BAO LONDON RATING: 4/5 Bao London stands for the new breed of quality “street food” in London, serving up “xiao chi” (小吃), traditional Chinese street snacks found at market stalls. The fare here is Taiwanese; the bites are small; the team – comprising Shing, Ting & Er – is currently mobile. (I caught them at …
AMETSA WITH ARZAK INSTRUCTION RATING: 2/5 Replacing David Thompson’s Nahm at the Halkin Hotel is Ametsa, a spin-off restaurant by 3-Michelin-starred Arzak from San Sebastian, Spain. The team, comprised of Veuve Clicquot Best Female Chef Elena Arzak (2013), is in London on an “Instruction” basis – whatever that means. My lunch experience at Ametsa, however, …
Is horse meat good for you? In some countries (obviously the UK) horse meat consumption can create quite a stir in news headlines. In others, it can create a stir in appetite. China (of course who else) is the world’s biggest consumer of horse meat. Say, in Guilin, horse meat rice noodle is the region’s …
Why not for the beginners… This is an “Intermediate” guide for aspiring fine diners visiting Japan. My “Intermediate” means something between knowing the basic (i.e. different types of Japanese cuisine, key produce+ingredients, dining etiquette) and not knowing all the cultural culinary anecdotes (i.e. meaning of signs on porcelain, food symbolism). This should be ideal, I …
The one.. This might be offensive and untrue. But, as a foreigner living in the haunt of tourists (AKA Central London) and often asked for restaurant recommendations, I have found properly good and properly English food a myth. First there are pubs serving consistently inedible food to a consistent number of tourists. Then there are …
THE RITZ RATING: 3.5/5 The Ritz Restaurant is one of those *institution* places that are full of codes of conduct – ties, shirts, jackets, shoes, no trainers, no jeans, no sportswear – and the only thing I could do to rebel is, perhaps, to go commando. Not a thing I would personally advise if you …