From the people that brought you Secret Cinema—an incomparable live theater-meets-movie screening that has taken London by storm—comes Secret Restaurant.
Like its sister project, available details about what will transpire during your time at the pop-up are skint, at best. Tickets are available for attendees of upcoming Secret Cinema performances, of which there are several in January. ]]>
The London Restaurant Festival's Gourmet Odyssey bus won't be stopping at any soggy fish 'n' chip joints We vacillate between taking obvious, stereotype-driven jabs at London's cuisine—for good reason, oftentimes—and bringing you pleasantly surprised reports from the city's gastronomic field. The rise of chefs such as Heston Blumenthal and Marcus Wareing and the opening of respectable restaurants in recent years notwithstanding, London still suffers from a middling culinary reputation. Yet, the city's gastronomes soldier on, endeavoring to ensure that soggy fish 'n' chips don't define its fare. ]]>
Mmm, mmm. Delicious eats from last year's Taste of London festival.
Once ridiculed for its food, London and the UK-at-large have experienced something of a culinary renaissance in recent years. Chefs such as Hugh Fearnley- Whittingstall, Nigel Slater and Heston Blumenthal, not to mention their pop culture counterparts (e.g. Jamie Oliver, et. al.) have championed their national cuisine and proven that there's more to British cooking than soggy fish and chips and boiled vegetables.
Taste of London is a four-day celebration of London's finest food, bringing together some of the city's most respected restaurants, chefs and artisanal food purveyors. The event offers attendees the chance to sample dishes from several top chefs, attend masterclasses, demonstrations and, depending on what tier ticket you purchase, access to special tastings, roped-off access to VIP areas and other exclusives.
Taste of London will take place from June 16-19 in Regent's Park. The (Michelin) stars, they will be a-shinin'...]]>
The nondescript bar by day.
No obvious signage, no name, no West London postcode: it's seemingly a miracle that a tiny cocktail bar tucked off of an Angel sidestreet manages to consistently attract a wall-to-wall crowd of spirit-savvy customers. But, sample but one concoction on the Bar With No Name's (which otherwise goes by its address, 69 Colebrooke Row) tightly edited menu and you'll see why locals return for boozy tipple after boozy tipple.]]>
We had high hopes for this snail starter.
The popularity of pop-ups is merely on the rise in the U.S., but in London they have long enjoyed trendy prominence. From record shops to restaurants, these short-term gigs can be independently run or affiliated with established businesses as a mode of generating hype and attracting new customers.
The fleeting presence of pop-ups lends them cool cache, making reservations difficult to come by in the case of culinary endeavors. Foodies in the know clamour for the chance to dine at the latest see-and-be-seen setup, walking away knowing that they were one of the lucky few to get a taste of a chef's one-off, often experimental fare.
When we heard that The Modern Pantry would grace Soho's Meza with its fusion-done-right cuisine, reservations were made without a second thought. You may remember us giving the Jaunted stamp of approval to the Clerkenwell restaurant, whose stellar brunch currently leads London's weekend midday meal pack.]]>
Brunch would, without a doubt, lose to the Sunday pub roast in a London-polled popularity contest. We often lament that our favorite two-in-one meal hasn't gained more of a following in the U.K., but such is a world where pints rule over pancakes.
Having made this observation, we've tasked ourselves with traversing the city in search of stellar brunches: restaurants where mimosas are poured with reckless abandon, where flapjacks (done the Yank way) come served with bacon rashers and maple syrup, and where locals linger over the midday meal with a copy of the Observer by their side. ]]>
For all London's highfalutin, offensively overpriced afternoon tea sessions (see: Harrods, The Berkeley, et. al.), there are several locales that will serve you a solid cuppa minus the prohibitive price tag or touristy kitsch. Drink, Shop & Do is one such place, though not by any means a traditional tea room. The endearingly twee café bar/design shop is located just a short walk from the Kings Cross tube station, its nondescript storefront belying a bright, cozy interior that we love to duck into on chilly London afternoons.
Oh yes, and you could end up drinking from a porcelain mug pre-painted with a mustache, for an extra dose of quirk (and maybe in honor of Movember).]]>