Brixton Eating – Boqueria Tapas

Halfway down Acre Lane, two doors down from an Afro hairdresser-cum-newsagent-cum Christmas tree store, is Boqueria Tapas, the self-proclaimed “most exciting Tapas bar in London”…Now I’m not sure about the earth-shattering excitement – on an excitement Richter scale where 1 is paint drying and 10 is the Second Coming Boqueria is a comfortable 5 – but the food is definitely a teaser for the tastebuds.

Bistro du Vin – “Divin” – SOHO

Natty patty.

I was a Bistro du Vin/Hotel du Vin novice until a week ago, however I knew my Wednesday night could only be looking up if I was to be rolling into a temple devoted to wine, Anglo-Gallic grub and oodles of cheese. I am a simple girl, the words “bistro”, “vin” and a temperature-controlled larder humming with the faint feety odour of a smorgasbord of French fromages is enough to get my pulse racing and my tastebuds breakdancing.

The Riverfront at BFI Southbank – more Raspberry than Oscar.

Diner style...

It was perhaps not a great omen that I arrived at The Riverfront Bar and Kitchen with a giant grilled prawn perching perilously atop my head. Nor that I had previously eaten my weight in delicious grilled meats and fish balls at a Feng Sushi barbecue press event, but this – I am learning rapidly – is the permanently sated and stuffed-to-the-gills reality of life as  a “food journalist”". So to The Riverfront of the BFI

Oysters Shmoysters at Hix

Oyster Shmoysters. Yummylicious!

It doesn’t bode well that I suffered manic food poisoning two days after lunching at Hix – although I have since realised this had nothing to do with the large plate of fabby Kingdom of Mourne rock oysters, nor the sweet, plump Duchy of Cornwall natives. It was in fact an office-borne 24-hour bug-like monstrosity that had me hugging the loo for dear life and seeing a repeat  reemergence of a Marks and Spencers mexican chilli chicken salad…

Domaine les Aphillanthes at La Trouvaille, Soho

I took a few folk from the Rendez-Vous Francais de Londres to a wine-tasting at my favourite Frenchy hangout in central London, La Trouvaille… This particular wine-club evening was themed on biodynamic wines from the Côtes du Rhône, showcasing specifically a selection from a small domaine by the name of Les Aphillanthes, run by husband and wife duo Daniel and Helène Boulle who got into biodynamic viticulture after discovering that their son suffered strong allergies which this kind of vine growing could prevent.

Wining in London – the new Social Network

I moved to London 6 months ago after a 5 year absence swanning around Italy (swanning purposefully I might add) and then basking in the Surrey countryside. London is a scary city if you don’t know many people. For all its 8 million or so inhabitants and frenetic life pace, its damned hard to actually meet people. Facebook, twitter, etc. are all brilliant for following what your ex roommate in New Jersey is doing on her holidays, or knowing what so-and-so you were in Math class with is eating for lunch, but really, how social is it? Not a great deal. I didn’t see my nightlife getting any more glamorous thanks to a status update.

Bottoms Up: Where is the Itinerant Epicure?

This month I can mostly be spotted at the following wine events…

Divine Wine Hotel – The Yeatman, Portugal

As if I didn’t enjoy drinking the stuff enough, stunning new hotel The Yeatman has now opened on the banks of the undulating Douro river at the heart of the vibrant city of Porto which not only offers to educate you in wine, open your senses to wine, explore the tastes of wine but also bathe in wine (Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa - opening soon!), sleep in vats of the stuff (empty, of course), walk through the vineyards from whence the wine comes and generally enjoy a completely delectable wine experience at the heart of one of the most exciting emerging wine destinations: sunny northern Portugal.

Jedi Nights at Gordon’s Wine Bar

Continuing my foray into the world of internet dating… its amazing how fast two humans can arrange a second “date” once they’ve discovered a mutual affection for lightsabers (note: this is not an innuendo – I really am talking about Jedi techy stuff here).

So, not quite the Mos Eisley cantina, but dark, stuffy and sufficiently cavernous to pass for a distant Tatooine cousin, the Gordon’s Wine Bar near Embankment station was the setting for an evening of too much (good) wine, too much (good, smelly) cheese but just the right amount of good conversation.

Cracking Good time at Prix Fixe Brasserie

Meandering through the wierd and not so wonderful world of the post-break up, heart still a touch battered and appetite on a whirlwind of ups and downs, I decided to amuse myself by exploring a little light-hearted internet dating.

Call it part social experiment, part desperate attempt to move on, part insanity.