Perfect For Your Palate

Town House at The Kensington

This Valentine’s Day Town House at The Kensington is delighted to be offering guests a delectable five-course menu guaranteed to ensure a truly romantic evening.

Priced at £85.00 per person, the menu, created by Executive Chef Adi Mandokhot, offers guests refined dishes inspired by global favourites, amongst the sumptuous backdrop of the Town House. On arrival, guests will be welcomed with a glass of Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut, NV Champagne as well as the choice of either Native oysters with coconut cream, lychee and rose petals or Golden beetroot & pumpkin velouté served with pomegranate molasses. For starters, guests can enjoy Seared scallop with crispy celeriac and pink grapefruit or an indulgent Venison tartare with quail eggs and caviar. Also available will be Asparagus spears with Périgord truffle and poached duck egg. For mains, guests can savour the delicious Grass fed beef fillet with mushroom duxelles and potato terrine or sample the Seared Brill with south coast lobster and samphire. For those looking for a lighter option, Town House will also be offering Chickpea panisses served with aubergine, Datterini tomatoes and sea purslane. To finish off the perfect romantic evening, guests can enjoy a choice of three delicious options for dessert. Buttermilk panna cotta served with poached strawberries and granola, Dark Chocolate tart with passion fruit or Paxton & Whitfield’s cheeses served with plum chutney and crackers. Finally, guests will also get the chance to sample an array of decadent homemade chocolates, handcrafted by Chef Adi.

In true Kensington style, Town House also offers guests the chance to enjoy a broad range of Champagnes, served on their exquisite Perrier-Jouët Champagne Trolley. The perfect date night at The Bloomsbury Club Bar

Exploring decades past, The Bloomsbury Club Bar’s innovative new cocktails have been inspired by a special deck of Tarot cards, designed in 1910 by the bohemian occultist Pamela ‘Pixie’ Colman Smith. Comprising of 14 cocktails corresponding to 14 states of mind or being, on arrival, guests must allow the Diviner to guide their emotions, exposing their secret yearnings and allowing it to provide a perfect tonic to their state of mind. A truly immersive experience, choices include Forbidden Fruit (The Botanist Gin, Crab Apple Cordial, Beurre Noisette, Green Chartreuse, Bramley & Braeburn Apples, Apple Oil - £14) and Mad Monkey (Avion Plata Tequila, Peach Citric, Egg White, Chilli Tincture, Wasabi & Passion Fruit Dust - £14).

thebloomsburyclub.com

Valentine ’ s at Petersham Nurseries

Dalloway Terrace

The highly anticipated transformation of Dalloway Terrace has returned, and this winter the most sought after spot of the season offers guests a taste of Switzerland in the heart of London. This Valentine’s Day visitor’s are transported to the affluent alpine town of Gstaad - a snow covered, picturesque winter playground for A-listers and global icons.

The restaurant will be offering a four course menu for £75 including a glass of Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut Champagne. Dishes include Rock Oysters; Truffled Baked Camembert; Beef Fillet with truffle mash and bone marrow; Blue Cheese and Chestnut Gnocchi with creamed spinach; and Chocolate Mousse.

dallowayterrace.com

Petersham Nurseries will celebrate Valentine’s Day 2020 with a series of specially designed dinner menus, British grown bouquets, intimate supper clubs and botanical workshops. The romantic offerings will be available at the Covent Garden restaurants from 14th- 16th February, with exclusive Valentine’s Day supper clubs taking place in Richmond over the Valentine’s weekend.

With sustainable floristry being at the forefront of their philosophy, Petersham Nurseries will only be offering 100% British grown flowers this Valentine’s Day. Highlighting the need for consumers to make conscious and informed buying decisions, Petersham Nurseries endeavour to make customers aware of the environmental issues relating to flower growing, sourcing, long distance transportation and chemical treatment. Each hand tied bouquet is crafted from helibores, hyacinth and scabious all sustainably cultivated in the UK, demonstrating that sourcing local flowers at this time of year can be achieved without compromising on beauty and scent. Delivery is available from the Shop in Covent Garden to London addresses, and locally within Richmond. Guests in Richmond and Covent Garden can also pre-order a bouquet or vase arrangement for collection or to be presented to their table on arrival if dining over the Valentine’s weekend. Alternatively, for those wishing to give the traditional offering of roses, Petersham Nurseries have selected three David Austin rose bushes, each beautifully wrapped. Despite being dormant stems for now, they will produce endless rose flowers for years to come. Plant within your own garden this February and watch as it blooms over the summer months - a gift for your Valentine that will last a lifetime.

At Covent Garden, guests can enjoy a bespoke three-course dinner at The Petersham* restaurant on 14th, 15th or 16th February. The specially designed menu includes indulgent plates such as Lindisfarne rock oysters and a Roast loin of venison with parsnips and braised red cabbage, rounded off with tempting desserts like a Passion fruit pavlova or Prosecco jelly, raspberries and raspberry ripple ice cream. Across the courtyard, La Goccia will put on a special Valentine’s Day menu designed for two to share. Diners can enjoy a selection of smaller, sharing plates including Beetroot Carpaccio and Padron peppers before choosing either Chargrilled Haye farm beef or Wood roasted Halibut for a main course. The romantic affair is rounded off with a Prosecco zabaglione and shortbread or a Chocolate and hazelnut pavlova with poached rhubarb. The menu is priced at £80 for two or £95 for two including a glass of prosecco.

