SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! They have all the mixers to replicate ANY of the poisons you will have at…read moreDukes... And the service? Spectacular. We had an opportunity to talk vices, booze, flavors and concoctions. Reasonably priced for London, it is a bar keepers dream.

The other day, I had to pick up a bottle of champagne from this place. I was seriously impressed as…read moreto how posh this place is...of course, situated in the heart of St. James's, what else could you expect? Well, I'm really "digging" the interior of this store - you actually feel like you're being transported back several hundred years; which actually is quite true, as this store has been around for a very very long time! Anyway, what I kind of disliked, was that the person who got my order ready, was quite a snob - very uptight British and made me feel as if I wasn't a worth customer. (Maybe he didn't approve of me coming into such a posh store with a hooded sweater?) Also, their website is really awful: I was trying to find out, where the store would be, but the website is impossible to maneuver through. It's all online selling, but there's no apparent link that will point you to where the actual store is! Well, thanks to Yelp I actually found it! So, three stars for this experience, but I might just come back another day again, as their selection of wines is incredible!

It was foodie time at Borough Market on Tuesday (our last full day in London), and it was foodie…read moreheaven for me and my family. We enjoyed walking around and seeing a wide variety of food options! The whole market area was clean and organized when we got there at 9am. No lines yet. Long lines did start forming around 9:45am when the hot foods were ready but moved pretty quickly. We tried: * The Ginger Pig - Traditional Sausage Roll * Wild Mushroom Risotto - Spelt Risotto with Truffle Shavings * Turnips Greengrocer - Chocolate Covered Strawberries * The Black Pig - The Best One With Crackling * Turkish Deli - Turkish Delight & Turkish Coffee * Bread Ahead - Crème Brûlée Donut

I wish this place didn't close so early...like 5pm early. That said, we were there for about 20…read moreminutes and got a good sense of the vibe. It is a farmer's type market with some prepared foods, which were top notch. We walked the entire thing and grabbed as much as we could to eat. There are plenty of food places just outside the space that are open later as well. I got some meat sticks from a vendor, sort of farmers market style. There was also another stand that had fruit in a cup with chocolate.Our best deal were some arepas that were half off because it was closing time and they wanted to get rid of them. This isn't the place to take pictures, but rather to immerse yourself in all the goodness that is here.

The coolest bottle shop! Came here to pick up some speciality items that I can't get in the US and…read morewas blown away by the selection of liquors and fine wines. There is so much to look at. Would be a great place to pick up a gift for the wine or cocktail lover in your life. The staff here are knowledgeable and helped me wrap my bottles to bring back in my suitcase.

This place is fancy! We popped in to get a bottle of champagne for our niece and was greeted by a…read morefriendly associate asking if we needed help. We did. Got the recommendation and bought the bottle along with a couple more for the upcoming holiday. A little odd that some bottles were the only ones they had in stock. But no worries. Will for sure come back for our special occasions.

Ok so we knew exactly what we weee getting into when we got St. John as a recommendation and we…read morefelt like it matched that. "British food done really well". And that was absolutely the case! However, for foodies from California the flavors weren't our favorite but truly satisfying and we could appreciate the care and mastery of British cuisine. It feels like a must try once just to appreciate how well British food can be done! But that being said, it's not going to be everyone's favorite palate. But!!! I MUST MENTION THE MADELINES. I want them served on my death bed and I will go out of my way to get them every single time I'm in London even if I don't do a full meal in. They are truly the most delightful things you will ever eat.

This restaurant serves simple, traditional food, but with a flair. I was there for lunch and had…read moreordered a Welsh rabbit, which is basically a cheese on toast, but had great ingredients and Home made bread. The Service was pleasant, and the waiter was attentive. I was there just after they open the restaurant so there was not too many people there, but I can imagine that it was quite a place to go to.

Spectacularly limited fine wine selection. You'd think it being in Mayfair there would be a decent…read moreselection over £80 a bottle but not here. Major let down - don't come here for fine wines

Fantastic place a block away from the JW Grosvenor House Marriott London. Incredible selection on…read morewines from low to high in price. We briefed Harry on what we liked and our price range and on three visits we were not disappointed with his suggestions. The first two times we tasted several wines but on our third visit we just went with his suggestion. Highly recommended

The Borough market is a phenomenal place And Bedales is a…read morelittle haven in the chaos. We stopped for food and drinks. Wonderful espresso martini. Great starters and comfortable seating and good people watching.

I needed a break from the bustle of Borough Market. The market was so busy on this particular…read moreFriday that the lines for food stalls were crazy. Bedales turned out to be a great overhead view to people watch while enjoying a snack with a glass of wine. I wish the tuna tartar would have come with a few chips or crackers but thats nitpicking. It was very good and fresh. I would absolutely visit again on another London vacation.

