'We're out of tiramisu and the Maia Cup I'm afraid,' the waiter said apologetically. He added that it had been a busy day in the patisserie-cum-restaurant and those two sweets had flown off the counter shelves. This was unsurprising news to me after spending a good few hours at Maia, as this is a little gem of a place that promises to impress, from its chic romantic ambience to its friendly staff and simple but well-done dishes. Firstly, it wins on location, especially if you're a shopper. The corner restaurant is tucked away on Hans Crescent in the heart of the Knightbridge shopping dist...
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Minus the net curtains and swathes of crochet, one new restaurant in San Diego’s Little Italy promises to transport you to the warmth of your grandmother’s house. Located in the heart of the bustling strip of bars and eateries, Nonna (meaning grandmother in Italian) welcomes you in with warm lighting and laid back furnishings. On a Friday night the place was pretty packed come 7pm and a waitress kindly revealed that there was a terrace in the back, which was much quieter. We found a table nestled in one corner and our very friendly waiter from Milan came to run us through the menu. Like it...
Read more →The Ned is becoming increasingly overrun, no surprise given its slick and sexy guise. It was my second time back to the enormous Bank-based venue and there was a team of bouncers on the door checking people in. Armed with a reservation at Malibu Kitchen for 7:30pm, I passed the test and was let through the shiny dark wooden doors. On stepping into the hotel-cum-members club-cum-food hall, a jazz band was playing and post-work chatter bounced around. I slipped to the right, where I found Malibu Kitchen nestled away from the hubbub. The rectangular eatery has a counter-style seating arrange...
Read more →While eating out and heavy food might be the last thing on your mind after a month of over-indulgence, there’s a place that might be one to consider when your appetite is back on track. I paid a visit to Simpson’s on the Strand - one of the oldest restaurants in London - just before the overkill of Christmas and I was tickled by the eatery’s old school charm. The dining spot, which opened in 1828, oozes with character. Think parliamentary dining quarters crossed with a school library and the kookiness of your grandmother’s house. It was a chilly night when I stepped into the building ...
Read more →London’s dining scene is ever evolving, with the food industry seemingly as fickle as that of fashion. Talk to the “hip” Londoner and he or she will tell you not only what to wear or what bands to listen too, but what to eat if you want to fit in. Of course, it would be an exercise in foolishness to heed their advice. By the time you have sat down in the latest BBQ joint or falafel squat, they will have moved on. The thing is, with food, its quality remains untarnished as fads come and go. Great food will always be great food, regardless of whether it is in ‘vogue’ or not. As food crazes have...
Read more →I had never been to a casino in my life. I don’t know whether this was due to my upbringing or an aversion to partaking in things that result in losing money, but they have never appealed to me. I’m equally suspicious of the people who frequent such places. Surely there are only two types of people who go to casinos; geniuses who know how to win (0.01%) and morons (99.98%)*. So, being a miserable cynic, I assumed that any restaurant established within a casino could only be terrible. After all, it is simply there to cater for idiots. Literally. This was my hypothesis. Naturally I had to find ...
Read more →“The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it... I can resist everything but temptation” -Oscar Wilde Oscar Wilde didn’t manage to enjoy the delights of the ABSOLUT Elyx Single Estate Feast at Hix restaurant, but if he did the quote above would have been very apt. With over five, yes five, sumptuous courses, all served up with Absolut’s smooth new Single Estate expertly mixed and screwed into tasty cocktails to suit each dish, our taste buds at It’s Rude To Stare were spoiled rotten with pleasure… So if that hasn’t convinced the naysayers (not that there are any?!), here...
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