The Modern Pantry, Clerkenwell

Last week, a friend sent me this Evening Standard review about the Modern Pantry, which just opened in Clerkenwell. I liked the review’s invocation of Fergus Henderson (if you’re a fan of pig, you know what I’m talking about); the fact that the chef-owner, Anna Hansen, is a woman; and the restaurant’s location about a [...]

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Orangina: A Case of Mistaken Identity in Vienna

Jon and I just returned to London this evening after a weekend in Vienna.  The weather was warm and sunny, and Vienna’s pretty cobblestoned streets were uncrowded (likely because all the Viennese are spending their August in Greece, Turkey and Spain, just like their German neighbors). In any event, while in Wien, I whiled away [...]

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Three Years in London

A few days ago, Jon and I hit our “three years in London” anniversary. I love it here, and one of the things I love is how easy it is to travel. So more for my own memory keeping than for anyone’s entertainment, here are our travel highlights over the past twelve months: August 2007: [...]

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Leong’s Legend, Soho

If I were a fan of bumper stickers (and if I had a car – and a valid driver’s license), I’d get one that reads: “I brake for xiao long bao.” Two weeks ago, Tasty Treats in her alter ego form, TimeOut London restaurant reviewer, highlighted Leong’s Legend in Chinatown as a place that served [...]

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Brilliante Weblog Premio 2008 Award

It was lovely (brilliant, even) of Helen over at World Foodie Guide to send me the Brilliante Weblog award. She and I share not only the same taste in wordpress blog templates, but also we share the “restaurant reviews in London and abroad” beat. And let me add, you cannot beat Helen for expertise on [...]

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Michael Phelps and the Breakfast of Champions

Relative to the (admittedly tad-crazy-and-overboard) Olympic coverage in the US, the UK media coverage of the Olympics is pretty sedate. But it’s still highly entertaining. I laughed out loud reading this Guardian article describing the types of food Michael Phelps eats every day to get his 12,000 calories: “… a large bowl of porridge; three [...]

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The Ledbury, Notting Hill

A friend was telling me about his recent dinner at Thomas Keller’s Per Se restaurant, and our conversation reminded me that my dinner there in June 2004 remains the best restaurant meal of my life. Everything came together that night – my dining companions, the food, the wine, the mood in the resto, and the [...]

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First Impressions: Vigata Ristorante, Islington

Except for when I schlep down to Olivo and its sibling Oliveto in Belgravia, I’ve been disappointed when I eat at Italian restaurants in London. Compared to New York, London doesn’t have a huge number of Italian restos, so when I want to go Italian, I feel like I have few choices between a chain [...]

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