Food and Drink
Caviar you can eat with a clear conscience
Champagne is no longer just for special occasions. Smoked salmon is a standard sandwich filling and black truffle can be found flavouring everything, from crisps to sausages to pizza. Caviar, however, remains reassuringly expensive. That’s because the salted roe of sturgeon – most famously Beluga, but also Osetra, Serruga and a host of other varieties and hybrids – is a delicacy for which demand has always outstripped supply.
We’ve known for some time that harvesting caviar from wild fish is unsustainable. Sturgeon is one of the most endangered species on the planet because the traditional method for collecting the unfertilised eggs involves killing the fish, and sturgeon are long-lived creatures that take years to reach maturity. There are strict laws preventing the international trade of caviar from the Black, Caspian and...
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16 Luxury Valentines Day Gifts for Him in 2023
You know how they say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach? While that may have been true for when men and women dwelled happily in caves and hunted dodos, the 21st century man is a little more complicated than that. And that, ladies, is both good news and bad news. Good news because you don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen fixing up the perfect meal to find the way to his heart. Bad news because you’re now faced with the prospect of spending hours surfing the internet instead searching for the perfect luxury Valentine’s gifts for him. To that effect, The Sybarite team has curated the below list of some of the best Valentine’s Day gifts for your man that are sure to win his heart all over again.
Our lifestyle expert reviews The Xara Palace, Relais &...
Mdina (pronounced ehm-dee-nuh) is also known as The Silent City, and we experienced this first-hand. We walked through the Vilhena gate that leads into the fortified city, amidst the crowds of tourists who are queueing to see the city dungeons and the horse-drawn carriages with drivers shouting out offers for a ride. Once night time falls, all the noise and activity melts away to reveal an almost eerie, mystical ambience within the air as the whole place goes quiet. Built like a traditional Arabic medina, our footsteps echo as we make our way down the labyrinth of interconnected paths until we reach a towering stone palazzo. The Xara Palace is a 17th century five-star Relais & Châteaux property—the only hotel inside the walls of the Mdina—and the former home of a noble family. A sign at the entrance reads: “The Maltese nobility assembles within the walls of this ancient palazzo in order to elect its committee of privileges.” The baroque building stands proudly at the end of a small slope, just a short walk from the main gates. Upon entering the hotel doors, we’re welcomed with a glass of bubbly and invited to take a seat in the lounge. From the ornate church doors towering over us at the end of the hallway to the exquisite furniture full of dark wood and brick reds, there’s an air of sophistication that oozes from every nook and cranny of the palace.
A Trip to The Lalee, Chelsea’s History-Rich Cafe-Restaurant
The Lalee, an all-day neighbourhood cafe-restaurant within the historic Cadogan, a Belmond Hotel, is truly a treat for the senses. Sitting within the heart of London’s Chelsea, the venue is perfect for both casual dips from the bustle of Sloane Square and long, leisurely, meals by the fireplace. “The LaLee will take guests on a culinary journey to the grand cities of Europe, inspired by the voyages of one of the hotel’s most legendary past residents, and Chelsea socialite, Lillie Langtry,” says Xavier Lablaude, General Manager of The Cadogan. The Lalee “Marks a new era for The Cadogan, with Lillie’s love of entertaining at the forefront and dishes served in true sophisticated Cadogan style with a touch of tableside theatre," he continues. "Lillie Langtry would entertain the brightest stars of society, including the Prince of Wales, at 21 Pont Street – her elegant townhouse that became part of The Cadogan.”
Our Lifestyle Expert reviews The Laundrys Brunch Menu
I am horrible at directions. I think about this every time my eyes are glued to my phone as I follow the route CityMapper has planned for me, despite the fact that I might be going somewhere I’ve been a million times before. Because of this, I don’t even notice important buildings or familiar signs that may make my next journey easier—but restaurants, now those are my landmarks. My husband always says I navigate London through food—if you ask me how to get somewhere, my directions will sound a little something like this: “Turn onto Great Eastern Street and keep Shoryu on your left-hand side, walk towards Pachamama East and right before you get there, you’ll want to cross the road to get to Gloria which will be on the corner on your right.” Thank you, come again.
