Nobu Berkeley

I'm not convinced that anyone dining at Nobu Berkeley is there for the food. They are there for the chance to meet a banker, a model, an oligarch, or some very average celebrity. They are there to enjoy some very entertaining people watching, or for an excuse to dress like a high-class call girl without looking out of place. Or to eat food in an atmosphere that perfectly prepares them for a night out.

Top 4.. Mother's Day ideas in London

Mother's Day in the Fork My Knife household has taken various guises of the years. Moving from the breakfast in bed, expertly prepared by two small children who garnished breakfast with a smattering of tears, stray hair and the occasional flake of scalded skin, to baked goods, (fewer tears, hair and skin), and progressing finally to two larger children booking restaurants after realizing that the cooking was best left to the professionals (no tears, skin or hair). 


For the past couple of years Mother's Day has involved some combination of exhibition + restaurant. Here are my top choices for this year:

Pizza Pilgrims - Two men, One Van

I don't have much to say about Pizza Pilgrims other than its brilliant. Two men, one van containing a pizza oven, well-researched, high quality ingredients, central location and reasonable pricing. Oh yeah, and the pizzas pretty damn good too. What's not to love?

Andrew Logan Gallery & Store - The ultimate statement jewellery

You've probably heard of Andrew Logan if you've been reading Vogue/ The Observer/How to Spend It recently, or happen to be friendly with Zandra Rhodes.  If you haven't heard of him you'd probably recognise his work, whether its the collection of pegasus' that for a while stood in Heathrow, the bust of Zandra Rhodes in the National Portrait Gallery, The  Miss Alternative World project or most recently his "cosmic egg" for the Faberge Egg Hunt. He's more of an artist's artist than widely populist, but for those in the know, Andrew's work is instantly recognisable. The best part? His art transcends into jewellery - it is wearable, in the best sense of the world.

Burger & Lobster & the failure of capitalism

The free market seems to be failing in London's restaurant scene. The incredible lack of decent places to eat, combined with a population of 7 million people, means that the good restaurants now fall into two distinct categories. 1) The ones that accept reservations, and require booking a month in advance to secure a table on a Saturday night 2) The ones that don't accept reservations, and require showing up at around 6pm to ensure being able to eat that night. 

Buying Shoes in Marrakech

I didn't shop that much the first time I visited Marrakech. There wasn't much I needed in the jewelry/scarf/ Moroccan tea set department, and because each store in the Souk had almost identical wares, it all felt a bit touristy. The one store I did love, that I would totally recommend every one go to was  "The Shoe Store".

Marrakech Round (2) - Where we ate

We had three nights in Marrakech. Aside from our first night, which we passed out in our room after ordering room service, we ventured into the Medina each day.

Novikov

Another week, another Friday night, another Mayfair Italian. This week the restaurant in question was Novikov, the new complex on Berkeley Street housing a bar, an Italian restaurant, and a Pan-Asian. As tacky as the concept seems - two restaurants in one - for some reason it works. Most likely because of the location, on Berkeley Street, which means it gets all the people who can’t get reservations/space at the bar at Nobu. To cut a long story short, within a few short months Novikov has become the place to be. 

Dar Sabra (Hotel) - Marrakech

The first time I went to Marrakech, I knew I needed to return soon. Why? Because during our trip I discovered that perfect summer time weather was constantly in Marrakech, and it was only three and a half hours away. Six week later I was back, The Boyfriend in tow with the aim of doing very little except enjoying the sunshine and catching up on some reading.

Comptoir Libanais

I ended up at Comptoir Libanais, pre-Selfridges shopping, for which this place is perfectly located. My dining companion being a vegetarian and my current health-kick put MeatLiquor out of the question, which gave us a perfect chance to try the place I had read so much about. I enjoyed the experience but wasn't particularly inspired by it so this post will be fairly concise.