London Restaurants

Amazonian produce meets haute cuisine (for Vertu) ‘D.O.M.’ by Alex Atala was voted best restaurant in South America and fourth best in the world by Restaurant Magazine. Following a reception at London’s 10 Downing Street, Atala accepted both rankings on behalf of Brazil’s native population. Belying his acute awareness of nature, Atala grew up in Mooca, an industrial suburb of São Paulo. For the past eight years, he helped small producers cultivate once barely-known Brazilian black rice, faster-growing, more productive wild palm ‘pupunha’, and vanilla-like ‘priprioca’ in areas ravaged by deforestation. Indigenous honey from small sting-free bees, for medicinal and culinary use is next. Atala also owns, protects and sensitively forages an area of Amazonia home to 40 families. Atala’s arms are mottled with tattoos, continuing over his back and legs. ‘I began in the early ‘80s and never stopped,’ he says, pointing to the first, a fading sprite balancing on one leg. The latest, in squid ink black, depicts a broad fish’s skeleton. ‘It was designed by Pedro, my oldest child, on his 17th birthday,’ he says proudly. Formerly a punk DJ, Atala backpacked Europe in his teens, working as a decorator, before enrolling in catering college in Belgium. Last year he honoured tutors by performing at a culinary congress in Ostend. For ‘The Flemish Primitives’, Atala presented an ‘in-flight’ style tray of Brazilian ingredients. These included crisp Amazonian ants. ‘We think they taste like lemongrass,’ he told the rapt audience, ‘while natives think lemongrass tastes of ants.’ Despite harnessing exotic-seeming ingredients, which also comprise piraíba, a Northern riverfish weighing up to 300kg, and vanilla from pods bigger than bananas, Atala calls his ‘deeply Brazilian’ cooking ‘delicate’, not freak show. ‘We try to cherish our customers,’ he insists. Signature dishes include: fettuccine with palm heart and carbonara; skatefish pan-fried in manteiga de garrafa; and lemon thyme with smoked mandioquinha, broccoli and peanut foam. At the 50-cover restaurant, where glass tabletops are poised atop huge, legally-sourced, century old rainforest stumps, Atala celebrates the tension between the contemporary and the primitive. ‘I use European techniques to build recipes with native Brazilian ingredients.’ Atala hopes to secure funding to realise a personal project: to station a ‘cinema crew’ at the Columbian/Venuzuelan border, recording the occurrence of a rare mushroom with potential parity to a Japanese variety. ‘Following a ceremony, a tribe fells a black tree and soaks it in water for two months,’ he says, English improving in line with his building passion. ‘Six months later, in just one night, the black log turns white with mushrooms!’ Although flavours are important, Atala insists at least five ingredients which could help transform ‘maybe thousands of lives’ should come to the fore now given the right backing. Stroking coarse red beard, he says: ‘We’ve got to scream about these awards, to inspire fellow Brazilian chefs, private companies and my government to document new products from the Amazon...’For Vertu

If someone held a gun to my head and forced me to own a little weekend house out of London, in the countryside, then, I suppose, if really pushed, I would choose Dune House. This is a beautifully designed and built house, on the Suffolk coast just outside of Aldeburgh; it’s no exaggeration to say it’s stunning, simply gorgeous – the kind of place in which you feel you must instantly be a better, more virtuous, fascinating fabulous person just for being in it. Attention has been paid to every detail of the house, down to the teaspoons – there are gorgeous polished concrete floors, throw rugs abound, each room has a gorgeous bath overlooking the ocean. Perfect in every way!I spent 5 days here with friends – we ventured out occasionally to local farm shops to stock up our food supplies, but otherwise relaxed, cooked, made cocktails, ate and drank delicious food and drink. I love exploring this area (see previous Suffolk post here for some tips). The down side is that Dune House is hugely popular, so if you fancy staying there in about 2016, you need to book now (and whilst you’re on the Living Architecture site, check out the other options for something to do in the meantime).

