DINING IN ’94 WITH EL PIRATA MAYFAIR

Looking for a meal in Mayfair that won’t break the bank? We know, we know, it’s like asking for a unicorn at the end the rainbow. Until now. The lovely lot at El Pirata are extending their 25 birthday celebrations to the masses, offering tasty tapas at their original 1994 prices.

The Back to ’94 Menu will feature 12 tapas dishes and two wines and each dish on the menu leaves change from a £10 note. Highlights from the menu include: calamares con arroz negro – black rice and squid £5.95; gambas pil pil – prawns in olive oil, garlic & dried hot chilli peppers £4.75; and montaditos de jamon serrano – toasted bread with olive oil and fresh tomatoes topped with cured ham £3.95.

 

This place could also help with some star-spotting. Johnny Depp, Brian May and Jose Mourinho have apparently frequente this spot and First Dates Maître d’ Fred Sirieix even named the restaurant as one of his favourite restaurants in London.

 

To book a space, head to https://www.elpirata.co.uk/

IT’S PIMMS O’CLOCK  – SUMMER RECIPES FROM THE ULTIMATE FRUIT CUP

OK, so the ‘Great British Summer’ mightn’t be so great now but there’s one thing that will make it better, a perfect pitcher of Pimms. We’ve shared our favourite recipes below and we defy you to not want to don the sunnies after a glass of one of these…

PIMM’S NO.6 – ENGLISH ROSE

Fill a tumbler with ice cubes

Pour 50ml Pimm’s No.6 (Vodka Cup),

125ml Fentiman’s Rose Lemonade

Add a dash each of lavender syrup, lemon juice and orange bitters

PIMM’S NO.1

Fill a tumbler or tall glass with ice cubes

Pour in 50ml Pimm’s No.1 and top up with lemonade

Add a few sliced strawberries, orange and cucumber

Stir and top with a sprig of mint

PIMM’S SPRITZ

Fill a Copa or wine glass with ice cubes

Pour in 50ml Pimm’s No.1 and 75ml lemonade, and top with sparkling wine

Add a few slices of cucumber and a sprig of mint

PIMM’S JUG

Half fill a jug with ice cubes

Pour in 200ml Pimm’s No.1 and top with lemonade

Add some sliced strawberries, orange and cucumber

Stir and top with a big sprig of mint

Dancing the day away: The Piano Works bottomless brunch

As you might’ve noticed, here at Frost we have a penchant for prosecco filled bottomless brunches. What could beat it? A bottomless brunch with live music, of course. We headed to Farringdon to give The Piano Works ‘Brunch to the Beat’ a try and, whilst initially nervous as we first entered the lair, we quickly embraced the atmosphere and partied the day away.

At £50 per person, the bottomless brunch includes a two-course meal and two hours (none of that 90 minute malarkey) of unlimited drinks. Choose to wet the whistle with either prosecco, pink Italian sparkling wine, Aperol Spritz, Bloody Mary or mocktails.

You’d be hard pressed to find staff who support your quest for completely embracing the ‘unlimited’ part of the Brunch to the Beat experience too. Each time your glass is edging towards the dangerous ‘half full’ territory (yep, we’re eternal optimists), the suited and booted waiters are at your side, ready to serve and encouraging the party.

Although you can choose to purchase just the drinks at £35 a head, the quality of the food is not to be ignored. The chicken and waffles were the perfect mix of sweet and savoury and the crunchy, smokey batter that encased the chicken was packed with flavour. For dessert, it’s a modest list of options but they’re certainly fan favourites – sorbet, waffles, fruit salad or the pancake stack.

Above all else, it’s imperative we talk atmosphere. This bar is often packed with large groups of hens, stags and party people (which usually guarantees a good time) but the sheer brilliance of the on-stage professionals is something else. Music starts at midday with two piano vocalists, followed by a full band at 1.30pm. Once the band has bowled in, the party intensifies.

Playing only the audience requests with a fantastic jazzy twist to just about everything, the artists become the pied pipers, drawing crowds to the dancefloor with tantalising ease. To top this experience with the metaphorical cherry, it’s a no holds barred kind of affair, with all types of requests welcome. During our experience, we heard Ben E King, Jackson 5, Ellie Goulding and Lewis Capaldi – what more could you want!?

By the end of the session, it’s pretty much guaranteed that you’ll be dancing like you’re 18 again on the dancefloor at 4am. Although, the reality is that it’s 4pm, the harsh light of day awaits outside and the hangover is starting to prepare for its inescapable appearance… we wish you luck.

To make a booking for The Piano Works’ Brunch To The Beat, visit the website.

