Maggie’s Serve an Ace for The Queen’s Club Members

maggiesThis summer season’s clear winner looks set to be the Maggie’s Enclosure at the internationally renowned Aegon Championships at The Queen’s Club. The team behind the 1980s-inspired Chelsea nightclub will create the ultimate retro player’s lounge complete with ping pong table, 80s arcade games, oversized wooden rackets and ball shaped bean bags and bespoke Tanqueray No. TEN cocktails.

After winning widespread acclaim for their debut last year at Queen’s, the Maggie’s Enclosure will be even bigger and better this year. The quirky space will open from the moment the Championships start on Monday 9th June until its conclusion on Sunday 15th June. Features will include; Rubik’s cube tables, a feature floor complete with tennis court markings, a vintage umpire’s chair and even rollerskaters kitted out in tennis whites and Maggie’s branded visors.

The talented bar team will serve up Tanqueray No. TEN based cocktails alongside Moët champagne and Asahi beer, while dressed in homage to the great 1980s tennis stars. Signatures serves (no pun intended) will include: Smack Daddy, a punch blend of Tanqueray No. TEN, Chambord, Passion Fruit Juice and Purée, Vanilla Syrup and topped with Prosecco, Purple Rain, a clear winner made with Tanqueray No. TEN, Elderflower, Blackberries, Apple Juice, Lime Juice and Prosecco, and, the tipple of champions, the much loved Maggie’s Mug, made with Tanqueray No. TEN, Lemon Juice, Fresh Kiwi, Agave Syrup and Soda Water.

This year will also see defending Wimbledon and Queen’s champion, Andy Murray take centre stage at the Championships again. Murray was born in 1987 and, as a child of the eighties, was a regular at the Maggie’s Enclosure at the Aegon Championships last year when he wasn’t wowing spectators on court. His close friend and a leading doubles player, Ross Hutchins will also take over as Tournament Director of this year after successfully beating Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Maggie’s is named after 1980s Prime-Minister-turned-icon Maggie Thatcher, club-goers can hear her famous speeches playing in the loos, while Thatcher memorabilia vies for space on the walls along with other iconic 80s images and paraphernalia. The music is a mixture of classics from the 1980s and modern pop, with cocktails ranging from Pina Coladas and Daiquiris to the unforgettable Babycham.

Maggie’s is owned and operated by The Inception Group whose founders Charlie Gilkes and Duncan Stirling have also created Chelsea speakeasy Barts, Bunga Bunga, an Englishman’s Italian, Bar, Pizzeria and Karaoke venue, which achieved widespread acclaim. Mr Fogg’s, a Mayfair bar modeled on the home of Jules Verne’s most famous adventurer, Phileas Fogg and Disco, an underground boîte inspired by the 1970s Manhattan disco movement. This spring they have launched Cocobananas, a Brazilian beach party themed nightclub, and this summer will launch Beaver Lodge, a cabin bar and dance saloon based on the winter cowboy log cabins found in Wyoming.

Game, Set, Maggie’s at Queen’s

The Maggie’s Enclosure at The Aegon Championships
Monday 9th June – Sunday 15th June 2014
The Queen’s Club, Palliser Road, London W14 9EQ

Maggie’s: 329 Fulham Road, London, SW10 9QL  020 7352 8512

 

 

Verdi Italian Kitchen At The Royal Albert Hall | Restaurant Review

Rather obviously, the first thing you take in when going to Verdi is the surroundings. As gorgeous and historical buildings go, it is hard to beat the Royal Albert Hall. You really do feel like you are dining in a piece of history.

We start off by ordering Mozzarella di bufala with Coppa: Salted, seasoned, dry cured thinly cut pork shoulder from the Mozzarella Bar, where you order either mozzarella di bufala or a burrata along with a side of your choice. I have the Gamberi Con Pancetta: Grilled pancetta wrapped prawns, rosemary, chargrilled lemon.

The prawns are sizzling when they arrive and of a decent size. They are meaty and the pancetta is smoky. It is well seasoned. It is a good starter. The mozzarella is soft and creamy. It has a beautiful texture but could do with more flavour. There is too much rocket and the pork is absolutely delicious but is a little stringy.

We also ordered some bread, which we would have liked to have been a little softer. It came with some good balsamic vinegar.