Review of Our Lifestyle Expert reviews Oklava's evening set menu
I remember a time when restaurants were finally allowed to reopen after the pandemic, and everyone I knew was scrambling to get a reservation at their favourite place. Then came the post-pandemic peak in dining out, with groups wanting to catch up with each other after months in isolation, resulting in having to book weeks or months in advance for the city’s top spots. And now we’re seeing another shift in dining habits — the cost of living crisis coupled by the huge struggles restaurateurs face in hiring talent has given birth to the newest trend we’re seeing across the capital: set menus. This autumn, I visited Oklava, the Turkish-Cypriot corner restaurant in Shoreditch that I have dined in many a time. Chef Selin Kiazim and co-owner Laura Christie are no strangers to making changes when the going gets tough; they started trialling a set menu for their diners as early as last year in addition to scrapping the controversial service charge that gets added to guests’ bills. For my visit, I was excited to try Oklava’s new evening set menu, which Kiazim created to highlight seasonal ingredients as well as her famous flame-led cooking techniques, whilst ensuring guests leave with an experience that they’ll want to return to time and again.
Sustainable Cocktails at The Churchill
In a recent interview, we had the pleasure of speaking with Gaston Fusco, the fresh face at the helm of The Churchill's bar management. Alongside his dedicated team, they have produced an innovative and conscious cocktail menu designed to shed light on pressing environmental issues. Each cocktail within this thoughtfully curated collection serves as a source of inspiration and education. With twelve unique concoctions at its core, the menu revolves around ten distinct themes of environmental significance. This endeavor delves deep into the ways the bar industry can embrace eco-friendliness. Not only are the cocktails themselves a testament to sustainability, but also the vessels, garnishes, and the choice of partnering organizations that align with pertinent causes.
Women Who Launch - Mignon Francois, The Cupcake Collection
“I always thought I was going to be a surgeon. I even went to Xavier University of New Orleans to become a doctor but I just couldn’t apply the science to the human body. 17 years later, it ended up serving me in the kitchen when I started to learn how to bake and create recipes for The Cupcake Collection.” says Mignon Francois, the founder and CEO of The Cupcake Collection (TCC), an award-winning multi-million-dollar business and one of the top bakeries in the United States. Though Francois first turned to baking at a time when she was struggling financially, the entrepreneur has definitely turned things around. Aside from having queues at the door upon launching a new signature flavour, The Cupcake Collection has evolved into a real destination bakery with fans travelling from across the country to their locations in Nashville and New Orleans, to get a taste of what Francois and her team are cooking up next. For those who are unable to make the trek to their two locations, TCC delivers nationwide in the States as well. Menu items are split into cupcakes, cakes, and even pupcakes for pooches with a sweet tooth. Whilst it’s her sweet potato cupcakes that have been the talk of the town, other yummy delights include the sweet lemonade cupcake, the sprinkle surprise birthday cake, and the toddler favourite, the smash cake.
Featuring The Best Luxury Alcohol Christmas Gift Guide
Enjoying the festivities with family and friends is always made more comforting with a glass of fizz! A bottle of booze makes the perfect Christmas gift if you're struggling on what to get for who. So, skip the cheap stuff and follow this guide as we provide a list of the best spirits and sparkling wines to gift to the ones you love this year.
The Sybarite St Maur, an Exclusive Cocktail Recipe
Here, you'll find the recipes for "The Sybarite St Maur", and some perfect autumnal drinks to treat yourself ahead of Halloween, including "The Vampire Cocktail" and "Daylight Martini."
Your A-Z Guide of Britains Finest Chocolates for National...
The Swiss and Belgians aren’t the only ones making luxury hand-made chocolate! Britain now boasts some of the world’s best chocolatiers. Well-known and should be better known, I'm sharing my guide of the UK's best, high-quality confectionary in celebration of National Chocolate Week! Running from 17th - 21st October, Chocolate Week aims to promote fine flavour chocolate, the independent artisan chocolatiers and the chocolate companies who work in direct partnership with cocoa farmers, encouraging consumers to pay a fairer price for their chocolate.
Celebrating UK Coffee Week: The Coffee Politik
Since the 17th century, coffeehouses have been central to British cafe culture, depositing political importance due to their popularity as places of debate. Known as "penny universities", the crowds that they attracted were synonymous of scholars and students alike, and anyone with a penny could enter and sit in on a lecture or have access to books or print news. Coffeehouses boosted the popularity of print news culture and helped the growth of various financial markets including insurance, stocks, and auctions, as they became arenas for culture and politics.