Taberna do Mercado

Portuguese sensation

Monkfish cheeks garlic and shallots, mussels and coriander

Taberna do Mercado is a Portuguese restaurant inside the Old Spitalfields Market. It is by Nuno Mendes, a chef who gained popularity after achieving 1 Michelin status at his old restaurant, Viajante in East London. I was a little reserved first before arranging a booking as I had a rather forgettable meal from the much hyped Chiltern Firehouse by the very same chef. But then again Taberno do Mercado concept is completely different to Chiltern Firehouse, plus without all the paparazzi nonsense and the troublesome need to book months in advance. Taberna is an informal dinning restaurant that serves sharing dishes, Portuguese style.

The West House

Cosy fine British

roasted lamb breast, broccoli, shallot

The West House in Biddenden is one of the hand full restaurant in Kent that holds a Michelin star. Headed up by Graham Garrett, it is a family run restaurant serving contemporary British cuisine. Like most other Michelin restaurants in the UK, it offers a very affordable set lunch menu, a standard a la carte and tasting menu as well as a vegetarian tasting menu. What I really like about this place is the decor, very cosy and comforting in middle of THE countryside. Our group tried out a mix selection of its lunch menu and a la carte.

Hoppers

Soho Srilankan

Egg hopper with fish kari

I was a big fan of the famous Udon joint Koya on Frith Street, so it was a sad day when it was closed down in the summer after the head chef decided to return back to Japan. The site has since been transformed into a Srilankan restaurant, operated by the JKS group (Trishna, Bao, Bubbledogs). Personally I think it is great move from a business prospective, as Srilankan as a cuisine that is seriously under rated. With the group's experience in restaurant management, there is good chance that they can kick off a Srilankan food trend with Hoppers.

Billy and the Chicks

Posh chicks

Billy and the Chicks

Another new fried chicken concept restaurant in London, Billy and the chicks is about dishing out premium fired chicken using quality suppliers, with a CV that contained St John and Salt Yard, I was interested to see how Billy's chicken would taste like. The first things that stood out for me was the quality of the chicken, the meat was super moist, smooth and tender. It was an instant upgrade if you compare to the like of KFC and Nandos. 

5 fantastic beverage gift ideas for Xmas

The Berry Bros Christmas Hampers

Berry Brothers shouldn't be a stranger to any food and wine lovers. They are the oldest wine and spirit merchant in the UK, they are offering a great selection of premium Christmas Hampers. Matching fine, carefully selected wines and spirits with artisan delicacies, the Christmas collection ranges from neat apéritif selections to the lavishly indulgent Le Grande. They have also just released a new wine book: "Exploring & Tasting Wine.Also, a wine course with digressions, is the perfect gift for any wine lovers. Do check out their impressive retail store located on St James Street, Mayfair or browse their selection online, free delivery for all Xmas gifts and unmixed cases, go shopping!

http://www.bbr.com/christmas


Pinkster Gin
 

A pink gin for Christmas? Why not. Distilled in small batches, Pinkster is an award winning, premium gin. If heavy and full body spirit such as whisky or traditional gin, isn't to your taste-bud, Pinkster should be the one for you. They hand-steep fresh, locally grown raspberries in the spirit from Cambridge and the result is a truly refreshing and light fruity gin. The taste is dry, with a hint of fruit and an exceptionally smooth finish. For a refreshingly different G&T, mix with a decent tonic and add a sprig of fresh mint.

http://www.pinkstergin.com


Montanya Rum

  

Montanya Rum isn't your typical rum, they are a range of rums from Colorado, America. Their Montanya Platino is the one that stood out for me. In fact, it makes perhaps one of the very best daiquiris that I have had ever tasted. A light, crisp rum aged to maturity in American Oak, coconut-husk charcoal filtered, and blended with Colorado mountain spring water. Every drop is fermented, distilled, aged and bottled on premises, no excpetions. The Platino has been awarded 9 gold medals and two "Best in Class" designations in International competitions, as well as "Best White Rum" at the World Rum Awards, UK 2015.

