Cronuts, ice-cream cocooned in candy floss, Matcha lattes, Matcha ice-cream, kimchi …. all recent food trends to hit the UK. Now, there’s a new trend in town – Poké. Poké (pronounced POKE AY), is a traditional Hawaiian dish made up of raw fish and other ingredients. It’s healthy, nutritious, delicious and really filling. I was invited along to Ahi Poké in Nova Victoria to try a poké bowl for myself. It’s worth noting that there is only one table outside in the square so Ahi Poké really only caters for take-out. It’s perfect for taking to a nearby park to enjoy, to take on the…
Last week I was invited to review the new Patara in Wimbledon Village. I’ve been a fan of Patara for years and have been a regular at their Oxford Circus branch so I was excited to be invited to visit their latest branch in Wimbledon Village. I took along one of my oldest and dearest friends, Shelley, as my plus one. Although they are a small chain of Thai restaurants (they have seven branches in London), each one is unique in their design. Patara in Wimbledon Village has floor to ceiling glass windows, which lets in lots of natural light…
A few weeks ago I was invited along to a blogger dinner to experience how Jerte Picota cherries could be showcased in dishes. Whilst delicious just to eat on their own, cherries make fabulous sauces as well being used in some unusual ways (read below to see what I mean!). Jerte Picota P.D.O (Protected Designation of Origin) cherries are grown, harvested and packed under rigorous quality controlled procedures and come exclusively from the Jerte Valley in Spain (South-West of Madrid in the Caceres region). They are also only in season for 6 weeks – June to August – and can…
VOC is a bar and restaurant in King’s Cross and is named after the Vereenigde Oost-Indische, also known as the Dutch East India Company which, from 1602, enjoyed a monopoly of the Asian spice trade. I’ve been to the bar at VOC a few times – it’s quite small, cosy and a great place to catch up with friends over some cocktails. In fact, it’s been voted as one of the ‘World’s Top 50 Bars’. But this time, I wasn’t here for the cocktails, I was invited along to review their new menu, which is inspired by the spice routes.…
Taste of London is a food festival that celebrates and showcases London’s best restaurants, chefs and food and drink brands. It takes places twice a year – a summer festival in Regent’s Park and a winter one in Tobacco Dock. I went along to Taste of London last Saturday, on one of the hottest days of the year, to see what the fuss is all about. The festival takes place over four days and attracts around 55,000 visitors. With 120 dishes to choose from, not to mention the various brand stalls, there is so much to get through! I love…