Gourmet

My kind of place to while the evening away

If you’re looking for a place with the ambience of a drawing room and the sophistication of a gentleman’s club to sip on a cocktail and while away the evening, look no further than Scarfes Bar. Evoking a convivial and sophisticated yet intimate atmosphere, and located a short distance from London’s Covent Garden, Scarfes Bar is the place for those looking for a bit of mischievous glamour.

Taking its name after the renowned British artist and caricaturist Gerald Scarfe, whose original artwork adorns the walls and is encompassed within the cocktail menus, the bar has become an institution on High Holborn since opening in 2014. Featuring a roaring fire, a collection of cosy velvet armchairs, shelves filled with over 1,000 hand-picked antique books, and live jazz playing each day, the ambience at Scarfes Bar carries a whisper of speakeasy intrigue – elegant, intimate, and just a little wicked.

From the left, Gibson Please, Garden Smash and No7, just three of the 22 cocktails on offer at Scarfes Bar.

The current inventive cocktail menu has drawn inspiration from the history and exalted traditions of cocktails…

A tribute to a woman of strength and spirit

Renowned Champagne house Louis Roederer releases its 2022 vintage “Hommage à Camille” wines: Camille Charmont 2022 (red) and Camille Volibarts 2022 (white).  The woman behind the brand, Camille Olry-Roederer, was nothing short of extraordinary. She took the helm of Champagne Louis Roederer on the sudden death of her second husband in 1932. Her energy, ingenuity […]

Swoon-worthy restaurants for St Valentine’s

Valentine’s Day is an occasion for romance, red roses – and refined dining. One of the best ways of sealing a relationship is by sharing the pleasure of exquisite food. As a couple, few things beat the delight of enjoying a gourmet experience together. Our expert team of Epicureans have selected five of the best […]

Wines to enjoy and impress this Christmas

A lot of emphasis is put in the food we eat in the festive season. We spend entire evenings looking at cooking books, ordering exotic ingredients in advance and negotiating the murderous environment of supermarkets in the days before Christmas to secure the best and freshest foods for our beloved and guests (not necessarily the […]

French exuberance in the heart of The City

Success goes with caviar as strawberries go with cream, Caribbean sun with piña coladas, and gin with tonic. Caviar House & Prunier, the only caviar retailer in the world that produces its own caviar, have just opened a fully-fledged restaurant in the heart of the City of London. Located within the 5-star Threadneedles Hotel (part […]

The French classic Londoners can’t resist

Although a lot has changed in Soho since L’Escargot opened its doors back in 1927, what has remained constant during almost a century is the high quality of the food, the charm of the staff, and the fascination Londoners have felt for it, decade after decade, for nearly a century. The history of the restaurant […]

An unprecedented rarity, uniquely crafted

The beautifully orchestrated evolution of Courvoisier continues with the release of Courvoisier Mizunara 2023, a blend so exceptionally crafted that only 500 bottles are available. With this second edition, Maison Courvoisier – founded by Félix Courvoisier in 1828, in Jarnac, France – continues its history of presenting unique blends with a cognac that combines French […]

Intercontinental Cascais-Estoril, Portugal

With a list of more than 100 wines and a spectacular view of the bay of Cascais, Bago du Vin is the kind of place to sit back and enjoy one of those lunches that last well into the evening. The design and decoration follow the modern and sophisticated style of the rest of the […]

Restoring local flavour to the Milford Haven Waterway

Food is social glue. It connects us across customs and cultures, just as it has Andy Woolmer of Pembrokeshire Oysters and Jonathan Williams at Café Môr. Together, they’re restoring local flavour to the fishing village of Angle. I visited them a couple of months ago, to understand why customers drive hundreds of miles to eat here. […]

Pink bubbles have never been more fashionable

The nation’s love affair with Rosé continues to grow year-on-year. Rosé Champagne is the second largest cuvée type shipped to the UK and has become synonymous with summer. Not only is Rosé Champagne having a moment and becoming increasingly fashionable by the day, but these wines are absolutely delicious and can range from very light […]

Exquisite luxury in the heart of London

Over a century ago, two immigrant Armenian brothers opened in Paris their first shop at 18 boulevard de La Tour-Maubourg, selling caviar. A few decades later, they had established themselves as the purveyors of the finest caviar and other Russian specialties, such as Chatka crabs and vodkas. By the 1990s, they had incorporated smoked fish, […]

The Galvin brothers’ proposition for the summer

Michelin-starred chefs, Chris and Jeff Galvin have come up with a “Taste of Summer” menu for each of their five award-winning restaurants which celebrate the best of seasonal produce and hope to inspire people to experience fine dining at accessible prices. Working with the head chefs of each of their restaurants, the five menus – […]

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