http://www.montanyarum.com/


Ruby Blue Liqueur
 

A bottle of liqueur is essential for any Christmas party, and Ruby Blue Liqueur is a must try if you have a sweet palate. A small batch Northern Irish Liqueur collection from a craft distillery in Co Antrim. They have a selection of premium liqueurs: Wild Blueberries, Chilli Pepper, Cranberries and Blackcurrant. Wild Blueberries is my personal recommendation, not overly sweet and finely balanced, works perfectly well on its own or in a long drink. Also try the Chilli Pepper if you like kicks in your drink, it works wonderfully as a shot or on ice.

http://www.rubyblueliqueur.com/

Chase Rhubarb Vodka
 

Simply put, Chase's rhubarb vodka is the very best natural flavoured vodka. Slowly cooked Herefordshire Rhubarb and then marinated with the award-winning, three times distilled Chase Original Vodka in a beautiful copper pot still. The resultant spirit is then further distilled a fourth time to infuse the flavours before adding macerated fresh rhubarb and filtering to leave a delicate pink colour. Chase Rhubarb Vodka captures the true flavour of carefully pressed rhubarb, achieving a natural scent of rhubarb and custard with the subtle sweetness of rhubarb on the palate, without using any artificial ingredients or heat methods.

http://chasedistillery.co.uk/

Galvin Bistrot de Luxe

Classy Bistro

Galvin Bistrot de Luxe

If you are a regular reader on my blog, you will know I am a fan of the Galvin brothers' Michelin starred Galvin La Chapelle. The brothers have a fine collection of restaurants across London, from the super luxury Galvin at Windows inside The Hilton Park Lane to the humble but classy Galvin Cafe a Vin in Spitalfield. Galvin Bistrot de Luxe located on Baker Street, is a stylish French Bistro that serves classic French cuisine with a British and modern twist. I was on my way to Regent's Park so a quick lunch at Galvin Bistrot was a no-brainer for me.

Shackfuyu

Rock and Roll Asian

USDA beef short rib – bo ssam style

Shackfuyu is part of the Bone Daddies empire by Ross Shonhanies, it has just recently been relaunched after a short refurbishment. Ross is a master of engineering Asian food with Western cuisine influence, he has done a tremendous job with his other two restaurants, Bones Daddies Ramen and Flesh & Buns. They were both excellent and now two of the most popular Asian restaurants in London. The menu at Shackfuyu seem to have an even greater wide range of global flavours, from French, Korean, to Mexican and Japanese. 

Zelman Meats

Meat treat

Zelman Meats

Zelman Meats is new restaurant in Soho launched by the Goodman team at the former site of Rex and Mariano (R&M). R&M was a great affordable seafood restaurant so I was sad when it was replaced by Zelman Meats. As you would have already figured out from its name, Zelman Meats is all about slow cooking and smoking good meats. Price wise is mid range, a notch above Flat Iron but nowhere near as expensive as Goodman. 

Rules

Old School glamour

aged rib of beef

Located in Convert Garden, Rules, is the oldest restaurant in the UK. It has always been on my to visit list for a long time, so after seeing it was featured in the latest James Bond film, I feel it is about time to put on my cloth and make a special visit. Rules offers a range of British classic such as wild game meat which is ideal for any serious game lovers, from venison, grouse to hare just to name a few. Current head chef David Stafford has worked in a number of high profile restaurants across London, such as The River Cafe and Galvins.

Kensington Place

British seafood

KP prawns cocktail

Located just around the corner from Notting Hill station, Kensington Place is a British restaurant that specialise in seafood, with its own fish market just next door. It is part of the D&D restaurant and hotel group, so in terms of quality you can be pretty confident. I was tasked by my family to find a decent British restaurant for lunch before visiting Kensington Palace and Kensington Place was the first one that came to my mind as it offers some British classics at very affordable lunch menu.