Drink
The world is a mess. Why not find escapism through wine?
In most children’s stories, the good characters live happily ever after. Works suitable for older readers tend to greater realism.…
‘They do better spaghetti bolognese in Hampstead for a tenner’: The Lobby at The Peninsula, reviewed
The Peninsula is a new hotel at Hyde Park Corner. It is part of the trend for absurd expense: rooms…
It’s time to take Italian wine seriously
Tuscany: earth has not anything to show more fair. The landscape is charming. The gentle hills seem to smile down…
‘Well-priced and skilful’: Masala Zone, reviewed
There are cursed restaurants and cursed women, and this makes them no less interesting. One is Maxim’s in Paris, which…
Tories know how to find themselves a good drink
I feel old, and feelings are not always wrong, This eheu fugaces mood came on me at the Conservative party…
Fine food in a fine restaurant: Origin City reviewed
Origin City is a good name for this restaurant, whether it knows it or not. It is at West Smithfield,…
You have to be truly incompetent to eat badly in Paris
Paris has enough great restaurants to maintain its claim to be the world capital of gastronomy. That said, Parisian residents…
As gaudy as Versailles: The Duchess of Cornwall in Poundbury reviewed
Poundbury is the King’s idealised town in Dorchester, built on his land to his specifications: the town that sprung out…
A perfect slice of Calabria
The Romans wrote the history, or at least the myths. But long before Romulus murdered Remus, the Mediterranean – the…
Bruton is suddenly the place to be – and I have a theory why: At the Chapel reviewed
At the Chapel, Bruton, is a restaurant and hotel in a former chapel in Bruton. This was once an ordinary…
What wine should you serve to a matador?
We were talking bulls. A friend of mine, Alexander Fiske-Harrison, is a remarkable character who can claim at least two…
A Margherita in Tolkien’s Middle-earth: Pizza in the Courtyard at Sarehole Mill reviewed
Sarehole Mill is four miles south of the centre of Birmingham. If this were a fairy tale, and it should…
Port is fashionable once again
I once drank some excellent port at Ted Heath’s table. The invitation came as a surprise, but it almost certainly…
‘Thinks of the diner, not the chef’: Claridge’s Restaurant, reviewed
The BBC made a very odd documentary about the renovation of Claridge’s: The Mayfair Hotel Megabuild. They filmed, agog, as…
The beauty of a serious Burgundy
It was the English summer at its most perverse. We were drinking Pimm’s while hoping against hope for better news…
Big Little Bavaria on Thames: Bierschenke bierkeller reviewed
I am not sure the vast Bierschenke bierkeller in Covent Garden is successful, even if it is skilful: I worry…
Where to drink Tuscany’s finest summer tipples
Some subjects invite an eternal recurrence. One such is Tuscany. The other day, I wrote about that glorious region: its…
What’s so super about Super Tuscans?
In Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, the hopes embodied in the title dissolve into grimness and black irony. It was all…
The beauty of rosé and roses
What an idyllic setting. We were amidst the joys of high summer in England, with just enough of a breeze…
The Britishness of Bordeaux
Burgundy or Bordeaux? We were discussing that unending question during dinner over the weekend. I think that there is only…
Tinta de Toro: the Spanish red that helped Columbus make waves
I am assured that this is not a legend. But a few years ago, an Irishman’s life was twice saved…
The Eton vs Winchester of the wine world
A few days ago, when everything looked black, a small group of us were consoling ourselves over a couple of…
Why the dry martini is the finest cocktail of all
We were discussing bourbon and whether American whiskey could ever rival Scotch. I recalled the first time I ever tried…
A toast to absent friends
There have been few more momentous weeks in British history, or indeed in world history. This commentator must plead guilty.…
