Archive For July 2015
From Stop and Shop Serving Suggestions Accompaniments: Serve with Stuffed Baked Potatoes and Steamed Fresh Green Beans. Wine: Syrah. Ingredients 1-lb loin or shoulder lamb chops, 1 inch thick 1 Tbsp herbes de Provence 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard 2 tsp Simply Enjoy garlic flavoured olive oil 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/4…
Le Garrick restaurant and wine bar is conveniently located in the heart of Covent Garden in London’s West End. It’s a little gem and after just one visit has become my preferred restaurant, my dining establishment of choice and a place I am almost loathe to promote for fear I won’t get a table next…
Brunch is perhaps my favourite meal of the week. It isn’t a big, indigestible breakfast with the prospect of needing a nap by 10.30 (although I can be tempted by an English fry-up at almost any time). It’s not a dinner, when one might be exhausted from the exertions of the day and much prefer…
Swan Upping is an annual ceremonial event and an activity that has endured since the 12th century. The mute swans on part of the River Thames are caught, weighed, inspected, ringed, and then released. Centuries ago these birds were eaten and this exercise was game management! Swans were regular food in the Tudor age, but…
Mele e Pere is a little cracker of a restaurant and I am almost reluctant to publicise it any further for fear that the prices will go up and the chances of me getting a table will go down! This is an authentic northern Italian, casual dining restaurant smack in the middle of the very…
It sounds like the title of a Victorian novel – Travels with MS Jane Austen! Well, it is actually a few words about a delightful cruise, rather than about a literary excursion with a famous author. All the cruises in this collection from Riviera offer return travel and transfers, so it couldn’t be easier to…
History is everywhere in Rennes but it’s actually considered by thoroughly modern folks to be one of the most liveable cities in France. That’s a hard juggling act. Rennes had been in existence for centuries before the Romans and in 57 BC the local inhabitants joined the Gaulish coalition against Rome. That didn’t work and…
Gymkhana is an Indian word which originally referred to a meeting place. These days it tends to be an equestrian day event put on by posh pony clubs; but not in this case. Gymkhana in London does fit into the ‘meeting place’ category and it does have the feel of a nicely appointed casual club,…
The Shaftesbury Theatre is both beautiful and historic, and a worthy presenter of a show that is beautiful in a very different way. Memphis is a musical and a memorable and striking one. It is set in an era of segregation, overt racism, poverty, and dreams. The story line is perennial and simple but with…
This city makes an ideal stop-over for long-haul passengers heading for Australia or New Zealand, although Malaysia has enough to delight, tempt and inspire those who want a longer visit. Malaysia does indeed have those tropical beaches, but it offers more. One can miss so much without a guide, but walking tours take time and…
If you are of a certain age then even the name ‘Lambrusco’ will likely raise a smirk. Once the smirker’s composure has been restored then he/she will probably deny ever having tasted the stuff. One has one’s oenological credibility to consider, after all! Wouldn’t be seen quaffing anything so viticulturally base! Where exactly is Lambrusco,…
If we are sent on a mission to buy a flavourful hard cheese we will likely want to buy Parmigiano Reggiano. If we are looking for parmesan cheese its possible we won’t get Parmigiano Reggiano but an inferior cheese with an Italian flag on the packaging. It’s the same issue with balsamic vinegar and even…
Balsamic vinegar, in Italian ‘aceto balsamico’, is a vinegar originating in Italy – the syrupy dark-brown condiment that one finds in Italian restaurants and gracing deli shelves. It doesn’t contain any balsam at all but the word balsamic refers to its supposed healthful qualities. It’s rather pricey, especially as, when found in your local supermarket,…
Bombay Brasserie and Bar, Gloucester Road, South Kensington has been an A-lister for the great and the good as well as the just famous and now it has adopted a new, cool ivory-coloured persona in place of the Rajesque opulence it once flaunted. The restaurant has undergone a couple of transformations since it opened in…
This is one restaurant that I have visited and wondered why I had not done so long before now. Gaylord Restaurant was established in 1966 so I would have had plenty of time. Its location couldn’t be more convenient, being between two Underground stations and near shops and theatres. I guess that it has become…