London Cocktail Week, Irresistible Fudge, Soulful Dining and the latest foodie and events news!!
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We’re back! Sorry for the delay people – we’ve had a bit of an extended break, but we’re back now to provide you with your weekly digest of what’s good and great in the world of food, drink and events around London! . London Restaurant Festival, 3-17 October
. London Cocktail Week, 7-14 October London may as well close down for a week as the country’s greatest celebrations of cocktails will no doubt lead to more than a few sore heads in the city! London Cocktail Week is designed to encourage Londoners to try new things, taste different cocktails, visit bars they’ve never heard of and maybe even try their hand at cocktail making too. The public can also get involved in Cocktail Tours; incorporating 150 bars, they will each be showcasing a special cocktail for just £4. Tickets to the Tours are £10 for the week and available from www.LondonCocktailWeek.com
. An Evening with Bompas & Parr @ The Mount Street Deli, W1, 6 October In the past Bompas & Parr has collaborated with Lord Foster and Heston Blumenthal to design jellies, flooded a Grade I listed building with four tonnes of alcoholic punch that visitors boated across before drinking, created a breathable cloud of G&T, charted the complete history of food, concocted a flavour changing chewing gum and built a chocolate waterfall flowing at a rate of 12,000 litres an hour. Now the public will be given an insight into their crazy world as they are invited to join Bompas & Parr to find out more about what they do and how they do it! Tickets for the event are £10 each. To book, call 020 7499 6843. www.themountstreetdeli.co.uk
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If ever there was an excuse to explore the culinary diversity and creativity that London has to offer then this is it. London Restaurant Festival celebrates the best in London dining with participation from Michelin-starred restaurants to local bistros all offering specially priced menus from £10-£25 to showcase their cooking skills. The festival also includes a number of special events, including dinners on the London Eye; Bus Tours comprising of dishes at some of London’s top restaurants; a quiz night; and a modern interpretation of the traditional English lunch at the Savoy! 
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New Openings…
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Hideaway, SW16
. Bread Street Kitchen, EC4
. L.T.D @ The Social, W1
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If you want to jazz up your Friday nights or add a little soul to you Sunday afternoons, the new-look Hideaway is the place for you. Fresh from an extensive refurbishment, Hideaway mixes a great live jazz, soul and funk venue with quality food and drink. The menu provides a fusion of Caribbean, English, French and American dishes, whilst the cocktails, like the music, take a mellow and classic approach. With its stylish décor and great roster of live acts, the venue has also just won the Parliamentary Jazz Club award for Venue of the Year, so who knows, you may even bump into Dave C and crew when you go! 
Following the best part of a year of ‘will it/won’t it open’ and the kind of drama that only Gordon Ramsay can muster from a restaurant launch, Bread Street Kitchen has finally opened. In contrast to Gordon’s fine dining restaurants, Bread Street Kitchen is home to a relaxed dining experience, set in a large warehouse-style room that draws inspiration from the East London aesthetic surrounding it. Open from breakfast, the menu includes dishes from a raw bar, a wood-burning oven and from a lively open kitchen, to provide dishes for all moods and occasions. Another key feature will be the impressive wine balcony, which stretches along the wall above the kitchen and hold over 2000 bottles of wine. 
When it comes to drinking, how much choice do we really need…or want? This was the drunken discussion between mixologist extraordinaire Dre Masso and The Breakfast Group’s Eric Yu. With their experimental new bar, they are bringing the debate to life; L.T.D is a bar where they will only stock one brand of gin, rum, vodka, whiskey, cognac and tequila (the brands are Beefeater, Havana 7, Stoli, Jameson, Courvoisier VS and Ocho). Theoretically, each spirit is the best available for under £20, as they have been chosen based purely on their quality by a panel of some of UK’s top drinks experts. Throughout the 3 months, L.T.D will be staffed by a rolling ‘rota’ of Dre’s cocktail legend chums, so expect a different experience during each visit. Open from 1 Oct – 31 Dec. |
Try This Week…
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Different wood finishes are becoming increasingly popular in the whisky world, but Auchentoshan have taken the bold step of 100% maturing this whisky in Bordeaux wine casks. With Bordeauxrenowned for its deep red wines, it’s no surprise that this whisky has a deep red hue and rich flavour to match. Expect Auchentoshan’s signature vanilla notes, layered fruit and wood spices – then a long, lingering finish. Incredibly smooth and moreish, despite its cask strength 58% Abv, the flavours open nicely from the first sip, with just the smallest drop of water required to mellow and release the full potential of the whisky. £42.49 from www.thewhiskyexchange.com .
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Auchentoshan 1999 Bordeaux Cask Matured
There aren’t many foods that leave us speechless, but the fudge from Fudge Fancies genuinely induced a full-on Homer Simpson drool in the office. Michael Goodchild, the founder of Fudge Fancies, has been dubbed the ‘Heston Blumenthal of fudge’ for his exquisite and experimental range of flavours and eye-catching presentation and it’s not difficult to see why. Goodchild’s creations contain 100% organic dairy and all natural ingredients to create the softest, richest and most meltingly delicious fudge imaginable. With decadent flavours including Sticky Toffee Pudding, Apple Crumble and Cappuccino Milk Chocolate, Fudge Fancies has created some of the most irresistible |
Reviews…
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Arbutus, W1
Click here to read full review… . Kentish Canteen, NW5 Located on the doorstep of the HMV Forum, perhaps Kentish Canteen’s greatest problem is that not enough visiting music fans will ever take the time out to enjoy the restaurant’s great food and lively atmosphere. Bright and breezy, affable and affordable, visitors wanting a little respite from the world will be treated to an all-day menu comprising of unpretentious, seasonal and deeply flavoursome food. Click here to read full review…
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The brainchild of chef and front-of-house super team, Anthony Demetre and Will Smith, Arbutus first opened in 2006 to provide great cooking in an unfussy style combined with affordable pricing. Having won a Michelin Star just one year later, the critics clearly believed in the concept. Five years on sees Arbutus mark the occasion with a soft refurbishment, including stylish new furniture and flashes of quirky art. Most importantly, Arbutus continues to provide dishes of utmost brilliance at prices that you would be happy to pay at a good gastro-pub.|
Something to watch on your lunch break…
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