Why did I go so long without the fiery delights of Nigerian cooking, wonders Tom Nearly three decades spent in London, filling my face with all this fine city has to offer. And only a few days back did I first taste suya: grilled slices of meat, lavished with yaji, a vigorous mix of salt, … Read more
Thai classics worth travelling for: sweet and spicy Grilled chicken with papaya salad A Thai treasure in the heart of the New Forest – who knew? Tom enjoys a lucky find There’s much to see in the small Hampshire village of Lyndhurst. The grave of Alice Liddell, inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. … Read more
YOU welcomes the acclaimed restaurant critic and everyone’s go-to wine expert Rejoice! Our favourite Indian restaurant has reopened. Tom tucks in at Dishoom It’s just after seven on a sultry Friday night. And sitting in the softly lit cool of Dishoom, with its art deco curves and artfully aged aquamarine leather banquettes, the past four months … Read more
Ah, Valentine’s Day, scourge of chefs the world over. Those once-vibrant rooms, now packed with despondent tables for two. The heavily marked-up ‘romantic’ menus, the soppy specials with a side order of schmaltz. And all those flaccid, overpriced roses. It’s enough to send Venus running for cover. But worry not. The following restaurants are chosen … Read more
Sola 64 Dean Street, Soho, London Rating: (and a half!) California. The Golden State, the promised land, last stop on the American Dream. Go West, young man, follow the gold, to the place where the days are longer, and the nights are stronger, and you’d be safe and warm. If you were in LA. For … Read more