Is that the Italian? I am asked this question each time I mention I am going to Jikoni. Full disclosure: I am asked it four times. This puts it into the category of a slight issue. Try saying it next to “Cecconi”. See?
Tag Archives: cocktails
May
13
Coya. Peruvian/Japanese Roka-style mashup.
posted by Nicky Richmond
I’d tried to get into my standby, Roka Mayfair and the voice-without-warmth on their reception told that I might be able to get a walk-in, if I was lucky. It seems that even if you go somewhere at least once a week and you and your colleagues take clients all the time, well, they still […]
April
13
45 Jermyn Street. The Fountain Room gets a facelift.
posted by Nicky Richmond
I once bunked off a school outing to that London. We were meant to be seeing the Treasures of Tutankhamun at the British Museum. My partner-in-crime Jacques, so much more sophisticated, not to mention three years older, took one look at the snaking queue and suggested hot chocolate and an ice-cream sundae at Fortnums. I’d never […]
November
26
Sexy Fish. Wear your best trout pout.
posted by Nicky Richmond
In the end, I had to put my splayed fingers on the glass, covering the faces of the paparazzi, their noses pressed to the window. Hoping to catch a glimpse of Rita Ora, I can’t imagine that they were particularly interested in Piers Morgan, sitting a couple of tables away. If you’ve ever been to Las Vegas, you will […]
November
05
The Ivy, spreading its tendrils to Marylebone.
posted by Nicky Richmond
I’ve got a table for the new Ivy Café in Marylebone tomorrow, says Mr A, I know it’s short notice, but I thought you might like to try it. Short notice? Never a problem. As he said it, the vague memory of an Ivy opening in Marylebone drifted into my conscious mind. It had slipped […]
September
10
Sushi Samba. Splash the cash.
posted by Nicky Richmond
My FOMO has reached new proportions. I know that this is a mix of Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian, pure con-fusion food but I’m not sure what that really means. Though I do know my nigiri from my sashimi, I’m not so hot on the churrascos and the anticuchos, so I have decided to plan in advance, otherwise known as looking up […]
July
03
Amaya. Rich pickings.
posted by Nicky Richmond
I feel like I’m five, says C, waving his arms high in the air and simulating an exaggerated knife and fork movement. The chairs in the raised section of the restaurant are too low or the tables are too high, it doesn’t matter which. Obviously, I point this out and the maître d’ suggests I might […]
April
25
Lima Floral. Confusion in Covent Garden.
posted by Nicky Richmond
I was meant to be meeting a lawyer I had got to know on the other side of a messy, drawn-out transaction but she had suffered palpitations and had had to cancel at short notice. No, it was nothing to do with my being on the other side, before you ask.
February
11
Kitty Fisher’s. A modern pro.
posted by Nicky Richmond
“Can I please have a gin and Slimline?” “Oh, we don’t have Slimline,” says the man who must be the boss, such is his proprietorial air. I find out later that he is Oliver Milburn, joint owner. The kichen is manned by Tomos Parry, winner of Young British Foodie chef of the year and formerly of Climpson’s Arch in E8 and Chris Leach, ex Pitt Cue […]
June
20
The Hind’s Head. Heston does homespun.
posted by Nicky Richmond
I was still on holiday, albeit not actually still abroad. There were cupboards to organise, so obviously my thoughts turned to food. And the sun was shining. A country pub, I was thinking, by the river perhaps. And when I say pub I was thinking beer-serving establishment only in the loosest possible sense. A sort of Hand and […]
The Food Judge 