Vodka with a View (Londonist)

Vodka with a View
Chris Osburn, Food & Drink Editor
Londonist
January 15, 2009



Located on the terrace at Plateau Restaurant, the Smirnoff Black Winter Ice Lounge is a covered outside bar with thick faux fur blankies for cuddly nights out under the stars (and skyscrapers).

Read the complete Vodka with a View review at Londonist.

Pub Quiz Winner! (Qype does London)

Pub Quiz Winner!
Chris Osburn
Qype does London
January 7th 2009



To be honest, this was my first pub quiz, something I’ve always associated with London. Maybe they used to have them back when I lived here, but I don’t remember ever hearing about pub quizzes then or on any past visits. Anyway, our team won ...

Read the complete Pub Quiz Winner! post at Qype does London.

London Daily Photo: Now Serving Mulled Wine

London Daily Photo: Now Serving Mulled Wine
Photography by Chris Osburn © 2008
Interested in contributing a photograph of London to this blog? Click here for details.

Review: “Hark the Herald Angels Blog” London Bloggers Meetup (Londonist)

Review: “Hark the Herald Angels Blog” London Bloggers Meetup
Chris Osburn
Londonist
December 10, 2008



For regulars to the (not quite but usually) monthly get-togethers, last night’s mingle session presented much of the same camaraderie as previous ones ... Adding to the the meet ups festive vibe, Robert McIntosh of wine blog, wineconversation.com shared his knowledge (and his wine!) with a free tasting.

Read the complete London Bloggers Meetup review at Londonist.

An Evening of Whitley Neill Gin Cocktails (Qype does London)

An Evening of Whitley Neill Gin Cocktails
Chris Osburn
Qype does London
December 2nd 2008



Four fantastic bars. One fantastic gin. A crew of appreciative bloggers. Sounds like a crawl! Throw in a few more nice people (including Johnny Neill, creator of Whitley Neill London Dry Gin) and you’ve got the makings for one helluva night. Thanks to Sally Bishop from Relish PR and the kind folks from Whitley Neill as well as some of central London’s finest bartenders for inviting yours truly along to what turned out to be a fun evening of cocktail sampling!

Read the complete An Evening of Whitley Neill Gin Cocktails post at Qype does London.

Tequila with a Gran View (Qype does London)

Tequila with a Gran View
Chris Osburn
Qype does London
December 1st 2008


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR. Can't see the above photos? Click here to see them on Flickr.

At Paramount, I was in equal measure blown away by Patrón’s range of tequilas and by the stunning view of London. The staff was kind enough to let me take a few snapshots (I think photography is usually prohibited). Aptly named, Centre Point (just above Tottenham Court Road Tube Station) offers a panorama unlike any other in London. More than the tasty drinks and awesome sights, the best part of the lunch was simply getting to sit and chat with Francisco for much my time. What a gracious guy! His knowledge of tequila (but ability to talk about pretty much anything) made for a most enjoyable conversation. The Gran Patrón Burdeos was, indeed, among the most satisfying drinks to ever touch my lips.

Read the complete Tequila with a Gran View post at Qype does London.

Brazilian Wine Tasting at Guanabara

Just a quick word of thanks (with photos!) to TrustedPlaces community manager, Niamh, for inviting me along to a recent Brazilian wine tasting at Guanabara on Parker Street. My fave wine from the evening was the Miolo Lote 43 2004. I also enjoyed the tasty lil coxinha I grabbed for two quid on my way out! Yummy.


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Hat and Tun Pub Opens in Clerkenwell (Londonist)

Hat and Tun Pub Opens in Clerkenwell
Chris Osburn, Food & Drink Editor
Londonist
November 19, 2008



As if Clerkenwell needed another fantastic pub! Londonist wandered over to last night’s grand opening of Hatton Wall’s Hat and Tun.

Read the complete Hat and Tun Pub Opens in Clerkenwell post at Londonist.

Rum Do with Elements 8 Super Premium Rum (Qype does London)

Rum Do with Elements 8 Super Premium Rum
Chris Osburn
Qype does London
November 11th 2008



You know life is good when you find yourself with a free pass to hit some of Notting Hill’s most swank-o-rific cocktail bars with a bunch of folks you probably would’ve been hanging out with anyway. Or at least, that’s the rum-happy epiphany I had a few hours (and cocktails!) into last night’s Rum Do with Elements 8.

Read the complete Rum Do with Elements 8 at Qype does London.
See recipes from last night's visit to Montgomery Place at my Tiki Chris blog.

Super-Mega-Wow Post-Election Day (Qype does London)

Super-Mega-Wow Post-Election Day
Chris Osburn

Qype does London
November 5th 2008



Okay, without delving too deeply into the political, let’s just say I’m in an especially fantastic mood (if a little groggy) this morning (erm, I mean afternoon).

Read the complete Post-Election Day post at Qype does London.

Super-Mega-What-the-Hell’s-Gonna-Happen?!?! Election Day (Qype does London)

Super-Mega-What-the-Hell’s-Gonna-Happen?!?! Election Day
Chris Osburn
Qype does London
November 4th 2008



Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock in East Bumblefuck, Egypt with your head waaay up your ass for the past year, you must certainly be aware that today’s the day Americans go to the polls to elect their next president.

Read the complete Election Day post at Qype does London.

