In judging wines by using the senses, people are handicapped by the way they assess other commodities. For instance, some judge a car by colour alone. Gas guzzling proclivity or lack of headroom may be overlooked if the paint job is considered attractive. Sometimes it’s the same with wine; if looks attractive and exhibits no ...
BLOG, Wine & DrinkI’m pretty sure that the Taj Mahal was the first Indian restaurant I was ever in, A modest establishment, nestled under some railway arches in central Manchester, it hung on in years after the Corpo had served a compulsory purchase order. The proprietor, a kindly man we called Mister Anwar, acted as confidant and father ...
Restaurant ReviewsWhy am I so crap at complaining? I have my own theories, chief among which is that it’s all down to my working-class origins. Try this scenario: you have a leaky tap; unconvinced of your ability as a DIY expert, you phone the plumbing company; some hours later, a blue boiler suited guy turns up, ...
Restaurant ReviewsTrekking to the Guinness Storehouse, with sleet whacking down like stair rods wouldn’t be my favourite occupation but Gilbey’s Terry Pennington and Lynne Coyle have assembled one hell of a portfolio, with smart niche producers alongside mainstream brands like Blossom Hill, Yellow Tail, Barton & Guestier etc and venerable favourites of the ilk of Louis ...
Tasting Notes, Wine & DrinkIn Hong Kong and in parts of Southern China many of the Chinese restaurants start serving at five in the morning. The clientèle, at that time of day, consists largely of ‘people of mature years’, who, having done their exercises and read the papers, have decided it’s time to eat. Me, I’m not quite that ...
Restaurant ReviewsSwanky Dublin restaurant La Gondola is offering 3 courses, Monday to Friday, for €16.95 including a half bottle of wine, a taxi home and the opportunity to snog the waitperson of your choice. Well it would, if it existed. It seems that fellow Herald contributor Michael O’Doherty’s observation that restaurants never seem to have January ...
Restaurant ReviewsI’m not into crosswords, or what’s it called, suduko? Nevertheless, I do recognise the importance of keeping one’s brain exercised so I occasionally invent some form of mental gymnastics for that very purpose. A few weeks ago I decided I would write down, in ten minutes flat, all the aromas and flavours I had ever ...
BLOG12th March – see Events Calendar Portugal is one of Europe’s most exciting wine regions, now producing some stellar wines of which Malhadinha Nova (opposite) is one of the very best. The presence of a number of native grapes – some with colourful nicknames like ‘Ewe’s Tail’, ‘The Bastard’ and ‘The Dog Strangler’ – ensures ...
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