I attended a half day course 'The ultimate meat and poultry'. Surpassed expectations on all counts…read more The cookery school is centrally located, just off Regent St.Surprisingly compact inside but everything worked well due to great organisation of the space and activities. We were welcomed with freshly baked caraway seed cakes and cheese scones, still warm from the oven with tea or coffee. Our group of ten budding cooks was split into 3 groups. We had around ten dishes to make so each group did three / four dishes. The chef leading the class was excellent. Too many dishes to describe here but highlights included guinea fowl (a favourite of mine) braised in red wine and port, spatchcock poussin, lamb stew, duck with orange and roast beef with Yorkshire pud. We all worked on fully deboning a chicken which we then stuffed with a mushroom mixture, tied up like a burrito (I think ballotine is the correct term) and took home to eat. I can report it was delicious. On the side we also made two rice dishes and creme caramels. Finally, after a 10 am start and solid demo, concentrated prep and cooking, we reached 3pm. The table was set and the group sat down to eat what became a 10 course tasting menu. Tired and weak with hunger we ate and ate sampling each dish with a nice glass or two of wine to accompany. As well as being interesting and educational, it was enjoyable and learned lots of new tips and cookery techniques. It was busy and intense but not too much and pitched to the group who all had a reasonable level of cooking knowledge. I have the recipe cards and slowly working through some of the dishes we made...not too bad so far. Would definitely return for another class.

By far the best cooking day and class every. I attended the meat and poultry class and it was…read moreamazing! I've now done classes in Paris, Barcelona and London and the one at the Cookery School is by far the best!!!!! Ill Be taking more classes when I return to London

Stunned to be only the fourth person to review this great spot. My partner and I came in for a…read moredrink on a Friday evening around 6:30pm. While the rooftop was booked out for a private party, we were able to walk in to the basement bar and enjoy a full vaulted, brick-lined side-room to ourselves. The basement ambience reminded us of Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese on Fleet Street crossed with Gordon's Wine bar at Embankment. We ordered the: - Bananaquit (Mount Gay Eclipse, vegan egg nog mix, discarded banana rum, pimento dram) £10.50 - Rufous Hummingbird (Buffalo Trace bourbon, Nixta corn liquor, Banane du Brasil, cocoa blanc, sotol, chocolate bitters) £11 Both drinks on the bird-themed menu were excellent. The Bananaquit, a cloudy drink served in a Nick and Nora goblet glass, tasted strongly of ripe bananas and creamy eggnog. It had lots of nutmeg on the nose from the fresh gratings on top. For those with a nut allergy, you're safe: the vegan eggnog is nut-free. It was a sweeter drink (my partner asked for the sweetest drink on the menu). The Rufous, served on the rocks in an old fashioned glass, was clear and lightly brown in colour. It was served topped with two fresh pansies, and carried hints of chocolate cake and sunny garden, with a stronger alcohol essence. I had not come across sotol before and learned it's a Mexican spirit distilled from herbs, similar to mezcal, though I can't say I specifically tasted it. We enjoyed the ambience of our private cellar room and after our drinks we explored up to the roof (gorgeous space!) and around the bottle shop in the front room. There were quite a few tempting specialty bottles (Ancho Reyes Verde chile poblano liqueur, anyone?) and good gift ideas (Dr. Squid squid ink gin from Cornwall). In the end we didn't make a purchase, but staff were very helpful, friendly, and knowledgeable. I would definitely come here again.

one of the coolest looking bars i've ever been to, once you make it downstairs it's like being…read moreinside of a cave.