Alongside the Valentine’s Day menus and bouquets, Petersham Nurseries will also host seasonal workshops to enjoy with a loved one. On 11th February, the Richmond site will present an introduction to rose pruning workshop with an expert horticulturalist. The workshop will teach guests how to get the best out of their rose bushes all year round and is £40pp. In Covent Garden, guests are invited to join the florists on 12th February, to learn how to make a hand-tied bouquet. The workshop costs £65 and includes all materials to create the take-home bouquet as well as tea, coffee and light refreshments.

*Voted one of Harden’s most romantic restaurants in London 2019. Petersham Nurseries Covent Garden, Floral Court, London WC2E 9FB 020 7305 7676 | petershamnurseries.com

PERFECT FOR YOUR PALATE St Martins Lane London announces The Nitery by Gizzi Erskine

Award-winning chef, food writer and broadcaster Gizzi Erskine is heading to St Martins Lane London for a three-month residency. The Nitery by Gizzi Erskine will spring up at St Martins Lane Kitchen from 13 February - 30 April 2020, bringing with it a playful take on classic French, American and British dishes with carefully sourced produce.

Erskine has been an integral part of the London food landscape for the last 15 years, an innovator of the Pop-up restaurant scene and renowned for her sell out events, bestselling books, international television career, food columns and agricultural activism. The Nitery takes inspiration from early 20th century Parisian ‘niteries’ - hedonistic, bohemian restaurants that popped up all around the city and were frequented by the big thinkers, artists and poets of the time, that were later adopted by America in the early days of Atlantic City to a much sleazier incarnation.

Gizzi’s menus at The Nitery will encompass sumptuous French, American and English biodynamic food, wine and cocktails, mingling experimental ingredients with nostalgic, classic dishes. Small plates will include devilled eggs with roast chicken crackling and oysters with yuzu kosho granita, while creative starters will include an iced roast beetroot and buttermilk soup with raw red prawn, egg and pickles and steak tartare with bone marrow dripping on marmite toast with cured egg yolk. Main courses are more buxom,

St Martins Lane London, 45 St. Martin’s Lane, London WC2N 4HX | 020 7300 5500

with dishes including flagoelet dauphinoise, goat cutlets and bisque and Calasparra rice, woodfired shellfish.

Desserts will be equally as playful and will feature recreations of desserts like chocolate mousse with Horlicks cream and Gizzi’s take on a Queen of Puddings. For those who like something more savoury to finish, there will also be a selection of cheeses served with Hackney honeycomb.

The Nitery by Gizzi Erskine will run until 30 April 2020

The Ivy Kensington Brasserie

The Ivy Kensington Brasserie is serving up a trio of limited edition cocktails until Sunday 1 March in celebration of Cirque du Soleil’s new performance of LUZIA - debuting in Europe this spring at the Royal Albert Hall.

The highly anticipated LUZIA will take guests on a journey through a reimagined Mexico, with a surrealistic series of grand visual surprises and breath-taking acrobatic acts. Inspired by the show, The Ivy Kensington Brasserie’s bar team have fashioned three eye-catching cocktails for guests to enjoy: The Pambolero, the Desert Flower and the Luzia Espresso Martini.

Guests can enjoy each cocktail individually or they can dine from the set menu which includes two courses and a limited edition cocktail for £25, and three courses and a cocktail for £29. The set menu is available from Monday to Friday, from 11:30am to 6:30pm.

Chinese New Year at Ping Pong

Ping Pong Dim Sum have partnered with Make A Wish Foundation as charity partner for their Chinese New Year celebrations. The restaurant group has created a range of new dishes to celebrate this auspicious time of year and Ping Pong Dim Sum master Ruby Wu has developed some mouthwatering new dim sum to celebrate the Year of the Rat.

Available until 10 March, Chinese New Year was on Saturday 25 January 2020, the new dishes include Duck hoisin bun - Fluffy white bun with shredded duck in hoisin plum sauce, Spicy seitan and vegetables dumpling (vegan) - Seitan, asparagus carrots and mushrooms wrapped in chilli flakes-translucent pastry, Chicken and orange dumpling - chicken, celery and spring onion cooked with Chinkiang vinegar and orange peel sauce wrapped in beetroot pastry. The restaurant has also developed an incredible new cocktail - Wish Upon a Cherry with Finlandia Vodka, Cherry blossom syrup, triple sec, Maraschino liqueur, sake, then finished with a squeeze of lemon and garnished with cherries. A percentage of the proceeds from every cocktail sold will go to Make A Wish Foundation. Guests will also be able to order a cocktail tree of the Wish Upon a Cherry cocktails which has ten cocktails in and is perfect for groups.

