The Seven Dials area (www.sevendials.co.uk)presents a plethora of wonderful dining and drinking opportunities. One of the most exciting, and certainly the most delicious, is Peter Gordon’s contemporary fusion restaurant. Kopapa is situated on Monmouth Street and in the epicentre of Theatre-land, and it provides a stunning display of innovative cuisine to suit a vast array of tastes.
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Kopapa is one of Covent Garden’s must-visit locations.
The atmosphere is buzzing, exciting and vibrant – you really feel like you are experiencing London at its best. The décor is relaxed, stylish and rustic, therefore, acting as a microcosmic representation of the Seven Dials area as a whole. On my visit, the staff were also perfect; they were attentive, without being over attentive.
As you can probably already tell, I was really impressed by Kopapa and I will definitely be returning in the future.
The Food
The menu is an eclectic mix of what I would call “proper” food – that is to say, it is honest, flavoursome and made of the freshest ingredients. I plumped for the wonderful Steak Sandwich with roast tomatoes, caramelised onions & horseradish cream on toasted ciabatta. It was a little taste of heaven and it certainly hit the spot.
There is also a dedicated brunch menu which caters for the late morning visitors. One of the dishes that looked particularly appealing, as it whizzed past me, was the Hot-smoked salmon on toasted sourdough with spinach, 2 poached eggs & yuzu hollandaise. This was a very elegant looking dish and it was certainly a popular choice, as many diners seemed to have one of these dishes sat before them and, I have to say, they devoured their plate instantly.
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The homemade smoothies were also a wonderfully refreshing blend of fresh fruit and ingredients. In fact, my partner enjoyed the Berry and Banana smoothies so much, she had two!
We were so taken with the food at Kopapa that we decided to have desert – greedy, I know! Both dishes sampled were delightful; there was a fantastically refreshing Strawberry and juniper, and apricot sorbet, which came complete with a brandy snap basket. The sorbets were the perfect way to cleanse the palate after the meal and their flavour was intensely brilliant, I loved it. Secondly, the Lemon curd pavlova roulade with pistachio ice cream, was also scrumptious.
Kopapa offers express theatre set menus, and trust me, this would be a perfect place to stop before going to see one of the local shows.
For more information, or to book a table, click here: www.kopapa.co.uk
We found the Rib Room restaurant settled amongst the myriad of designer shops of Knightsbridge, West London. It is positioned at the basement of the luxury hotel, Jumeirah Carlton Tower, so we didn’t know what to expect, but when a man in a large top-hat opens the door for you, it’s always a good sign.
We gladly followed the recommendation of an aperitif. This allowed us time to take in the relaxing ambience of the bar and to admire the new interior design created by Martin Brudnizki. A choice of muted colours offered a welcoming calmness.
The ‘best of traditional British’ a la carte menu is full of mouth watering dishes created by head chef Ian Rudge using fresh seasonal produce. My starter was lobster and smoked salmon, pickled cucumber, Charlotte potato salad, egg yolk dressing. So impressive was the presentation, it seemed scandalous to eat it, but once I did start, I couldn’t stop until the plate was empty. My colleague opted for the diver-caught scollops. They were large and succulent with a wonderful smokiness, further enhanced by a curried cauliflower puree. Starters were accompanied by freshly baked artisan granary rolls.
My main course was Cotswold chicken - slow roasted breast and ‘Wellington’ served with juicy young carrots. The tenderness of the chicken and delicacy of flavours was really something to write home about. My colleague’s main was a subtle dish of wild halibut with Spring vegetables, including meltingly sweet tiny braised onions. To accompany, (with friendly help from the sommelier) we had a bottle of Spanish white- Coroa A Gordello, selected from the interactive i-pad wine-list - a flash of the contemporary in this otherwise reassuringly traditional restaurant -. The wine was unusual, but complemented our main courses beautifully.
For dessert, I tasted my colleague’s Black Forest chocolate delice which was accompanied by the lightest chocolate mousse imaginable. However, this was outdone by my own choice – an apple crumble soufflé that was wonderfully light, tasty, and…appley. This wonderful confection, suggested by a knowledgeable waiter, completed a comfortable three hours in the Rib Room.
The food at The Rib Room is easily on par with any Michelin star restaurant. Ian Rudge has created a fascinating menu that will surely tempt you back to try what you couldn’t fit in first time around. The service we experienced was impeccable, possibly the best staffed restaurant I have ever had the pleasure of dining at. Table staff were friendly but not over familiar. They were attentive without being fussy and all very knowledgeable.
