Best Restaurants for Late-night Dining in London

Published on Europe Up Close on 24th July 2015:

Balans Cafe by Qin Xie

New York might be the city that never sleeps, but London follows pretty close behind. At least that’s true when it comes to its late night dining options. Now you can enjoy a meal at some of the best restaurants in London… 24 hours a day! This wasn’t always the case, of course. Historically, if you were hungry after a night out, you’d have to rely on private member’s casinos, kebab vans or hotel restaurants. Thanks to the 24 hour licensing laws which came into effect in 2003, allowing alcohol to be served around the clock, many bars have extended their opening hours.The result? The increase in hungry revelers has led to a growth in late night dining options. Here’s my picks for the best restaurants for late night dining in London.

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If you want to make this authentic, add rum

Published on Roads & Kingdoms on 24th July 2015:

Kim Russell pouring out cocoa tea

“It’s rudimentary but it works,” Kim Russell shouts over the whirr of a vacuum cleaner as he slowly pushes the freshly ground cocoa beans down a shoot.

“And it costs a lot less than the industrial winnower. You need to do it a couple of times to get all the shells out, but it’s much quicker than by hand.”

There are probably not many vacuum cleaners involved in the making of a cup of hot cocoa, but this is what happens at Crayfish Bay, an organic cocoa farm on the Caribbean island of Grenada.

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Words – June 2015

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Best Wine Bars in London

Published on Europe Up Close on 26th June 2015:

Barrafina Frith Street by Qin Xie

Where are the best wine bars in London? London, for wine lovers, is a true Aladdin’s cave. It’s a city that embraces all wine from all regions and leaves none behind. Indeed, there are few other places in the world where you can find both traditional wines made in Georgian Qveris and shiraz from New Latitude regions, such as Thailand.

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