London, London restaurants

Barshu Restaurant – Delicious Sichuan Cuisine in Soho

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When it comes to Chinese food, Sichuan cuisine is probably my second favourite out of the eight main cuisines of China, right after Cantonese, and it is certainly one of Ellie’s top three. Recently, the good people of Barshu restaurant in Soho, a stone’s throw away from London’s Chinatown, invited us to check out their Sichuan cuisine. So we did. SICHUAN – A FASCINATING PROVINCE Sichuan is one of the more interesting provinces in terms of its history, geography, and nature, not just its cuisine. The Western part of the region sits on the Tibetan Plateau and used to form part of Tibet over many centuries. Today, less than 2% of the population of Sichuan are ethnic Tibetans. The tallest mountain is Mount Gongga. With its 7,556m of elevation, it is the third highest mountain outside the Himalaya/Karakoram range. The forests are teeming with giant panda bears. Well, there are […]

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Food, London restaurants

Our New Favourite Chinese in Town: Murger Han Restaurant, London

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A couple of weeks ago, Ellie & I got invited by Murger Han Mayfair, to try their food. This is my review. Murger Han, ‘London’s first authentic Xi’an restaurant’ (their slogan), operates at three other locations in London: one in the City near London Bridge, one at Euston, and one at Elephant & Castle. CUISINE FROM XI’AN AT MURGER HAN RESTAURANT, LONDON The restaurant brings the flavours of Xi’an, a historic city in Northwest China, to London.   XI’AN’S PROUD HISTORY Xi’an is literally where the Silk Road originated. There were a lot of silkworms in the area, just lazing about, not doing any good for anyone, so locals decided to use them for silk production. Europe turned out to be really keen on silk. Someone got the idea that good money could be made out of this. Dadaaaaa… The Silk Road came into life.   As if this was […]

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Michelin restaurants, Salzburg restaurants

Fine Dining in Salzburg: Michelin-Starred The Glass Garden

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During our recent stay at the fabulous Hotel Schloss Moenchstein in Salzburg, we had dinner at the hotel’s own Michelin-starred restaurant, The Glass Garden. Apart from the prestigious star, the hotel received an impressive rating of 17/20 from Gault Millau. The restaurant is small, with space for a maximum of 40 guests. A huge glass sculpture by one of our favourite artists, Chihuly, dominates the dining room. There are floor to ceiling windows throughout, with magnificent views over town and the other nearby hills. Part of the restaurant is covered by the stunning L-shaped, hose-like glass and steel structure, which also covers some of the outdoor seating area of the hotel (not The Glass House, which does not have outdoor seating) and the very stylish Apollo Bar.   NEW CHEF AT THE GLASS GARDEN RESTAURANT SALZBURG 32-year old chef Simon Wagner, who became a father a few months ago, previously […]

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England, Food

Spicy Nepalese food at Gurkha Fire, Chatham

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Ellie and I are currently spending a weekend in Chatham, near Rochester, in Kent, for a two-day wilderness first aid course. Naturally, with us being fond of food and all, we had to check out the local culinary scene. GURKHA FIRE, CHATHAM, ONLY OPENED IN MARCH THIS YEAR This is how Gurkha Fire caught our attention. They only opened in March this year to great acclaim, with the mayor and other dignitaries attending the opening ceremony. The mayor at the time happened to be the first Nepalese-born mayor of the UK, Nina Gurung. Of course, she comes from a family of Gurkhas. Within weeks Gurkha Fire became the top-ranking restaurant in the whole region (125 restaurants), according to Tripadvisor. Ever since we first visited Nepal in 2020, we have grown fond of Nepalese food.   All pics (c) BerkeleySqB except where otherwise noted. Pic #2 above (c) Kent Online GURKHA […]

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Food, London, London restaurants

ICCO Pizza in Fitzrovia and Camden Town, London – Best value pizza in town!

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Ellie & I visited ICCO Pizza earlier today and we enjoyed our meal. Founded in Camden Town, North London, in 1999, the family-owned and -operated pizza place opened their Fitzrovia outlet in Goodge Street (corner Charlotte Street) a few years later. ICCO stands for The Italian Coffee Company, and the two restaurants plus a further three delivery outlets in the suburbs are the only business the Company runs.   THE BIG LONDON PIZZA DROUGHT OF 2020 TO 2024 Over the past few years, we’ve seen many of our favourite pizza places close down (like IPC and Guste Remo in Bayswater) or go a bit downhill (like Sicily in Belgravia or Forno Pizza in Lambeth). Others charge insane amounts of money for a 12-inch (like 50 Kalò di Ciro Salvo near Trafalgar Square, where a bit of flat, oven-baked dough with sparse toppings can set you back £16 or more). We’ve […]

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