A lingering weekend brunch can be the best part of the weekend, offering the ideal opportunity to catch up with friends and family, but add a few glasses of something bubbly, and brunch can take an interesting turn. Read on for our guide on where to enjoy a champagne brunch in London. The Landmark Hotel’s Sunday Brunch One of the most luxurious Champagne brunches in London, The Landmark offers diners unlimited, delightfully chilled Champagne, complemented by a generous buffet of continental charcuterie, Scottish smoked salmon and salads, roasted rib-eye of beef and seared sea bass. A selection of charmingly decadent desserts will leave your taste buds well and truly tantalised! From 12:30 to 3pm, with adults for £80. Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill Pommery Brut Champagne is de rigeur at The Churchill, accompanied by antipasti, crisp salads, traditional British roasts and fresh fish. Polish off one of their delectable desserts to the sound of live jazz. The Champagne brunch is held between 12:30pm and 3pm with adults priced at £60. Aqua Neueva – Infinity Brunch Sipping copious amounts of unlimited Louis Roederer Champagne on the roof terrace at Aqua Nueva, whilst sampling the creative Spanish tapas delights is a must this summer. Aqua Nueva combines fresh, authentic cuisine with sleek, contemporary surroundings.  Aqua’s infinity brunch is served between midday and 3pm, priced at £55 for adults. Children receive a complimentary bento box. The Bulgari Hotel – La Dolce Domenica – Sunday brunch and Film Screening Enjoy an elegant, Italian-themed champagne brunch between 11am and 2:30pm at this luxurious Knightsbridge hotel, accompanied by a refreshing glass of Prosecco, a Mimosa or a Bloody Mary. Following brunch, guests will be shown into the hotel’s spectacular, state-of-the-art luxury cinema for a private film screening. Adults priced at £58, children at £39, with unlimited champagne at an extra £25. If you liked this guide to champagne brunch in London, why not read our guide to the most romantic restaurants in London, the best cocktail bars in London or the best alfresco restaurants in London? To make sure you’re kept informed of similar updates on a regular basis, subscribe to our blog below: Enter your email address: The post Champagne Brunch in London appeared first on Bon Vivant Concierge Service by Emyr Thomas - if you enjoyed this post you can read more at Bon Vivant or follow us on

It's all in the name Address: 189 Upper Street, London N1 1RQ Phone: 020 7704 2074 Nearest Tube station: Highbury & Islington Ratings (out of 5 *) Price: below £20 Service charge: 12.5% Taste: *** Service: **** Ambience: ****TT went to check out the new local chippie. Well the title says it all doesn't it? I heard of a new chippie which opened down the road from Seafish. Being one who cannot pass up on any excuse to have fish and chips I went to check it out at the earliest possible opportunity. I went for lunch one Saturday afternoon and it was buzzing. The Fish and Chip Shop is run by alumni from J. Sheekey and Caprice (more on this can be found on their website if you are interested in this sort of thing) and their experience shows in the tasteful way in which the restaurant is done up. The tables are placed quite close to one another do if a quiet meal is your thing this might not be the best place to go. If you like choice the menu would not disappoint. You can find fish cooked in all manners here - battered, breaded, grilled and even served in a curry or a pie. They have lobster and oysters too and for those who somehow wander into the shop and yet decide against fish, they do hot salt beef and chicken pie as well. Battered haddock - chips sold seperately We had the battered haddock and the Cornish fish bites. The haddock was fresh and went very well with the batter which yielded a satisfying crunch. Chips have to be seperately ordered. You get a fistful of chips for £2.50 but they are really tasty so I guess they are well worth the money. Fish bites Cornish bites are simply breaded fish pieces, a posh take on fish fingers. This did not go down as well as the haddock. The fish tasted rather flat and made me wish I had ordered a battered fish instead. We did not order oysters this time but kept wishing we had when we saw the beauties served up on the neighbouring table. To top it all, service was charming and attentive. Visiting friends have always asked me for recommendations for a good chippie and I think I now finally can point them to one. View Larger Map

