Stopping time at Xi’an Biang Biang Noodles

On a sunny jubilee weekend, I went to Cambridge for the day. It’s a lovely university town, full of history. Old college buildings, the punting tradition – pushing yourself on a boat around the river with big, long stick. There are picturesque meadows with cows that appear to belong to no one ambling past and…

Le Mercury

There really is nothing like a cheeky little pay day lunch on a Friday; and that is exactly what I enjoyed last week. Le Mercury is a cosy French restaurant on Upper Street. The decor is charming and rustic but also has a traditional French fine dining feel to it, white tablecloths and all. The walls…

Beauty & Essex

I went to the most divine restaurant when I was in New York a few months ago, I feel almost ashamed that I haven’t written about it already. Alas, sometimes life gets in the way, so I’m bringing to you now. Sorry! (not that sorry). I wanted somewhere special to go for our last night…

Are you really going to eat that?

This last week I have been watching season four of ‘The Mind of a Chef’  Narrated by Anthony Bourdain. In this season they follow Gabrielle Hamilton from Prune restaurant in New York. I love her, she’s strong and sassy and she speaks with such passion and intelligence and humour. I enjoy watching her cook,  admire her food philosophy, and…

Tortilla at Laxeiro Tapas Bar and another life lesson.

Here’s this thing, life isn’t always perfect. Sometimes it’s great, other times it can be stressful, disappointing, underwhelming. I’m going through a bit of a process at the moment. The more I live, get out of my own head and relax into the moment, the more I have a tenable understanding of how lucky I am…

Le Bouillon Chartier

We cross the lights on Rue du Faubourg-Montmartre in the 9th arrondissement, and Bouillon Chartier rises up to greet us. A monolith from another time and place. I’m only in the courtyard but I feel like I might be whisked away from the entrance in a ’20s style Rolls Royce a la Woody Allen’s ‘Midnight in Paris’…

Mildred’s Vegetarian Soho – A flavourful taste sensation

I once spent six months as a vegetarian. It was a reaction to working in the kibbutz kitchen when I lived in Israel. My job, especially on a Friday before the Sabbath, was to lop the limp, dangly necks off a few hundred chickens, and stuff a mixture of potatoes, herbs and spices up their…

Gaby’s Deli – A delicious capsule within time’s changing landscape.

1971 was the year that decimal currency was launched, the first Mr Men books were published, one of my favourite TV crushes Damien ‘he’ll always be Soames to me’ Lewis was born  and a fresh pound of turkey (apparently!) cost fourty pence. It was also the year that Gaby opened his eponymous deli on Charing Cross road,…