With each cocktail guests will also be given a label which they can write their wish on for the year ahead and hang on a “Wishing Tree” in each restaurant. One wish will be granted to the value of £500 and everyone who enters a wish will win a prize by heading to the website on the tag, all prizes will redeemable at the Ping Pong restaurants.

Guests will also be able to enjoy two meat and two vegetarian special set menus for Chinese New Year priced at £14.95 and £24.95 that have a selection of steamed and fried dim sum, rice dishes and desserts.

pingpongdimsum.com

VINTRY & MERCER’S IGLOOS

Vintry & Mercer in the City has launched an igloo pop-up on the Mercer Roof Terrace, providing the ultimate spot to enjoy the remarkable London skyline, with the added luxury of excellent food, drinks and warmth.

Comprising of two transparent domes, the igloos offer breathtaking views of the London horizon in one sweep, from St Paul’s Cathedral to The Shard.

Each igloo can accommodate up to seven people and offers a unique private dining experience with a menu that celebrates the best of modern English cooking, showcasing farm-to-table meat, fish and seasonal vegetables.

Starters include oxtail tortellini, duck egg, Orkney scallops and Guinness battered squid. Porterhouse, ribeye on the bone as well as full blood Highland wagyu fillets showcase the kitchen’s charcoal oven, alongside roasted loins of pork and slow cooked beef cheeks, all complimented by a variety of sides. From the sea, highlights include cod fillet with cauliflower couscous, nut crust and cockles, wild sea bass with salted charred avocado, crown prince pumpkin & balsamic pickled onions, and traditional Cornish fish and chips, whist the plant-based offering encompasses chestnut gnocchi, baked cauliflower cheese and vegetable pithivier. The pudding menu features British classics including apple crumble, banana tart and rhubarb souffle - each with a Vintry twist.

Guests will be treated to a warm and cosy setting, complete with faux fur blankets, flickering candlelight and the twinkle of the surrounding city lights - providing a truly magical way to spend an evening on a cold winter’s night.

The pop-up is anticipated to run until 31st March 2020.

Bookings for the Winter igloo’s are essential and can be made via vintryandmercer.com

The Road from Mexico to the UK and Beyond

Born and nurtured through the forward thinking of all its valued employees and guided by the directors and founders of this uniquely styled company, through its experience of working in the nightclub, bars and the restaurant business for many years.

No challenge is too great plus our setup is designed so that we can adjust and turn quickly, reacting to any market trend or avenue that we wish to pursue. We believe customer service and genuine interaction is the way to upsell in addition to high quality, unique products that stand out from the crowd. At the end of the day, the liquid has to be exceptional for all this to come together and it is. Our Mis Amigos Tequila range aims to educate the bars and venues we work with, so that it is moving away from the sharpness and bitter taste experience that most people associate with tequila, and moving towards mouth-watering flavours with smooth texture. People in general do not drink traditional Tequila as much as other spirits, except in either cocktails or the infamous party shot, for which there are many options now. They don’t drink as much Tequila as we would like, but they want to. It still holds that exceptional elegance and mystery plus there is nothing that draws the attention as a round of Tequilas being ordered, it just has that “je ne sais quoi” associated with it.

The versatility of Tequila is undoubtedly one of its key strengths, being consumed not only as a party shot but also sipped with or without ice and used in cocktails. The variants in flavoured Tequilas is leading the way in the education of this to the general public through bartenders who enjoy the challenge of experimenting and getting away from the norm. As more consumers become aware of that, the diversity of variants, and increased quality available to them, we will continue to see this category grow year on year.

Taking this into consideration we have worked for nearly 3 years to produce the Mis Amigos Tequilas Familia. Our first range which launched just a little over 7 months ago consists of Chocolate, Chocolate & Lime and Coffee Tequila all 25% ABV. So far we have received awards for all three flavours, and continuous outstanding reviews. Through the fantastic reception they are receiving sales growing in excess of 35% growth per month we pushed forward with our planned R&D on two more variants to join the collection.

In January 2020 we launched Mis Amigos Chocolate Cream and Strawberry Cream Tequila, both with a 15% ABV. We received our first shipment which amazingly sold out in the first 48 hours! Our set up for quick reaction insured that by 20th January we had new stock delivered, which allowed us to continue our service to our venues and customers that are already running these lines, as quickly as possible.

Gina Duke Spirit Development Director at G&I Spirit Group said “We are overwhelmed by the response we are and have been receiving. We focus as a company on not only amazing products but on fantastic customer service.

The Mis Amigos Tequila range will not stop there, we have 3 more flavours in R&D which will be launching Spring/Summer 2020; Mocha, Mocha Cream and Latte. Flavoured Tequilas, leading the way and kicking up a storm.

G&I Spirit Group is currently stocked through nominated wholesalers Empire Drinks, Matthew Clark, Masters of Malt and 31 Dover | Shop Mis Amigos Chocolate & Strawberry Cream Tequila now at www.gispiritgroup.co.uk

You can soon become a part of our team by joining our Gold Card membership, which offers exclusive deals, tastings and cocktail master classes. Follow us on instagram: @gi_spirit_group & facebook: @gispiritgroup or visit our website for further details!