Will you be eating insects instead?

12/03/201314/08/2018 by Qin Xie | 1 Comment

Published on Yahoo Lifestyle UK & Ireland on 12th March 2013:

Also published on Yahoo! US News on 12th March 2013:

They say that on average, we eat around one pound, or just over 450g, of insects a year. Ok, there’s been claims made for anything between one and five pounds, but who’s counting? Either way, it seems like an awful lot of creepy crawlies to be ingesting for something that’s not considered food in the Western world.

The reality of course is that insects have been on the menu for a long time. Grubs and grasshoppers are often considered delicacies in South East Asia while the world’s best restaurant, Noma, boasts live ants on its menu. That dish made it to London during Noma’s pop up at Claridge’s last year. Even big department stores like Selfridges have been stocking insect-laden sweets for years; particularly eye catching have been the scorpion lollipops.

Unsurprisingly, eating insects has been the subject of much debate over the years with the likes of the Wall Street Journal, The Economist’s More Intelligent Life and most recently The Guardian weighing in. The argument is that, with its high protein and low fat content and the fact that it can be cheaply produced, it’s economical, sustainable and even healthier to eat insects.

The latest to join the insect trend is celebrity chef and MasterChef 2005 winner Thomasina Miers’ chain of Mexican restaurants, Wahaca.

Ten photos from The Gallivant, Rye

10/03/201320/09/2013 by Qin Xie | Leave a comment

Published on Life in Luxury on 10th March 2013:

Are women any closer to full gender equality in the UK?

08/03/201314/08/2018 by Qin Xie | Leave a comment

Published on Yahoo! UK News on 8th March 2013:

It’s International Women’s Day – a celebration of gender equality and women’s rights around the world with more than 100 years of history behind it. In the UK alone, there are hundreds of events around the country marking this day.

With that in mind, there’s no time like the present to examine gender equality in the UK.

Here’s the boring bit: government statistics on gender equality varies but they tend to indicate increasing equality across the board. In education especially, girls are increasingly achieving more than boys. Certainly, legislation has helped increase the number of women in work, at boardroom level and in male dominated industries such as engineering and science.

Of course statistics are always open to interpretation.

From personal experience, in the food and drink industry, the numbers tend to be balanced.

The Rooftop Cafe at The Exchange

06/03/201306/03/2013 by Qin Xie | 1 Comment

Published on Bon Vivant on 6th March 2013:

Underneath the towering shadow of The Shard is an unlikely restaurant – the Rooftop Café at The Exchange. Part of an office building, the Rooftop Café is not easy to find but that’s one of the reasons why it’s such a great hideaway.

Open since January this year and despite being right next to The Shard, the Rooftop Café at The Exchange has somehow managed to maintain its views. Inside, the open kitchen is the first thing to greet you as you enter. The stripped-back dining room is spread over three little pockets of space, divided by banquettes and chairs. Comfortable, but not too cosy.

The food is simple but the menu changes daily with four options per course. For a menu so small, it also offers a surprising number of dishes suitable for vegetarians.

The starters were charmingly simple. We had pancetta with poacher (cheese), pear and walnut and goats curd with green beans, shallot and capers. Warm, light and a very ingredient led introduction to the food at the Rooftop Café at The Exchange.

For mains, there was the truffled mushroom ravioli with parmesan and the special – a chorizo stew. The pungent truffled filling of the ravioli was cased in delicate fresh pasta that broke all too easily.

The chorizo stew, laden with chick peas and lightly spiced, was topped with dressed salad and bread. Both dishes were well-portioned and balanced. Other dishes available included the scallops with black pudding and seared apple.

The wine list, mostly European, is also compact, varied and interesting. Their focus is on sustainability and small producers and it really shows. The wine we had, a red made from a blend of three grape varieties indigenous to Italy, was sealed with a beer cap top and a basic label. Impressive is the fact that only 200 bottles of it were produced and while difficult to get into, it proved a good match for the food.

A banana cake with salted caramel ice cream and orange cake with crème fraiche were ordered for dessert. The soft citrus of the orange cake worked well with the zest blended into the crème fraiche while the banana cake with the ice cream was another classic flavour combination.

The food at the Rooftop Café at the Exchange is simple but delicious and the service is helpful and attentive. It’s a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere to catch up with friends or go on a date where there’s no pressure of challenging food or the cold silence of fine dining.

Like the food, it’s the perfect antidote to the wintry weather but it also bears delightful possibilities for the summer with the rooftop terrace.