Sutton & Sons

Not only did the arrival of Box Park provide the perfect landmark meeting place for mates everywhere, it was designed to be a place where restaurants and brands can just pop up on a whim – and so they do, which means nearly every time you go there’s something new to discover.

Meat Stop

For quite some time, Brentwood high street has been lacking – not in bars, pubs or charity shops, but something far more important. It’s been lacking in good food. I’m not dismissing Dominoes, and their hotdog crust pizza… or one of the many Italian restaurants that sit just a few doors along from each other, but for such a thriving town that nowadays attracts people from all over the country, Brentwood really does lack in an on-trend, quality restaurant that serves food of the moment exactly how we want it. Or at least, it did.

Jones & Sons at Trip Space Projects

Some might say that central London is becoming all too predictable, full of restaurants you can’t book or wouldn’t want to book. We’ve become so obsessed with only eating in ‘cool’ restaurants that we’ve sort of forgotten why we’re eating out in the first place. As long as the food, service and wine is good and the location is convenient who cares if it is yet to be featured in Stylist magazine? I don’t. The majority of restaurants seem to pop up only to rival their competitors with even more obscure menus and difficult to get into venues. I don’t want to have to clamber through a fridge or feel my way through a dark hole to get to my table, which is probably why I found myself on the Overground to Haggerston last Thursday night for a normal, good old fashioned meal. 

Zaika returns to 1 Kensington High Street

I’m extremely excited to announce the the return of Kensington’s much loved Indian restaurant, Zaika! This November, Zaiki will be reopening its doors (at last!) with a menu of Northern Indian cuisine, a new team with executive chef Sanjay Gour at the helm, and revived look to the 120 cover restaurant space.

Bohemia introduces Michelin-starred Pumpkin Afternoon Tea

I think it’s safe to say that autumn is well and truly here – in fact, I’m not so sure we haven’t just skipped autumn and moved right on to winter – so it is quite fitting that Bohemia should launch a delicious Pumpkin Afternoon Tea to celebrate. Trust me, it’s worth making the trip to Jersey for this one.

Jones & Sons launch restaurant at Trip Space Projects

If you’re familiar with Jones & Sons and its laid back, tasty approach to dining in the upcoming area of Dalston, then you’ll hardly be surprised to hear that its next venture is taking place somewhere equally as cool. Trip Space Projects recently announced that the classic British restaurant and cocktail bar will be opening a second restaurant within Trip Kitchen & Bar, situated within the converted railway arches off Regents Canal in Haggerston. 

Royal China launch Asian Bubble Pearl drinks

If you’re a Shoreditch regular you’ll no doubt have stumbled across ‘bubble pearl’ drinks by now. They’re those peculiar drinks you see with curious balls hovering near the bottom that people drink through rather large straws. Of course, in reality they’re far fancier than I’ve just made out – and they’re packed full of fantastic flavour. Bubble-drink fever has quite literally burst into London straight from Hong Kong, so where better to pop your bubble cherry (if you haven’t already) hat at one of the authentic Royal China restaurants?

It’s all about cake pops at Foxcroft & Ginger

Forget about cupcakes, they are now a thing of the past, thanks to the revolutionary ‘cake pop’. Combining two childhood faves – lollipops and cakes – cake pops are a great treat for those who want to satisfy their sweet tooth without the calories of a rather large size of cake! Not one to ignore a current trend, Foxcroft & Ginger has created an exciting concoction of Divine Chocolate & Fresh Beetroot Cake Pops. 

Chocolate week at The Hotel Cafe Royal

The Café at Hotel Café Royal boasts a magnificent window of macarons and lavish sweet treats on any given day, drawing in tourists aplenty due to its perfect Piccadilly location. I was one of the lucky few to join in the Chocolate Week celebrations on Tuesday night when The Café closed its doors to the public, letting those inside in on the unveiling of some new chocolate delights.

LANIQUE – It’s what you should be drinking in 2015

Forget 2014, I’m already thinking about what I should be doing, eating and drinking in the New Year – it’s not really that far away now, is it? It’s quite obvious that for the time being we’re all a little over mixologists getting nuts behind the bar and creating weird (albeit wonderful) drinks with bacon shards and flecks of gold, and that we’re becoming increasingly satisfied with a good old classic instead, which is why I think Lanique, a rose Liqueur Spirit revived from a historic 200 year old recipe, is going to prove extremely popular in 2015.