 

 

Miami Cocktail – The Conscious Cocktail Company

We’re officially in spring and things are heating up this week, so to celebrate the extra long weekend we wanted to introduce a touch of Miami to Britain. Introducing; Miami Cocktail and their selection of the most delicious organic pre-mixed craft cocktails on the market. The foundations of the company are built on using honest ingredients which make up authentic cocktails crafted to perfection, and tasty.

The proof really is in the tasting with three delicious cocktails to choose from; Margarita, Sangria and Blood Orange Mimosa. This has been the most authentic and honest pre-mixed cocktail we’ve tried and trust me…we’ve tried a lot. The packaging, the flavour and the low cal, additive free ingredients are only some of the reasons why you HAVE to try Miami Cocktail. The first thing that sets them apart from many other companies is that not only is the flavour refreshing and heavenly, there is no tacky aftertaste, a far cry from the batch made sticky pre-mixers we have tried. The same points can be awarded for the following day with no nasty hangover, (this came from a number of trustworthy testimonies.) The brand screams chic and this would be a tip top gift to bring to a party, the bottle comes in a beautiful recyclable glass and will look iconic on your table top counter.  

We love the serving suggestions they have offered us; so cheers to a Bank Holiday made better by Miami Cocktail;

Copper Pot Margarita

The quintessential three ingredient organic margarita:

-100% pure organic blue agave wine
– Organic key lime juice
– Organic Valencia orange juice 

12% abv

The Copper Pot Margarita is perfectly balanced and delivers a wonderfully “more-ish margarita” 

Blood Orange Mimosa 

The “Sunday Funday Everyday” organic mimosa. Organic Sicilian blood oranges and tangerine juice. A touch of organic Florida grapefruit juice lightly infused with organic sparkling wine. 

We call our Blood Orange Mimosa “dangerously delicious” as we have yet to leave any in the bottle once it is opened. Admittedly, a good problem to have…until you run out. 

 8.5% abv

Sunset Sangria 

The keeping it real organic sangria. Organic tropical juices of mango, pineapple, lime, and orange, all delicately infused with organic craft red wine. 

8.5% abv

The moment the Sunset Sangria touches your lips, you will be whisked away to the last summer you spent in Spain. While heating it up in winter time, makes for a wonderful alternative to your favourite mulled wine. 

Miami Cocktail have hit the ground running and are already available to buy in Harvey Nichols stores in the UK and online RRP £16.95 per bottle. You can also find them on thedrinkshop.com and amazon.co.uk priced at £14.95 and are hoping to hit the festivals this summer. We couldn’t think of a more perfect place for these sexy little cocktails. 

Miami Cocktail also have a line of Organic Spritz which is set to come out soon featuring two more cocktails, Bellini Spritz and Paloma Spritz. These will be available in 250ml cans and at only 110 cals per can and no added sugar you can definitely indulge in a few Miami Cocktails. #DrinkClean

 

FROST’S FAVOURITE… STREET FRIES

Let’s be honest, whilst we love donning the glad rags and heading for a sit down meal, there’s also something completely delicious and satisfying about rustic, hearty street grub. Enter, Poptata.

What started as a selection of street food trucks, Poptata is now making roots in four London foodie hotspots. It offers a feast of fancy fries and zingy cocktails to wash down the carbs.

The menu is split into three sections (Classic, Cheesy and Loaded) and both fries and toppings can be made vegetarian or vegan.  You can custo  mise your order too with a huge variety of dips including curry ketchup, caramelised onion & mustard and smoky BBQ. Swoon.

Looking for the fanciest on the menu? Check out these gorgeous options below:

Lucifer Fries – garlic, rosemary and thyme dusted fries, cheddar & Red Leicester, hot shot sauce (£4) Tex Pulled Pork Fries – pulled pork, sour cream, smoky BBQ, spring onions, cheddar (£7.95)
Guaca Fries – smashed avocado, grilled halloumi, red roasted pepper sauce (£7.95)
Halloumi Fries – deep fried cheese with banana ketchup/caramelised onion mayo/pink garlic mayo/sweet chilli (£6)


Parmesan Fries – fresh parmesan and pink garlic (£4)

You can find Poptata at Boxpark (both Shoreditch and Croydon), Portobello Road and Tooting Market.

ROYAL CHINA – RESTAURANT REVIEW

Who wants some world famous Chinese food? Us, obviously. We took a trip to Baker Street’s Royal China restaurant and experienced huge flavours from its Cantonese menu with some superb service to boot.

Renowned for its Dim Sum and Hong Kong style dishes, alongside seasonal menus, the restaurant has something for any Chinese food lover.

