Displaying items by tag: London

• ready at the bar
• the different types of rum
• how to make a rum punch
• which is better?
• the judging...
• the winner!
•  

The perfect thing to do on a hot Saturday afternoon - book a rum tasting at Cottons in Camden. We went for a birthday treat and tasted six rums and two cocktails from all over the Caribbean. With their Global Rum Ambassador Ian Burrell away in Cuba we had the session with Andre, his nephew, who soon had us behind the bar mixing the cocktails. It was one of the best £25 I've ever spent, we left in a VERY good mood!

... we were predicting ceviche as one of the latest things (See the Beach - our featured post) along with all things Peruvian and food made with eggs. And it looks like we were right.

The only table for four at this popular and crowded restaurant was at 5pm or 9pm so we went for the latter. I say crowded because it wasn't just busy - it was packed. We had to wait for our table so had a drink at the bar, which by 9pm you need to get in minutes, then nice starters (onion rings and Moons Green beer sticks, a delicious and great value biltong) Another wait for mains to arrive so that eventually we asked where it was, and then huge disappointment... (I think we were really a bit over-excited, Mark) Meat with little flavour, over-cooked chicken, a rare steak that was ordered as medium, so went back to be done again. A rare rib of beef (for two to three people) that we were told 'takes a long time to cook' and 'is best served medium to melt the fat marbling the meat', which I thought was gristle, but why not tell us that when we order? And the ensuing feedback to the concerned front of house staff that we feel will contribute, is embarassing and pointless for a restaurant of this calibre. Yes we like the cow in formaldehyde artwork but the meat could have come from the case hanging above us. The only good thing was the bill, at £35 a head it was a lot less than we expected. But then we're from Suffolk - where some of the steaks are proper good.

Off we go again to sample the delights of the Restaurant Show trade fair at Earls Court. Our first mission - to get the best coffee we can find, as fast as possible, and free. Inspector X won. Then to lunch at the the disappointing street food area (this years theme) where I had the worst 'street food' I have had all year, I should have realised - there was no queue! Then off to taste Orange wines. Here are some of the pics - starting with Tuddenham Mill chef Paul Foster doing a demo.

Well while we are in London we might as well go out for breakfast too...so here we are at Albion, the cafe at Boundary - Terence Conran - for a full English and kidneys on toast. It was listed as £ rather than £££ in our guide but at £8.50 for kidneys (just kidneys, no sauce, on dry toast) it soon adds up. But couldn't fault the ingredients and we were asked if we prefer streaky or back bacon which is a nice touch as I always prefer streaky, given the choice. Apart from thinking the waiter was going to ask us for a pound to get a hot drink (strange uniforms...) it was a nice start to the day.

From the original London home of real bagels - Brick Lane - we joined a long queue that moved faster than you can get your money out and enjoyed the perfect £3.50 breakfast/brunch/lunch/teatime/midnight snack. Bursting with meat and oozing with mustard and pickle, you can see them being steamed and baked out the back, being filled out the front, and they are open twenty-four/seven.

From the London Ice Sculpture Festival at Canary Wharf, and there was lots of food too including jerk chicken wraps, curry, a cheese stall and huge meringues.

A Suffolk woman with a passion for travel, all things chocolate and an old ice cream van called Jimmy has been scooping up awards and commendations all over the foodie world this year.  A founder member of Eat St - a collective of street food vendors that sell from a variety of vans all over the country at festivals, markets and parties - she is a chocolatier who sells the best quality ingredients from Choc Star.  Looking forward to seeing more like this but have only see my local fish and chip van so far...

Nothing to write about in Suffolk because I haven't been out.  Went to London and had lunch in Wahaca - the Mexican Market Eating restaurant of the only female Masterchef winner (so far) www.wahaca.co.uk. Lots of hot sauce, tortillas, meat and fresh salad - very quick, very nice and very cheap - with simple delicious drinks like home made lime squash. £36 for four of us.  Suffolk still has a long way to go.

This year it's early... on Sunday and Monday 25th and 26th August 2013.