Words – April 2014

Published this month:

On the blogs:

Some backdated photos:

And some special news:

Uppity eating: 10 London eateries with bird’s-eye views

Published on CNN on 4th June 2013:

The opening of the first restaurant in the Shard, the tallest building in the European Union as of early this year, has upped the ante in the London altitude dining stakes.

One company, Dinner in the Sky, takes the concept to perhaps its ultimate conclusion: guests are strapped into their seats around a table and hoisted 100 feet into the air by crane.

There chefs prepare a meal for them in situ from a central kitchen area.

But you needn’t risk spilling your aperitif onto gawkers below to enjoy elevated eating in the British capital. There are plenty of more comfortable indoor options.

Beginning with the Oblix at the Shard, we take the measure of 10 of the best — and most thrilling — uppity eateries in London.

Read more at CNN

Celebrity chef pop ups? No thanks, I’d rather spend my money on the real thing

Published on Yahoo Lifestyle UK & Ireland on 1st May 2013:

Best restaurant in the world

Have you noticed a sudden influx of international chefs to London recently? And that visiting chef pop-ups of the Michelin-starred variety are popping up everywhere?

Well, as you’ll have probably gathered, they are in town for the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards. The highly regarded award, now in its 11th year, draws some of the world’s best chefs to the city. With their arrival however, came the slew of pop-ups.

Why not showcase their skills? After all, they are already in town.

Indeed many of these chefs are worth seeing in action, not only for their food, the demonstration of skills but also for the local knowledge that they can share. For the average person, it’s a great insight into some of the world’s best chefs, their food and their restaurants.

Read more at Yahoo!

Spanish dominate world’s best restaurants list

Published on CNN on 30th April 2013:

The results were leaked, Noma was no longer at the top. But no one was unduly concerned.

These things are bound to happen — the 11th World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards show went on.

What started out as a feature in the UK-based Restaurant magazine is now the most revered and sought after accolade in the business. As Richard Vines, UK and Ireland chair of the awards and chief food critic at Bloomberg, says, “It’s the restaurant industry’s equivalent of the Oscars.”

Read more at CNN

Ten facts about Where Chefs Eat

Published on Life in Luxury on 29th January 2013:

  1. Where Chefs Eat is a directory of over 2,000 restaurants as recommended by over 400 of the world’s best chefs.
  2. There are recommendations are geographically arranged by continent: Oceania, Asia, Europe, Africa and North and South America, all mapped.
  3. There are also two indexes to help you navigate the book, by restaurant name or by recommendation type.
  4. For 26 selected cities, there are more detailed maps indicating the locations of the restaurants and in effect, turning the book into a local restaurant guide.
  5. Each of the 400 or so chefs involved has recommended a minimum of three restaurants according to the quality of food alone.
  6. The chefs were asked eight questions each: “Which restaurant do you eat at most regularly?”; “What’s your favourite place to go for breakfast?”; “Late at night where do you like to eat?”; “Which restaurant best sums up your city or region, a restaurant you’d consider a local favourite?”; “Where serves your favourite bargain meal?”; “Where do you go to celebrate a special occasion?”; “Which restaurant do you admire the most and wish you’d opened yourself?”; and “Which restaurant would you travel any distance to eat at?”
  7. It took 12 months to create, enlisting an editorial team of 25.
  8. Joe Warwick, who compiled the book, is the former editor of Restaurant Magazine who spearheaded the creation of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Award.
  9. There are no rankings in this guide. Instead, the restaurants are categorised according to: “Breakfast”, “Late night”, “Regular neighbourhood”, “Local favourite”, “Bargain”, “High end”, “Wish I’d opened” and “Worth the travel”.
  10. Each restaurant listing includes address and contact information as well as opening hours, reservation policy, credit card, price range, style, cuisine and recommended for. Some also have quotes from chefs or short reviews.