Champagne + Fromage

Maud’s ‘Frenchness’ adheres to the true Chocolat stereotype – pristine bob, chic wraparound dress and impressively slim in an effortless European way, despite an unholy appetite for cheese and champagne.

Years ago she worked for La Semaine du goût (a week where the French strive to eat even more wonderful things than usual), before moving to Britain and starting a champagne importing company, French bubbles, which evolved into ‘Champagne + Fromage’ – a recently-launched shop-cum-bar in Covent Garden…. 

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Ceviche: South American in Soho

Just as the fashion industry decided that tribal prints were coming back in many, many seasons ago, so the movers-and-shakers in the food world predicted, mid-2011, that South American cuisine was going to be big in summer 2012.

And sure enough, with the first sniff of spring, half-Peruvian and half-English restaurateur Martin Morales has launched the much-anticipated Soho restaurant Ceviche, bringing pisco, tiger’s milk and lúcuma to central London…. 

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Pitt Cue Co.

It’s five minutes to six on a bitterly cold February evening and I’m waiting outside a bar near Carnaby Street. There are about eight people in the queue, rubbing their hands, stomping their feet and puffing cold air…. 

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MEATliquor

Photo taken by Adam Luszniak

As the (last) recession crept up, pubs and restaurants got a lot of airtime. And not for a good reason.

Back in 2009, 52 pubs were closing each week and there was just a 20% chance that a restaurant would survive its first two years. Scrimping and saving was having a knock-on effect, and the future seemed bleak…. 

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