The correspondence of Kent-born Nicholas Blanford appears on the BBC and in Time, Daily Star and Christian Science Monitor. He is author of “Killing Mr Lebanon: The Assassination of Rafik Hariri and its Impact on the Middle East” and “Warriors of God: Inside Hezbollah's Thirty-Year Struggle Against Israel”...Is there such a thing as a typical working day in your life?Not really. Some days could consist of sitting at my desk writing up stories, other days investigating bomb explosions, interviewing Hezbollah fighters, roaming around the wilds of the Bekaa Valley etc. etc.How long have you lived in the Middle East?Since November 1994 When did your feet first meet Lebanon’s soil?May 24, 1993 for a six-week trip. Did you always want to be a foreign correspondent?No. Is Lebanon in particular trouble now?Lebanon is always skirting the edge of trouble. Being a tiny neighbour of Syria it was inevitable that the conflict there was going to spill across the border and affect us here. I expect further instability and bouts of violence in Lebanon, but I don't think we will see the country plunge into civil war along the lines of 1975-90. The dynamics for a civil war are not present. Is your work-load significant at the present time – and are you thriving on it? Yes, busier than usual, and that’s a good thing as a freelancer. The more I write, the more food there is on the table for my family.What, other than religious-inspired war, is the biggest threat to stability?Another war with Israel. The last one in 2006 was bad enough, but the next one will make ‘06 look like a walk in the park.What are the Hezbollah? A militant Shia organisation that’s ideologically and logistically linked to Iran’s clerical leadership, but whose members are drawn from Lebanon’s Shia community. Its raison d’être is the struggle against Israel, liberating Lebanese territory from Israeli occupation initially but with a broader goal of seeing an end to the Zionist state of Israel and the restoration of historic Palestine to the Palestinians. Its military component, the Islamic Resistance, is the most formidable non-state armed actor in the world. It has global reach and operates a massive revenue-generating enterprise to augment its funding from Iran. It has a parliamentary bloc and engages in mainstream Lebanese politics and runs a comprehensive social-welfare system of schools, hospitals, clinics among other activities.It is the most powerful political and military player in Lebanon. It is adored by its followers and loathed and feared by its opponents. Have Hezbollah ever done anything of value in your opinion? Forcing Israel to withdraw from its occupation zone in south Lebanon in 2000 after 22 years was a remarkable accomplishment. It was the first time Israel has unilaterally yielded occupied territory due to Arab military pressure. Hezbollah's military performance in the 2006 war, in which they fought the Israeli army to a standstill in south Lebanon, also was impressive. Its social-welfare system has helped alleviate hardship for many poorer Lebanese.What are the risks involved in investigating and covering Hezbollah and their activities? I’ve been writing on Hezbollah for a long time and my reporting in the 1990s when Hezbollah was resisting the Israeli occupation in south Lebanon earned me some goodwill from the organisation’s leadership which - I think - has more or less lasted to the present day. They definitely don’t like everything I write and I don’t think they like my roaming around their areas as much as I do. I’ve been detained by them a few times over the years, even spending a night in jail on one occasion. But I’m under no illusions. If Hezbollah feels threatened, it can be a very dangerous organisation. How does your family feel about this aspect of your work? They’ve grown used to it. When were you last frightened? When I was in a clapped-out Mercedes taxi driving along a narrow potholed road with a 600ft sheer drop on one side - and my driver

Preamble: Emily Berry is not just the veteran London Review of Breakfasts contributor Poppy Tartt. She is not just one of the five main co-writers of our book The Breakfast Bible.She is also an Eric Gregory award-winning, Faber-published poet, whose poems have been described by The Observer as combining "polished phrase, seductive technique, and, in spite of the smoke and mirrors, genuine feeling".Here's the opener from her recently-published collection Dear Boy (and yes, we did notice that the first line mentions you-know-what – a theme that occurs several times throughout the book).Our Love Could Spoil DinnerWe always breakfast with the biographer.On day one I showed him my grapefruit spoon;it has a serrated edge. My father gave hima Mont Blanc fountain pen as a welcome gift,but I think he was more impressed by the spoon.‘It’s almost like a knife!’ he said. The biographeris a coffee nut and I use this fact to bond with him.‘Oh, Robusta,’ I say dramatically when I knowhe’s listening. ‘You inferior bean.’ When we passin the hall I fling my arm back and say things like:‘Am I strung out or what!’ and ‘Time for anothercaffeine fix, methinks!’ I am not allowed coffeebecause of my nerves, but the biographer doesn’tknow this. Sometimes we sit up in bed comparingmoans. Mine are always loudest. The biographer’sare hampered by his boarding-school educationand the British flair for embarrassment. Sometimesthe publishers call. When he gets on the phone,he sweats; afterwards the right side of his face is damp.I like to monitor these subtle changes. Last nightmy father found us touching legs. ‘Go to your room!’he shouted. ‘You shabby daughter.’ ‘You worthlessexcuse for a story,’ the biographer added. They playedcards to settle a debt. That day my mouth felt wetterthan usual. I asked the biographer to check. He usedhis tongue. ‘This may affect the results,’ he said.Buy Dear Boy here.

