Recent Posts
A “Taste of Tuscany”. An invitation arrived in my inbox shortly after I came back from Florence, Italy to visit the Amaranto restaurant in the recently refurbished Four Seasons Hotel on Park Lane. I love Italy and Italian cuisine so this seemed right up my alley. Having been wined and dined in Florence, I was looking forward to...
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The very first thing you notice when you walk into the The Yeatman is not the statue of Bacchus that dominates the lobby but rather, it’s what Bacchus faces that takes your breath away. The view that stretches in front of you of the entire hillside of the city of Oporto is amazing any time of day or night. The Yeatman is...
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So the London Foodie and I put on a supper club not long ago. How did that happen? And more importantly, how did it go? Luiz and I were sitting around one evening, shooting the breeze and imbibing a delicious red Rhone. “We should do a dinner with food and wine matching!” One of us always says that whenever we start...
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Imagine a winemaker who’s wine has to age for a minimum of 7 years before it’s released to the public. Madness you might think in this day and age where to hold even a year’s vintage would be considered economic suicide – unless of course, one was a Port or Champagne producer. That is however, exactly what...
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I went on a posh pub crawl not long ago as part of the London Restaurant Festival week. 5 pubs owned by the EMT Group, starting at The Chiswell Street Dining Rooms, off to the Hat and Tun in Farringdon, followed by The White Swan, The Botanist for dessert and The Cadogan Arms for a night cap. Chiswell St. Dining Rooms in Barbican...
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Hidden amongst the hustle and bustle of Liverpool St is the Andaz Hotel. I love the fact that the hotel is situated on the original site of the Bethlehem or “Bedlam”, as it became known in the local vernacular, mental institution. The hospital is long gone but it does make me wonder what sort of crazy goings-on could be...
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Do you want to get to know Italian wine a bit better? The only way is to taste and to help you get your hands on some good Italian wine, The Winesleuth has teamed up with Marchesi de Frescobaldi to offer you guys, my readers, the opportunity to win some fantastic Italian wine. I’ve got a vertical vintage case of...
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I had lunch twice with Jean-Herve Chiquet, one half of the fraternal owners of the champagne house of Jacquesson (founded in 1798), along with his fabulous champagnes in the space of 2 weeks. I know, it’s tough but someone has to do it. My first encounter with Jean-Herve, at the winery was rather disheveled, as somebody had...
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I went to a performance of the London Philharmonic Orchestra the other night as a guest of Villa Maria wines. I remember Villa Maria from my days at Oddbins but haven’t really had an opportunity to try their wines. I see them occasionally in the supermarket but that’s about it. Villa Maria has been supporting the...
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Walking into The Ritz, I couldn’t help but be slightly overwhelmed by the opulence of the hotel – red velvet, gigantic golden chandeliers, marble and damask as far as the eye can see, now I know where the expression “putting on the Ritz” comes from, you can’t help but feel like should be dressed in...
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