Before we knew it, a party had started. The DJ (Ibiza veteran and Kate Moss' pal, Fat Tony) was spinning the decks with an ice cream cone to hand and a waiter was throwing some hip shakes at the till. Surprisingly my mum was loving the vibe at Sexy Fish's new Sunday brunch. The soft lighting, the buzzing atmosphere and tantalising smells quickly lulled us a world away from the sleepy Mayfair streets outside. Admittedly, we found it tricky to hear each other at times but that was half the fun. It had been a while since I'd felt so clubby on a Sunday. It reminded me of life in New York wher...
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'I want something that will pick me up and f*ck me up,' Kate Moss asked famed cocktail maestro Dick Bradsell in the early eighties. And thus, the espresso martini was born, as the mixologist only had a coffee maker and some vodka to hand. We headed to the Bluebird in Chelsea to get a mixology masterclass from the restaurant's top bartending team. The espresso martini is one of the venue's most popular cocktails. The head bartender, Egzon Kastrati, revealed that the bar uses more coffee than the main restaurant for making the heady libations. In a month, they roughly rustle up 3,000 espres...
Read more →Set within a building steeped in criminal history, The Judge & Jury is the latest restaurant offering from the luxury Courthouse Hotel in Shoreditch.
Read more →The Queen’s closest Thai restaurant, unlike Buckingham Palace, is simple and fuss-free. The Mango Tree boasts a prime spot in the city, just a hop, skip, and a jump from Victoria train station and Green Park. Despite its ritzy location, the place is laid-back with no formal attire required. It’s a Friday night and the place is buzzing, with a mixed bag of guests feasting away. An Indian family sits behind us while a group of students gaggle away on a table to our right. One thing that is reflective of the area, is the price. Most mains hover at more than £20, while the starters are around ...
Read more →Pizza slices, popcorn, Jammie Dodgers and hot chocolate were our go-to accoutrements for sleepover when we were 12. But more than a decade later, my childhood friend Stephanie and I had decided to do a PJ party all grown up. Now both based in London and no longer in the Nottinghamshire wilds where we attended ballet school, we decided to check out the newly-revamped Blakes hotel in the Kensington area of town. Tucked away on a quiet residential street where houses go for a handsome sum, this place is a treasure box to explore. Over the years this secluded spot has welcomed a host of A-liste...
Read more →Martello Hall is an interior designers dream, think steampunk glamour in a converted warehouse spread over three floors. I’d been looking for a new opening that inspires me to become a regular and this is it, an impressive and entertaining spread out over a bar/ banquet hall, restaurant with wood fire oven and private cocktail lounge with DJ’s which is seductive and exclusive. A fan installation with moving cogs snaps your attention on arrival off East London’s Mare Street in Hackney, entering their bar which is adorned with a copper gin distillery area, a sliding bar menu and wines on tap, ...
Read more →'It feels a bit like we're in a Woody Allen movie,' I mused as I sipped my martini and basked in the warm glamour of Il Pampero. Maybe it was the jolly jazz tootling away in the background that made me feel like I was on a movie set or the romantic mood the place put me in when I stepped through the chic glass doors and was greeted by a duo of smiling doormen. The hot new Belgravia spot, within the boutique Hari hotel, oozes sophisticated cool. Thanks to famed British interior designer Tara Bernerd, the furnishings are a feast for the eyes. Think advant-garde art meets Art Deco, wh...
Read more →I was on my way to the 'powder room' when I suddenly realised I was in the 'Bon Vivant' swing of things (in French the phrase roughly translates to someone who knows how to live life well). I'd had a couple of deceivingly heady Dirty Pink cocktails - a mix of gin, Chambord raspberry liquor, lemon juice, sugar syrup and egg white - and I was just about to settle in for dinner. The lights had dropped, with the glow of candle light setting the tone, and the restaurant was abuzz with chatter and funky music. I had to admit, when I Google Street Map imaged the address of Bon Vivant I was s...
Read more →A giant Scotch Egg was rolling towards us. But this wasn't any old Scotch Egg. Instead of standard pork sausage meat, this seductive sphere - swiped with a smudge of mustard - had been fashioned out of venison. But this is what you can expect at the Scottish themed restaurant Mac & Wild: Highland twists on the traditional with a lashing of fun thrown in for good measure. There are currently two outposts in London. One in the heart of Soho and a larger one in the City, by Liverpool Street, which is the one I'd chosen to hit on Pancake Day, lured in by their playful twist on the tra...
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