I noticed there is a 3 course set menu for only £25, or a two course meal for £19. If what I ate is anything to go by, that must be one of the best culinary bargains in the whole of London.
To find out more, visit www.theribroom.co.uk
Posted by Paul Handley on Wed 14th March 2012 at 11:18 AM, Filed in Luxury Fashion
For Brits everywhere, 2012 is a year to feel patriotic. The Queen’s Jubilee and the Olympic Games are huge events and will unite the country. With this in mind, just how do you dress to show your passion and pride?
We think we have found the best high heel shoes for London’s Olympic Games, a way to look glam and patriotic at the same time. The Union Jack themed shoe, the ‘Smartee’ from Kandee shoes is a blue metallic design, with a blue, red and white crystallized high-heel.
The Smartee is part of the Spring/Summer 2012 LOUD Collection. LOUD it is, but also perfect for celebrating the two main events this year.
Always pushing the boundaries, British CEO and designer Josh Wayman, or “Mr Kandee” as he is famously known to his twitter followers, is yet again following his fashion philosophy of setting trends instead of merely following them.
This “LOUD” shoe collection, described as ‘fearless and sexy,’ is the twenty-two year old’s brightest and boldest yet. Mr Kandee continues to set the standards of design in the fashion footwear business – he quite literally is one foot ahead of the others in the industry!
The British themed ‘Smartees’ shoe below is one of the Kandee Shoes “LOUD” Spring/Summer 2012 Collection which consists of 26 designs – the price of the ‘Smartees’ is £160 available online.
Based in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh there is an unassuming eatierie that delivers a gastronomic experience without compare in the area. Comparisons that can be made are ‘Michelin Star Restaurants’ and ‘Heston Blumenthal’....(!) Read on…
Simply the best restaurant in Fermanagh, Café Merlot outshines its competition with repeatedly superior standards. The prices are also a real plus here, the quality certainly didn’t match the bill.
You can find Café Merlot under the traditional (and authentic – a rarity!) Irish bar, ‘Blakes In The Hollow’. The décor of Café Merlot is minimalist and perfect for its basement setting. A warm greeting is standard and once seated, you are given a wine list that has been clearly curated by a food and wine specialist.
The staff are attentive, the atmosphere relaxed and intimate. The food….outstanding!
On my first visit to the best restaurant in Fermanagh, I had a simple steak and chips. The measure of a good dining establishment is turning something simple into something perfect. The rib eye was cooked to my exact specifications and the chips rival Heston’s famous thrice cooked chips.
The second visit drew me to pork belly aka Heaven on a plate. This cut can be a disaster if it hasn’t received the attention it deserves. Too hard and overcooked or too soft – fatty and mushy.
The pork belly was the best I have ever had, better even than some from Michelin starred restaurants. This truly was a stand out dish, and is in my top 5 meals of all time (and I have sampled many a decent restaurant by now).
The reputation of Café Merlot is without question, just check out trip advisor to see other favourable reviews. What I think has been missed until now is the impressively high standards of the food that is served.
Dishes better than some Michelin star restaurants, chips on a par with Heston’s, Café Merlot gets my vote in a huge way.
If you are planning to travel to Northern Ireland, a trip to Café Merlot should be considered. The best restaurant in Fermanagh? You bet, it’s worth a visit to Fermanagh just for the pork belly!
At Lussorian we like things that make our lives easier, gadgets that give more time are essential in the modern world. We ‘never have enough time’ to do the things we want.
Mowing the grass is one such time drainer. I will be honest, I do not mind this chore as I reward myself with a satisfying cold beer at the end of it – Donkey and carrot type thing.
But the nifty RM510 could mean I can cheat time and get straight to that beer, the RM510 being the world’s best lawnmower. (always drink responsibly)
Kick back and watch your friendly robot mower cut the grass for you. A lot like the robot vacuum cleaner, and so perfect for lazy gardeners.
The RM510 replaces the previous RM400 model and is more powerful and quieter. The mower is designed to cover 500 square metres and comes with its own Base Station for automatic charging and departure.
The machine’s power enables it to easily handle the tricky first cut of the season, as well as cutting and mulching any fallen leaves and twigs on the lawn.
The Robomow RM510 covers any garden in less than half the time taken by competing robots, leaving the lawn free for the family to enjoy.
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