Away
Opposite Smithfields Market, Ask for Janice is an all-day haunt, serving everything from legendary crumpets in the a.m. (which I learn the chef can now prepare vegan, with a bit of advance notice) to gins in the p.m. Surprisingly, there’s no one actually called Janice here, a name which definitely has matriarchal undertones. Rather, this … Continue reading Ask for Janice
Pasta-only restaurants seem to have become a thing of late: think, Padella, Lina Stores, Flour & Grape, Pastaio. London is spoilt for choice, with young professionals happy to queue and pay for what is a relatively simple dish. It’s a great business concept after all: short menu, no-fuss approach, good wine – the dish offers … Continue reading Bancone
There’s a lot to be said for taking a January staycation: avoiding winter cabin fever post-Christmas, a chance to enjoy quaint English country towns in their wintery finest, and discovering cosy boltholes to curl up. Boutique hotel At the Chapel in Bruton, Somerset, located just a two and a half hour drive from London, offers … Continue reading At the Chapel: A Somerset Staycation
Crispin had been on My List since its opening last August. From the team behind Ludenwic (Dominic Hamdy and Oli Hiam) this should come as no surprise. Their small, Danish-inspired, blue-awned café is one of my favourite grab-and-go coffee spots on my morning commute through Aldwych and serves one of the best porridge pots in … Continue reading Crispin
Farmer's Mistress describes itself as "naturally naughty". Sitting on Battersea High Street, this new eatery encapsulates the clean-eating stereotype. Every dish is refined sugar-free and unsurprisingly they cater to any millennial-afflicted gluten-free, dairy-free, whatever-free diet. Its founder Joanna Gascoigne, a "qualified health coach", wanted to create something indulgent but healthy, or in her words, "to … Continue reading Farmer’s Mistress
Picking a spot for a work luncheon, it was impossible to ignore Coya's unique but distinctive fusion of Japanese and Peruvian flavours. Set in what feels like a very stylised pisco lounge, Coya is located in Angel Court, just behind Bank station. I'd passed it many a times en route to pick up my Notes … Continue reading Coya
Coal Drops Yard is one of those regenerations people might be initially sceptical of. Gentrification, redevelopment, redesign, King’s Cross, blah blah blah... But a glance at the names behind this initiative should indicate otherwise: Thomas Heatherwick, Tom Dixon and Paul Smith. Rather than constructing glassy, new skyscrapers in an airport terminal-like complex, the team have … Continue reading hicce
Yumtini 