We also ordered some amazing cocktails: a Aperol Spritz: Aperol, Moët & Chandon, orange bitters, which not only tasted amazing, but also a little like Irn Bru, so perfect for the Scottish amongst us and an IL Verdi: Gin, sciroppo di fiori and pressed apple juice, which was delicious and refreshing.

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The service was excellent throughout and the atmosphere was peaceful due to the fact we went in-between shows. For our mains we had Agnello Ripieno: Stuffed lamb breast, white beans, tomatoes, smoked pancetta, spinach, garlic, basil and a Gamberoni pizza: King prawns, asparagus, mushrooms, tomato, mozzarella. The lamb was soft and beautiful. It came in a nice sauce, the beans added texture but the stuffing was just a little bit too spicy. A good meal all in all.

For a side we had Patate Arrosto: Sea salt roast potatoes, sage, garlic. We were not overly impressed. They were okay but not roast potatoes as we expected. The pizza was superb. It had a thin and tasty dough and was just wonderful. The prawns were generous and the ingredients worked together amazingly well.

verdi stuffeflamb gameronipizza cocktailFor dessert we have Tiramisu: Mascarpone, coffee soaked sponge,cocoa, coffee liqueur and I have some Gelato because I am full and mildly allergic to coffee. You get to choose three scoops and I choose chocolate hazelnut praline, natural mint and chocolate chip and lime. The tiramisu is excellent, with a thick layer of cocoa dust and a delicious liqueur soaked base. The gelato is equally as good and the portion is generous.

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I would recommend Verdi for good food in a stunning location.

 

Verdi, Door 12, Royal Albert Hall
Kensington Gore, 
London, SW7 2AP 
Tel: 020 7070 4401

You can enjoy fantastic free live music on Fridays from 8:00pm played by popular jazz artists including favourites from Ronnie Scott’s and the 606 Club. Live music will also be performed on Saturday and Sunday lunchtimes. Full list of music dates and performers.

 

 

The Red Queens | Music Profile

The Red Queens don’t look like a regular wannabe pop band. They’re comfortably outside of the typical age bracket – frontman Darien Graham-Smith turns 40 next year – and their look can be described as “eclectic”, with influences ranging from punk to what one might call mature student chic.

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“When we meet other bands, there is sometimes a bit of a coolness gap,” admits Graham-Smith. “They’re all nineteen, with fresh faces and achingly fashionable outfits. And then I wander in looking like I’ve got lost on my way to Waitrose.”

 

“But when you come to the game at a slightly older age you have a different perspective on that sort of thing. Some of the bands may look fantastic and unworldly on stage, but often the audience doesn’t really know how to relate to that. We come on as ourselves and I think we have a much easier rapport with the crowd.”

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“It’s a similar story with the music: when you’re young, you’ve got everything to prove, and as a result the material can sometimes be a bit wilfully extreme, a bit hard to swallow. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course. But I think a lot of the best-loved songs – the really universal ones that hang around for decades – are your classic pop songs with four chords and a catchy chorus. And that’s more what the Red Queens are about.”

 

It’s a theory the band has developed over two and a half years on London’s pub circuit, during which time the Red Queens have grown from the original duo of Graham-Smith and bassist/vocalist Terrie McCann into to a five-piece line-up with guitarist Tom Derry, keyboard player Felix Kirsch and, most recently, drummer Bobby McPherson. In July, the group is heading into the studio to record their debut EP with veteran producer Paul Tipler (previous clients include Elastica, Placebo and The Wonder Stuff), and after that who knows what may beckon. Check out www.redqueens.co.uk for videos, downloads and live dates.

 

The Red Queens play The Islington, Tolpuddle Street N1 0XT on 29 May 2014. Admission £5.

Designer watch- Demelza and the Daisies

As we are now full swing into 2014 and Summer is nearly upon us,  it is that time of year we start thinking about our new wardrobe, out with the baggy jumpers and start shaving your legs again! This also means it is time to steer away from the high street and start investing in some one off designer pieces. Now this does not mean they have to cost the earth. So lets look at one of our featured designers.

 

Demelza and the Daisies (What a fab name!) is  a bespoke womenswear designer based in SE London. All garments are made to measure ensuring they fit perfectly,  garments are Inspired by a music lifestyle and the Japanese Lolita fashion.

