Hanoi cuisine to make your smile wider at Banh Mi11
If there are support groups out there for Vietnamese food addiction then I am an unregistered member. I adore the stuff. Fresh summer rolls of vegetables, meat or fish rolled up in an envelope of rice paper; soothing, hot Pho that cures all ailments with slurp-up-sharp noodles or crunchy baguettes piled with slow roasted meats,...
Blowing the trumpet for the Green Man and French Horn
Over 6000 restaurants exist in the Capital. Not particularly surprising for me when I read this in (yet another) harshly written review however the specified figure made my mind spin in terms of how does one possibly have the time to explore so much uncharted culinary territory? Location is a huge obstacle in this feat however the...
Plates to fall in love with at White Rabbit
There is something amiss in London. The 2012 Olympics have ended and with the impending autumnal weather upon us, there seems a struggle for reasons to continue the unexpectedly positive spirits that accompanied the Games. It would be easy to succumb to the misery of the daily grind and regress to the eyes-down, dog-eat-dog approach...
The Importance of Being George
The Tate Modern, National Gallery, Whitecube, National Portrait, the Serpentine, Saatchi……. familiar with the names? There are surely some favourites muddled amongst these, let alone the many other galleries and exhibition spaces not mentioned. Not quite the same plethora of free resources in Johannesburg I’m informed, where the subject of this post hails from. George...
To Heal and Damage
A cycle of turmoil that repeats Yet completes It is strangely fulfilling (although quietly killing) all manner of wisdom I accumulate through learning it still leaves a yearning The path to true clarity so full of disparity between logic and emotional thought I get caught such mortal torment is typically fraught With a constant...
The Spanish come to Shoreditch
I love it when a new restaurant opens. Let me rephrase; I love it when a new restaurant is conceived. Much like the population growth, restaurants are following suit and the gestation period is becoming ever shorter in order to meet the demand of high competition in the culinary stakes. When SAF closed its doors...
Fairweather Love
The smiles seem only forecast When the sun creeps behind the clouds A cue for our union is then allowed So starry-eyed and blissful Our laughter sprinkles the air and all those around that stand and stare For every moment our eyes meet I wait for your presence to disappear so far...
Gun for a Tongue
The smoke still lingers on me From the barrel of your gun But it wasn’t this that shot me Just the malice of your tongue The licks of ammunition Trigger thoughts inside my head What brought about this apathy? Do you really want me dead? But your wrath is unrelenting And it pierces...
Cocktails Ahoy!
Impromptu and spontaneous; somehow the best evenings of enlightenment come from the unplanned. It is with these circumstances that saw me enter an unassuming doorway, down the dimly lit stairs and into the realms of speakeasy-esque Nightjar, the much talked about cocktail and music spot in Old Street. It has already built a reputation of...
Eastern Promise
I believe there comes a time in one’s life (in my case quite frequently it would seem) that change is necessary and good in order to stimulate the mind and body. This thought process is what prompted me to “up sticks” and move to North East London recently and the wonderful pastures new of Stoke...
Feed your ears, eyes and mouth at Trangallan
A long overdue reunion of friends was happily met with sunny skies one Wednesday afternoon in London. Damon & Michelle, two Texans I had the pleasure to make the acquaintance with back in Austin, had arrived in London in upbeat tempo. Regardless of over 30 hours lack of sleep (attributed to the excitement and unfortunate...
Bring a good appetite to Budapest
I have been lucky enough to have enjoyed various home cooked Hungarian fodder in my lifetime; Pörkölt a delicious chicken ‘stew’ of sorts & an excellent cure for a poorly head; Leves (this just means ‘soup’ in Hungarian) in various guises as there be meat ones, bean ones, creamy ones etc etc… and the sweet tooth is...