50 units researched and developed with London restaurants D&D. Stainless steel spike secured using fast setting resin. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=311183579012009&set=a.261567837306917.62906.256339811163053&type=1&theater

A few weeks ago, I descended on Southern Spain, like an Essex accented pestilence stripping bare their bars of tapas, beer and sherry whilst leaving in my wake dazed, starving Spaniards who didn’t quite know what had hit them.A major part of my ‘Essex pestilence tour’ was spent in Seville. An ancient city of culture, oranges, flamenco, tapas and errr…shoe shops. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many shoes for sale anywhere on the planet, but I digress, my entire focus was on eating and drinking, muchos, and that’s an aim I achieved for the three days I was there.The budget didn’t stretch to fine dining and to be honest, that’s not the sort of place I’m after in Spain, because you can eat and drink incredibly well for relatively sod all at the less salubrious end of the scale. I’m at my happiest propped up at a bar, with a glass of sherry at 1.5 euros a glass, and with tapas just as much of a giveaway bargain, tipping both into my mouth, conveyor belt style, all night long.So, bearing that in mind, here are the places I enjoyed the most on my brief visit.La BrunildaThe food I ate here was without a doubt the best food I ate in Andalucía in the two weeks or so I was there. It was so good in fact, despite only being in Seville for three days and having a whole host of restaurants to try, I ate there twice. Chef, Diego Caminos’ menu features traditional tapas with a modern slant, such as a take on Salmorejo featuring orange, raisins, mackerel and cress. Other stand out dishes I wolfed down over the two visits included a beautifully flavoured and textured risotto (in fact one of the best I’ve eaten anywhere) which featured the unlikely pairing of a sweet red wine reduction, truffle oil, orange and asparagus.Excellent salt cod fritters with pear alioli.Foie gras cooked ‘a la plancha’.A slider style veal burger, which was delicious. In fact, everything I ate here from start to finish was superb. Nothing disappointed, and as you can see from the pics, I gave the menu a pretty thorough going over. Even better, it was incredibly cheap. If you’re visiting Seville, I can’t recommend this place enough.La Brunildac/ Galera 5(near Mercado Arenal)Telephone: 954 220 481EslavaI had a cracking lunch at Eslava, standing outside on the pavement basking in the warmth of the Spanish midday sun. When I arrived, it was rammed, with more people turning up the whole time. It’s definitely a popular joint. The prices are ridiculously cheap; hardly anything on the tapas menu is above 3 Euros. As you can imagine, I happily took advantage of the fact. My ‘I’ll stick anything in my mouth’ outlook demanded that I started off with some of the Sangre Encebollada (a sort of black pudding made from fried chicken blood). To be honest, I can’t say I was a massive fan; it was quite flavourless and had a texture somehow reminiscent of biting into a lump of Plasticine. Shaking my head to clear horrific flashbacks to childhood culinary experimentation, I moved onto the much more agreeable, roasted pork ribs with rosemary honey glaze. These were excelllent. Green Pepper stuffed with Hake was also pretty damn nice as was a piece of roasted mackerel. Scallops with seaweed puree and rather pretentious sounding kataifi noodles (turns out it's a type of finely shredded filo) were also good. Finally, if you thought the noodles sounded a bit special, how about a slow cooked egg served on a mushroom cake with caramelized wine reduction? Posh but peasant(ly) priced at 2 Euro 50 (see what I did there?) In case you're wondering, it was pretty nice actually.Eslavac/Eslava 5Telephone: 954 906 568La AzoteaLa Azotea felt somewhat similar to La Brunilda with regards to the modern take on traditional tapas. No surprise then that I liked it so much. Croquettas with an Oso Buco filling. Errr....Hell yes! Even better, Iberico Pork cheek and goats cheese gratin. A plate of Morcilla with caramelized onion and quails egg was similarly delicious. The only dish that didn’t quiet come

