FOOD & DRINK: The Twinkle
Vodka inspires more cocktail recipes than any other spirit but there are only so many martinis you can, and should, drink in one sitting. The Ketel One vodka Twinkle is not quite as intoxicating as some drinks we’ve tried down at the Fabric lounge, so why not mix one up yourself. Take 50ml Ketel One vodka and 15ml elderflower cordial. Shake with lots of ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Top with Champagne (or cava or prosecco) and garnish with a lime peel or a string of ruby red currants.
If, like us, though, you believe that going out is the new staying in, make sure you book yourself a table at Flash – a new pop-up, temporary restaurant from the guys behind Bistrotheque and The Reindeer. FLASH will operate throughout the Royal Academy of Arts’ avant-garde season – ‘GSK Contemporary’ from 1 November until January 19 2009. Ketel One will be there in the shape of the velvety smooth, Ketel One Vodka Royal Flash Martini and the Ultimate Ketel One Vodka Espresso Martini. Tables are being snapped up like the proverbial hot cakes so bag yours soon.
Hungry for more food stories? We have loads more.
Enric Rovira Gastronomic Chocolate Collection
In theory, toasted peas with wasabi covered in white chocolate should be ghastly. So should toasted almonds with mustard covered in milk chocolate. But take it from us, they are both utterly delicious. Just as you register the spice of the wasabi and the tang of the mustard the sweetness of the chocolate hits you, making for a tasty, if unusual, marriage of flavours, which is extremely moreish. The exotic chocolates are the work of Catalan chocolatier Enric Rovera. Based in Barcelona, Enric’s other goodies include a chocolate with olive oil and fizzy lemon sweeties with dark chocolate. But don’t worry if you’re not planning on visiting Spain in the near future as the Gastronomic Collection will soon be available at Harvey Nichols. The bombolas de almendras (those potent almonds) cost £7.95.
Gaucho opens in Smithfield
We love a good steak here at Fabric Central, and the guys behind Argentine restaurant group Gaucho offer some of the best around. They are just about to open their next outpost in Smithfield Market – London’s original meat market. Gaucho Smithfield will serve up various cuts of Argentine Aberdeen Angus beef: if you haven’t been before, don’t worry, choosing your steak is easy: they come round with a board loaded with the different cuts available, and top-notch hamburgers (Fabric editor Steven Short loves a Gaucho burger) as well as traditional South American ceviches and more.
93a Charterhouse Street EC1
(020 7490 1676/www.gauchorestaurants.co.uk)