Her previous collections have included designing one off pieces for individuals, photographers and private collections.

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Past collection (Photography by Emma-Jane Photography: www.emma-janephoto.co.uk)

 

She has recently launched some new Spring 2014 designs, including this lovely vintage skater dress, which we love!

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If you are interested in contacting Demelza and the Daisies or purchasing some lush Spring pieces, go to thew website at:http://demelzainthedaisies.bigcartel.com/about

London Heathrow Terminal 2 (The Queen’s Terminal) focus on retail… Caviar House & Prunier

VIS_9556  Thirty years ago, Caviar House & Prunier established their first store at Heathrow selling packaged salmon and caviar products. Following a chance encounter with Count Basie, who delighted in eating the packaged caviar at the airport, the team were inspired to develop a seafood bar concept.

The world’s first Caviar House Seafood Bar opened at Terminal 4 and is now a feature in more than 80 locations around the world, including Sydney and Dubai.Prunier[1]
Opening on 4 June, the new £1.6m restaurant has been designed to put the loved and renowned Caviar House & Prunier menu centre-stage to an international audience. Caviar House & Prunier is the only manufacturer of fine caviar and smoked salmon in the world to serve its products within its own restaurants and at LHR Terminal 2, passengers will be able to enjoy the products along with a speVIS_9593cially curated champagne menu. The restaurant will also feature a unique wine collection from Chateau Lafite Rothschild, a collection made up of 336 bottles, 28 vintages in original sealed cases of 12, retailing at €449,00 (price correct at time of print).
The restaurant, which overlooks the airfield, will have iPads at each of the 51 seats displaying multi-language menus, as well as content exploring the heritage of caviar and salmon around the world. It will also feature a phenomenal light structure simulating the movement of a school of fish, designed and commissioned by London-based lighting specialists, Cinimod Studio, the structure is 13 metres tall with a unique, unlimited animated sequence incorporating 350,000 LEDs… you will never see the same sequence within a 10 year period!
Caviar House & Prunier spend ten years bringing their sturgeons to maturity, ensuring their welfare and well-being every day of the year. The caviar is processed and salted to the highest standards possible using recipes that are several hundred years old, from a time when farmed caviar was the closely-guarded secret of a few caviar masters in the caviar city of Astrakhan in Russia.
I sampled Qiandao, the fruit of the hybridisation of two sturgeons indigenous to the Amur River on the northern border between China and Russia and now raised in the crystalline waters of Lake Qiandao, ‘the thousand island lake’ in the heart of the Huangshan Mountains. A firm-grained and delicate caviar with a smooth flavour and beautiful, yet subtle aroma.
The values of the company are impressive, with the whole focus on absolute sustainability and ecological responsibility, which is extremely important in today’s marketplace where the race to be the premium brand sometimes is achieved at the expense of poor environmental standards. The quality bar has most certainly been raised with Caviar House & Prunier.
https://www.caviarhouse-prunier.co.uk
@CaviarHouseP
Photographic credits: Visual Devotion and Caviar House & Prunier

 

The Italian Boys Putney | Restaurant Review

Putney, London, has a lot going for it. One of those things are Italian restaurants and one of the best is the newly refurbished The Italian Boys on Putney High Street. They have a good menu with a large selection of food to choose from. It takes us ages to choose what we want but the staff are patient and don’t rush us. We order some prosecco to start and it is very good wine. Some of the best prosecco I have ever tasted.

We finally decide on our starters: I have the Calamari Grigliati Con Polentina Fritta: Fresh grilled squid, pan fried polenta stuffed with peas & mint, slow roasted herbs & cherry tomato dressing and my colleague has Gamberoni Al Prosciutto Croccante: King prawns wrapped with crunchy Parma ham & lentils sauté. The calamari dish is superb, just make sure you add all of the ingredients together and don’t eat them separately. The chef really knows what he/she is doing and has an excellent grasp of flavours and the knowledge to put them together to make a stunning dish. I was incredibly impressed. The prawn starter was also superb, the sauce it came in was amazing and this dish made even the humble lentil into an ingredient worthy of a Michelin-starred restaurant. We cannot praise the starters highly enough: just absolutely amazing.

