Back in the saddle

I've been so busy lately I never did get around to reviewing the places I visited for London Restaurant Week!

I went to Brasserie Roux, for which I had fairly high expectations, only to be disappointed. It was alright - the food was nicely prepared and well cooked but was fairly unimaginative. I can't think of anything particularly outstanding about the meal itself. In fact, the highlight of the evening was the bar at the Sofitel which we visited before dinner. The cocktail menu was extensive and impressive and my vodka martini was mixed perfectly. I also liked the cute individual shaker and the plethora of delicious snacks that came with it!

My second London Restaurant Week adventure was lunch at the Cinnamon Club, not far from where I work. At the other end of the spectrum, this meal exceeded my already high expectations of this fantastic restaurant. I ate mutton with a delicately spiced onion sauce, mutton being something I had never tried before. It's sort of gone out of fashion, I suppose, but if this meal was anything to go by I'd recommend giving it a try.

I think London Restaurant Week, on the whole, is a good thing if it makes people try somewhere new and promotes some undiscovered gems. My own experience, however, made me think that I'd be better off browsing Toptable for special offers at places I already know and trust!

English Wine Week

I love where I live for many different reasons, not least because of the excellent food and drink produced in the area. Several vineyards can be found a short drive from my house and, from what I've tasted, the wine they produce is of a pretty good quality.

This is my main reason for supporting English Wine Week, which starts tomorrow (Saturday 24 May). I love to see bottles of local wine on sale in our supermarkets - it fills me with a bit of East Anglian pride (which sounds as if it should be a local ale)!

English wine is usually a little more expensive than wine of equivalent quality from other countries, because it costs more to produce. It's all done on a smaller scale and often the grapes are sent to other vineyards to be processed, which adds up. We can, however, bring the cost down if we support it and buy English wine when we find it for sale. It's worth our support, I promise!