Yummy Free Food at a Nice Pub? (Londonist)

Yummy Free Food at a Nice Pub?
Chris Osburn, Food & Drink Editor
Londonist
November 2, 2008



Here’s a tip: get yourself signed up to The Edinburgh Cellars email list. We’re on it and were chuffed last week to open an email from the Cellars in our inbox inviting us to a FREE tasting session at this Newington Green Road pub.

Read the complete Yummy Free Food at a Nice Pub? at Londonist.

Review: TrustedPlaces’ Day of the Dead party at Chilango (Londonist)

Review: TrustedPlaces’ Day of the Dead party at Chilango
Chris Osburn, Food & Drink Editor
Londonist
November 1, 2008



Londonist had a lot of fun at TrustedPlaces’ Day of the Dead/Halloween party held last night at newbie Mexican restaurant (yet another?), Chilango on Fleet Street.

Read the complete TrustedPlaces party at Chilango review at Londonist.

Londonist Gets Man-Pampered (Londonist)

Londonist Gets Man-Pampered
Chris Osburn

Londonist

October 31, 2008













... we tagged along to the Gibson Hall launch party of Smirnoff Black Boutique Barbers luxury men's grooming service (no, we’re not kidding). Yep, starting the 6th of November, Hugo Boss shops in London will offer “gentlemen the chance to enjoy a relaxing traditional shave followed by a Smirnoff Black cocktail.” The shave-n-chugs’ll be happening at these Hugo Boss shops on the following November and December dates ...

Read the complete Londonist Gets Man-Pampered post at Londonist.

Affordable Tapas in an Elegant Setting at The Gore Hotel’s Bar 190 (Londonist)

Affordable Tapas in an Elegant Setting at The Gore Hotel’s Bar 190
Chris Osburn, Food & Drink Editor
Londonist
October 30, 2008
















What’s with fancy schmancy hotels in West London serving tapas? First, we reported on the tapas available at Knightsbridge hotel, The Cadogan. Now, we’re here to tell ya that The Gore Hotel in South Ken (one of our favourite spots to catch burlesque in London) is now offering tapas at their Bar 190. Happily, we can also relate to you that their tapas are a bit of a bargain, especially considering the chic backdrop.

Read the complete Tapas at The Gore Hotel’s Bar 190 review at Londonist.

Review: Tipped Chilli Cook-Off (Londonist)

Review: Tipped Chilli Cook-Off
Chris Osburn, Food & Drink Editor
Londonist
October 28, 2008



Londonist happily attended Tipped’s Chilli Cook-Off at the Mucky Pup on Saturday, where in addition to sampling a range of mostly excellent chillies (there were eight in the competition; Londonist loved all but two of them), we (as in food and drink editor, Chris Osburn) also participated. We didn’t win but felt our chilli held its own against the competition. Of course, with the likes of cook-off winner and food blogger phenomenon, Helen Graves, we were honoured just to have been invited to participate.

Read the complete Tipped Chilli Cook-Off review at Londonist.

Fancyapint.com Best London Pub Awards 2008 (Londonist)

Fancyapint.com Best London Pub Awards 2008
Chris Osburn, Food & Drink Editor
Londonist
October 23, 2008











Each year round the middle of October, where-to-imbibe experts, Fancyapint.com, get together to celebrate the anniversary of their site by presenting awards to the best pubs visited over the past year. The awards are broken down into two categories: the reviewers’ awards and the visitors’ awards, with overall winners in each. The reviewers' awards are decided by the Fancyapint.com review team, based on the pubs they reviewed during the previous twelve months. There are also a number of special awards made by FAP reviewers, for the pubs they feel have performed particularly well in the categories of best newcomer, best refurbishment and most improved. And this year, to mark the fifth anniversary of Fancyapint.com, the reviewers are awarding their top London pub of the last five years. Visitors' awards are based upon the site's listed pubs (they’ve got over 3000 in their database) that have had the most visits arranged to them through the site.

Read the complete Fancyapint.com Pub Awards post at Londonist.

The Chocolate Week that was (Qype does London)

The Chocolate Week that was
Chris Osburn
Qype does London
October 20th 2008










Alas, Chocolate Week is over. Luckily, I’m left with a stash of goodies but still wouldn’t have minded the “pure chocolate indulgence” continuing for another fortnight or so. Oh well, I suppose all good things must come to an end. And Chocolate Week was indeed a truly wonderful thing. Here are some of the highlights!

Read the complete The Chocolate Week review at Qype does London.

Bloggers in Nice Places (Qype does London)

Bloggers in Nice Places
Chris Osburn

Qype does London
October 13th 2008










Bloggers aren’t just reclusive troglodytes sniping their online opinions from musky secret headquarters. They get out and mingle like everybody else. In fact, they often find themselves being catered to in some pretty snazzy venues!

Read the complete Bloggers in Nice Places review on Qype does London.

Post Tom Collins Pizza (Qype does London)

Post Tom Collins Pizza
Chris Osburn

Qype does London

October 12th 2008











Amano’s pizzas are good. Damn good. I’d go back simply for their handmade dough/wood oven pizzas. In fact, I’m gradually starting to change my opinion of pizza in this city. For the longest time (aside from a few standby faves), my thoughts on pizza in London could be summed up in one word: SUCKS! However, with recent and successful forays to Gourmet Pizza Company and continued confidence in bedrocks such as Santoré, I’m starting to think this town is kinda, sorta okay with respect to Italy’s greatest export.

Read the complete Post Tom Collins Pizza post at Qype does London.