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For our main we had the Merluzzo Con Pancetta Croccante E Uova Di Quaglia: Pan fried filet of cod wrapped in crunchy pancetta served with clams & quail eggs with spinach & butter sauce and the Ravioli Di Zucca Con Pancetta: Ricotta & pumpkin ravioli, pancetta & rocket with butter sauce. The mains were just as good as the starters: absolutely amazing. The cod dish is unique and delicious and the ravioli is first-class. The food is so good that this restaurant is unforgettable, you think about the meal you had long after and you just have to go back for more.

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italianboysputneyFor dessert I had ice-cream and my colleague had the Torta Della Nonna. The ice-cream was great. You get three scoops and I had chocolate with cookies, strawberry and a very alcoholic rum. This was superb ice-cream, showing that Italian Boys even gets it right on the simple things. The Torta Della Nonna is a Tuscan dessert known as ‘grandmother’s cake’, it was also brilliant.

italianboysicecream italianboysThe Italian Boys is a must go to restaurant for all Londoners, not just those in Putney. Both the food and the service is first-class.

 

Address:157 Putney High St, London SW15 1RT
Phone:020 8780 1988
Hours:  7:00 am – 11:00 pm

Bones Restaurant Review

Bones is a gorgeous and trendy looking new all day restaurant from Joff and Simeon Goodman, the guys behind the organic and fairtrade store, The Grocery. Situated in East London, it has two floors and is busy. We sit by the window and it has beautiful light, and is great for people-watching.

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We start with a Burrata with basil oil, chilli flakes and sourdough bread and Beetroot and also Vodka cured salmon with rye bread and horseradish cream. Both are great. I love my vodka cured salmon, it tastes great and the horseradish cream and rye bread are both top-notch and work well together. The Burrata is also great and works well with the other ingredients. We thought it should have come on a bigger plate but other than that: we had no complaints. We also have some cocktails, they are a little watery but the food makes up for it.

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Next up is a sharing dish of Roasted rack of lamb with herb crust and braised baby gem, along with Tuscan Panzanella salad with tomato, roasted red onions, croutons and garlic, and a side of Purple sprouting broccoli with chilli oil and lemon. The lamb is delicious, the herb crust and braised baby gem really add to the dish, the salad is wonderful and the broccoli is good, if a little bit too spicy for me. The food is excellent and the ingredients are a great, unique mix.

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We were pretty stuffed so for dessert I have some ice-cream and sorbet and my colleague has the Raspberry and black cherry cheesecake. The ice cream is very good and so is the cheesecake.

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We had some good English Breakfast Tea to finish. The food at Bones is great and the staff are passionate. A great restaurant with brilliant food. Recommended.

BONES

52 Kingsland Road

London, E2 8DP

www.ieatbones.com

Tel: 020 7003 9008

Twitter: @BonesRestaurant

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bonesrestaurant


Super Fast Suppers, Chicken & Pesto Parcels

With all the bank holidays we have had are you seriously exhausted after a long weekend of fun and partying, are you in need of a really triumphant meal that you can be proud of and are you looking for a very quick and heathy supper to cook in a jiffy. Here is one of our fast feasts just for those of you that want amazing and great food but just don’t have the time to slave over the hob for an hour. We give you Chicken & Pesto parcels. These take just 5 minutes to prepare, so look no further and stop googling “Fast meals for the family” just make sure you check out our site from time to time as we are the ones that will help you in the kitchen with step by step pictures too!!

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You will need:

  • Chicken breasts (1 per person)
  • Red and green pesto
  • Celery salt
  • Fresh basil (dried of you can’t get to the shops)
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Sides of your choice
  • Tin foil
  • 35 minutes of prep and cooking time.

 

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Grab the chicken and slice it up into thick strips, place on a sheet of tin foil load all the other ingredients on top. Really simple and really beautiful to the eye. You can add cheese and bacon bits if you have them or go crazy and add a good dollop of chilli for a really wicked kick.P1130579P1130582

Place these babies in the oven for 30 minutes and serve in the foil with your sides. We decided to chow down with balsamic mini roast potatoes, homemade coleslaw and a colourful salad. P1130584P1130587P1130589P1130591P1130592P1130593P1130594

Perfect for the busy family and perfect for those waistlines too!!

For more recipes and delicious fashion advice hop over to www.slbstyle.com or ask Sarah anything about food to fashion on Twitter @sarahbacchus