Blog
What’s up with the mustard at Croque Gascon?
One of the many cultural advantages of my move from the US to the UK is that it's been a cinch to avoid shopping malls. Nearly 5 years in London and I've only stepped inside a single mall, Brent Cross Shopping Centre – twice because I couldn't get a Genius Bar...
Floored by a bottle of super Tuscan
At a dinner party in West London two nights ago I was nearly floored by a bottle of 2004 Lucciolaio from Torraccia di Presura. The sheer weight of this super Tuscan, a 80/20 blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon, was enough to knock me off my chair. I knew...
Scoring the food at new Yankee Stadium
The purpose of my visit to the new Yankee Stadium had little to do with a baseball game. I was there to survey the food options and rate perhaps a dozen of them. I thought this would be a valuable service for fans who didn't wish to subject their bodies to the very...
Quelle surprise: AA Gill likes award-winning smoked salmon
If Times reviewer AA Gill knew he would be basing his judgment of the kitchen at Lutyens on a handful of dishes, it probably wasn't a good idea to make one of those choices a plate of Sally Barnes wild smoked salmon. He could have guessed that award-winning smoked...
What makes the banana blue gelato at Patisserie Valerie blue?
The Patisserie Valerie gelaterias at Spitalfields in East London and Duke of York Square in Chelsea feature a flavour called banana blue. You can't miss it, but you might want to give it a pass. As someone familiar with blue corn, berries and potatoes but not yet...
Top 5 salt beef sandwiches in London
Salt beef, as New York-style corned beef is known in the UK, is a Jewish deli meat made from beef briskets cured in brine. The salt breaks down the tough brisket meat while letting its flavours emerge. Salt beef ought not be an exercise in aerobic mastication, as some...
Detouring for the indelible delight
When travelling across nations or neighborhoods I revel in the long detour for the indelible delight. My willingness to wreck itineraries and rile companions for a nibble of potentially life-changing apple strudel partly explains my reputation amongst those who know...
Will the real WORLD’S GREATEST RESTAURANT FESTIVAL please stand up?
For Taste of London to merit its self-bestowed title of WORLD’S GREATEST RESTAURANT FESTIVAL, two things need to happen: First, the annual food fest must prove itself superior to the nightly one in San Sebastian’s Parte Vieja. Second, the organizers, Taste Festivals...
Guardian critic likens squid to a Durex
In his review of The Wine Theatre on London's South Bank, the Guardian's Matthew Norman quotes the expert opinion of his dining companion, who says the squid salad "was like eating a well lubricated Durex." Is Norman overestimating his readers? The analogy is of...
Pizza bianca romana conquers Londinium
The City of London was founded around 50 AD, when Emperor Claudius and his Roman army built a fortified settlement on the River Thames. Nearly 2000 years later, the scent of a quieter Roman invasion is wafting through the Londinium air, rousing knowing noses from...