The Baker Street branch is considered to be the Group’s flagship (of its six restaurants in London from Queensway to Harrow on The Hill) and when you walk into the atmospheric dining hall which can hold 250 people, you immediately see why!

Head chef Pak Kuen Ng is somewhat of a celebrity in the biz. Growing up in Hong Kong, his own experiences influencer the flavours. Our favourite dishes on the day included the Honey Roast Pork Puffs, deep fried stuffed crab claw, roast duck Cantonese style and ‘Royal China’ Lotus Leaf Rice. OK, we know that’s a lot on the favourites list but trust us on this one, the flavours are on point!

If you are drawn towards the Dim Sum, you’re in luck – there’s a new menu launching this month which will be served daily from noon through to 5.30pm. A huge mix of Cheung Fung, dumplings, buns and meat pots, all ranging from £3.90 to £6.60 a dish, it’s a budget friendly way to trial the lot however the Black Gold Yolk Lava Buns are eying us up…

You won’t be going thirsty here either, with over 40 different teas to choose from and over 100 wine bins, there’s a tipple to compliment each dish.

Visit https://www.royalchinagroup.co.uk/ to book and see what’s on

 

LOST BOYS PIZZA – MIXING MODERN DAY FOOD WITH AN 80s CULTURE

Where can you pay homage to some of the greatest movie moments from the 80s whilst feasting on the latest foodie trends AND enjoying a full on Absinthe bar? Camden, of course!

Lost Boys Pizza recently opened its second branch in this tourist hotspot and serves up charcoal based pizzas in a down and dirty setting.

There’s so much to chat about with this place but we’re going to focus on three things – the food, the drink and the vibe…

The Food

So, charcoal pizza. Don’t get us wrong, we were a little apprehensive at first but it turns out that the taste barely differs to your standard crust (it’s just a bit smokier) but it does feel much lighter on the gut – meaning less guilt all round… hurrah! Lost Boys take a twist to their pizzas so there’s no traditional margerita or Hawaiian pizza here. What you will be treated to though, is an array of really reasonably priced dishes (avg. £8.50) with funky names (Santa Carla, Ready Pizza One and Fangs For The Memories) and even funkier tastes (in a good way).

The Drinks

One of the things that really makes this place stand out is its Absinthe packed lair. The first Absinthe bar in London town, here you can try variants of the strong stuff whilst getting a full education on its history and the best way to take the liquor. And no, it’s not straight from the bottle on a Greek street corner.

The Vibe

No matter where you look, there’s a nod to a retro movie. Black and white posters, actual costumes from top film sets (we won’t give away the surprises) and a playlist that will have you wanting to don your Doc Martins, you’ll leave wondering what this modern day madness is outside.

Express Valentine’s Dinner with La Famiglia Rana

Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be exhausting, expensive or filled with Chocolate, Champagne and Rose Petal bath’s. Take the pressure off and just make sure you make it delicious.

Guaranteed to be on your table in five minutes, La Famiglia Rana formerly known as Giovanni Rana have a whole selection of delicious, restaurant quality, filled-pastas for you to prepare. We recommend you surprise your loved one with;

CHICKEN AND SMOKED PANCETTA TORTELLONI WITH SPINACH AND CREAM INGREDIENTS

1 250g pack of Rana Chicken and Smoked Pancetta Tortellon

i 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 shallots

1 cup heavy cream

4 packed cups fresh baby spinach leaves

salt and freshly ground pink peppercorn to taste

METHOD

Thinly slice 2 large shallots; heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat until it shimmers. Add shallots, season with salt and pepper to taste, and sauté until just wilted, 30 seconds to 1 minute In the meantime, cook the Tortelloni according to package instructions in generously salted boiling water. Add the spinach to the skillet and the heavy cream; cook until spinach is wilted and sauce is reduced. Transfer sauce to a large serving bowl and add pasta. Serve immediately

What’s more we have some;

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

To create a romantic setting place flowers in a diagonal line along the table, you can also gently place a table runner or a soft coloured fabric underneath the flowers and use flower petals to frame the composition. The fabric will work best if it’s a contrasting colour to the flowers, allowing them to stand out. A linen tablecloth in a light grey palette balances the candy pink and pastel green plates, with mismatched napkins for a fun touch. As a final romantic touch, light an unscented candle to give a soft touch of light and serve a delicious plate of your partner’s favourite La Famiglia Rana pasta. Happy Valentine’s Day and… buon appetito!

The pasta can be purchased from various Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and ASDA stores throughout London or on Ocado.

www.rana.co.uk