Name: Gillray's Steakhouse & Bar Where: London Marriott Hotel County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7PB (http://gillrays.com/) Cost: £45-£50 per person on average for a 3-course meal excluding drinks (starters priced from £8 to £12, main courses from £14 to £42, and desserts from £6 to £7). About: James Gillray, an 18th century London caricaturist famous for his political and social satires, was the inspiration for this steakhouse and bar. It has a quintessentially English character with a drinks menu featuring an impressive 39 English gins, fine wood-panelling, and modern Chesterfield sofas and chairs are dotted around the bar. Gillray’s Steakhouse & Bar is located in the South Wing of the County Hall with magnificent views of the Thames, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and the London Eye. In one of the busiest tourist areas of London with surprisingly few options for good food and a civilised drink, Gillray's was a good find. What We Ate: Dr G and I shared a platter of 6 Cornish Oysters (£9.50) served with a Champagne & shallot vinaigrette. These were fresh and vibrant, I just wish I had ordered a full 12 oyster platter. The hand-chopped steak tartare (£14.50) was too much of a temptation not to be ordered - well seasoned, it was a good start to the meal despite the rather dull presentation. With 35-day dry aged Aberdeen Angus beef from Yorkshire on the menu, our choices were not difficult. Dr G went for the Porterhouse Steak 450g (£35) while I had an entire T-Bone Steak 600g (£42). The beef was cooked just as ordered - medium rare, red in the middle, and deliciously tender. Unsurprisingly at £42, my T-Bone steak was well flavoured, and perfectly accompanied by a serving of Truffle & Old Winchester Cheese Chips (£4.50). It was a very generous portion, and I had only just managed to polish it off when I was told that it was intended for two! Dr G very much enjoyed his more manageable Porterhouse steak, with Triple Cooked Chips (£3.50). What We Drank: The Head Barman, Carlos Santos, is a fellow Brazilian, whom I was fortunate to meet and chat with. He fixed Dr G a Gun Powder & Smoke Cocktail (£14), made from Hayman's 1850 Reserve gin mixed with Gunpowder green tea tincture, Remy Martin VSOP, lime juice, sugar, egg white and finished off with an ignited Laphroaig whisky (the smoke) which was quite a spectacle. I opted for a Gillray's Ginger Martini (£10) - fresh ginger muddled with ginger syrup, shaken with infused ginger Chase vodka, Stone's Ginger Wine, dash of King's Ginger Liqueur, fresh lime juice and apple juice, which was equally good. The wine list is primarily new world, well-thought out and with some interesting choices like the 2001 Chateau Musar (£75), one of my favourite wines. Prices start from £29 and quickly escalate. To accompany our steaks, we had a bottle of 2009 Shiraz from Barossa Valley (Australia) by Bethany G6 (£42) chosen for us by Carlos. It was an excellent choice - big, bold and more than a match for the Aberdeen Angus. Likes: Great steaks, cocktails and views, an impressive stock of English gins. Dislikes: It would have been nice to have more affordable wine choices. Verdict: In one of the most touristic parts of town, Gillray's is a real find - a stunning historic building with spectacular Westminster views and a selection of fine English gins and steaks, it ticks a lot of boxes. Recommended.

Walking into the Italian deli near my office in King’s Cross is to be transported to the scene in Goodfellas where they are cooking in prison. The store is run by an Italian version of the most charming version of Arkwright from Open All Hours, who has never failed to be a gracious an inspiring host. He will make you enormous sandwiches cut from whole loaves of ciabatta laced with freshly sliced cured meats and cheeses, moistened with a healthy slick of olive oil; or more conventionally he’ll send you packing with genuinely Italian ingredients and delicacies that will stink your office out for the afternoon, before transporting your family to an Italian holiday when you get home from work. Inspired by a colleague who had come back with a truffled pecorino, I popped in for some KC Continental magia. My head was almost blown off by the smell of truffle as I walked in. But alas the cheese had sold out. But true to form Arkwrightioni sent me packing with some amazing truffled sausages from Tuscany. These puppies positively wreaked of truffle and almost had all the dogs in our office howling like deranged wolves. There’s something deeply primeval about truffles and I couldn’t wait to cook them.I thought about making an Italian version of toad in the hole with loads of rosemary and a healthy dose of mushrooms, but decided that would be more suitable in autumn. I also dismissed a truffle sausage and bean stew for similar reasons. And sausage and lentil casserole suffered a similar fate. Instead, I opted to combine my amazing truffled sausages with a slick of polenta, a smear of gremolata and some braised fennel.Ingredients6 truffled Tuscan sausages from KC Continental Stores3 bulbs of fennel2 large onions300g of frozen peas2 glasses of white wine400ml of chicken stock200g polenta50g grated parmesan3 garlic cloves100g butter1 pack of parsley4 sprig of thymeMethodMake the gremolata by very finely chopping the parsley. Then douse in olive oil and squeeze in a lemon’s juice and add some of it’s finely grated zest. Season aggressively. Brown the sausages in a casserole dish and set aside.Then brown the onions and fennel until golden. Then add the garlic. Then add the wine and let the alcohol bubble off.Then add the sausages and 100ml of chicken stock. Add the thyme. Allow to simmer until the sausages are cooked through. Meanwhile make the polenta according the packet instrucions. I used chicken stock rather than water which worked well. And then beat in lots of parmesan and butter.Add the peas to the casserole. Let them cook through. Season everything. Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Then serve with a good dollop of mushroom. And a glass of very cold white wine. We probably should have had a Tuscan white… but instead we had a dry German Riesling which worked very well indeed.