We kicked off our tour with a divine veggie Dosa from Horn Ok for the veggies and a Scotch Egg from…read moreScotch Tails and whilst we chowed down we learnt the history of the market which has been a market for at least 1,000 years in one form or another, but it wasn't until 1756 that it was moved to its present location. Once we had empty plates, which didn't take long as the food was all so scrummy, we moved on to our next stall. This was the Artisan du Chocolat who process their chocolate from ground beans, before conching and refining it in their kitchens in Ashford in Kent. They are well known for their Salted Caramels and oh lordy, I can totally see why; they were divine. The boxes you can purchase are also stunning which make these the perfect gift. I've got them in mind for Christmas Hampers as they would suit that so well. Keeping on the trail for the sweet tooth, we next visited the Luminary Bakery who provide women from disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to gain employable skills and build a network of support which is something I'm super willing to get behind. All of the ingredients are also ethically sourced which makes them even better in my eyes. Not only are the Luminary Bakery doing great things for these women, but the cakes also taste delicious too. It was then time to grab a bevvy because that's what you do at 11am on a Thursday, right?! The Cartwright Brothers Vintners supplied this in the form of a bottle of English Pink Sparkling Wine which went down a right treat. If like me, you're really into trying English produce then the Cartwright Brothers have a growing range of English wines, spirits, mead and fruit wines! But if you just love a good wine then they're still super great for that too! No food tour would be complete without a stop at a cheese stall, so we were over the moon when we got to stop at four! Yes, you read that right, we stopped at FOUR cheese stalls and I couldn't have been happier. The first was the Blackwoods Cheese Company who have been creating soft raw cow's milk cheeses in their small dairy in Brockley, south-east London for the past six years. Pictured above is their most well-known cheese, Graceburn, which is jarred in a blend of extra virgin olive and rapeseed oils rather than brine which may sound super crazy but it really works! It's so different, yet so scrummy! Another great one for Christmas Hampers I do think. We also made a stop at Bianca Mora bringing the finest Italian produce to London! They are well known for their balsamic vinegar which can be purchased at different ages, their hand-carved leg of the Mora Romagnola pig, which spends its life feeding on acorns and chestnuts and their parmesan. I tried both the balsamic which I'm going to be making a purchase of as soon as I've got through the collection I have at home and the parmesan that's made from two types of cows milk and they were pretty divine too. Cheese and balsamic are pretty much my weakness in life. The next cheese stop was Alsop & Walker where I made my first cheesy purchase! We tried all of the cheese they have on offer and I actually found it pretty tough to pick just one to buy but I didn't want to bankrupt myself over cheese, which is something I could easily do! I opted for the 'Lord London' which is a semi-soft, cow's milk cheese kind of like a Camembert which was invented in honour of the London 2012 Olympics and also received a silver medal at the World Cheese Awards. It was even requested by Kate Middleton for the breakfast table at a royal wedding! Our last cheese stop was the Bath Cheese Co who are a third-generation family-run farm who use milk from their own herd of cows. Again, we tried all of the cheese they had on offer and I had to be strict with myself; I only purchased the Merry Wyfe, which is an award-winning washed-rind cheese made with their Wyfe of Bath curds which are pressed and then washed in cider every other day for four weeks! Yes, cheese and cider combined!! We did also visit a hell of a lot of other stalls including Bread Ahead for some tasty olive bread, Chegworth Valley for warm apple juice that kept us toasty on a rainy day, the non-veggies had prawns and scallops from Shellseekers, some huge olives from Borough Olives, Turkish Delight from the Turkish Deli and Nibs etc. to learn about their super eco-friendly granola. I was suitably filled to the brim. Normally at the end of the tour, the group which can be up to 10 people return back to the Mimo kitchen just on the outskirts of the market itself to sample the produce bought on tour the market and it's then paired with wine, however on the day we took the tour there was a private function so we ate on our walk which I didn't mind at all but I was a little disappointed to not have a wine pairing as I'm all about learning about wines! Despite that, I had a great time and have learnt so much more London history that I'd highly recommend a tour like this if you have no idea where to start.

We took the Borough Market tasting tour and loved it. We got some history, lots of great food, and…read moregood company. Katie was an excellent guide. The market can be an onslaught of goodness, but Katie steered us to some real gems. Highly recommended.

Great experience...the chefs will cook the 4 course meal with you, you learn 1 part of 1 dish and…read moreyou also sit down and eat all 4 courses with wine pairing for each course :). Its so worth your time and money as it will be a great entertaining evening for all to be had :)

This time I went along with my husband to a special VIP event. Firstly you are greeted with some…read morechampagne (you can opt for juice if you want) and a vegetable soup bit later in reception area then you are led into the cookery area to meet the chefs. I met a lot of nice new people at this event in a fun way by which we prep food together. I say prep as I don't see cracking a egg, peeling mushrooms, slicing cauliflower etc is cooking. There is 4 working stations starters, starters, main and dessert. You are divided up by one of the chefs into groups (you cant choose your work station). You are then all given something to do be it peel mushrooms, boil eggs, crack oysters open, stir sauce etc. On the night we went we had the Autumn menu (Smoked Salmon Tartare, Lardo, Oyster Cream, Red Pepper Vinaigrette and Horseradish Mayonnaise AND Poached Duck Egg with Cauliflower and Cumin Veloute, Cured Duck Breast, Pickled Cauliflower and Wild Mushroom Powder AND Pan Fried Mackerel and Squid, Ratatouille Compote, Parsley Crumble, Black Olive Tapenade and Chicken Jus AND Plum Tatin with Apple and Pear Chutney, Caramel Gel, Chocolate Arlette, Shiso and Yoghurt Sorbet). There was a few items I did not like on the menu or was allergic to so they did swap some items over for me which was good. This was a fun night I loved meeting and prepping food with the new people I met and having a laugh with them. Whilst prepping you can help yourself to wine and snacks (hams and cheese) throughout to give you inspiration apparently. Also there is a camera on hand via Aveqia to take photos throughout night which is then uploaded in morning for everyone to download photos from to have a memory of their experience. So you don't have to worry about getting your phone mucky or running out of battery by using your phone etc. Also this way you will all get plenty of varied shots throughout the night of everyone. Usually this experience usually costs £180 each but thankfully for this special VIP event I only paid £10. I really don't think the whole experience is worth £180 each even with all the wine you get given throughout the prepping time and the wine you get paired with the dishes that you eat. I would go back only though if was at a more reasonable price say around £70 maybe. Reason I am however giving this 4 stars this time round rather than 3 in which I gave last time is because I felt the chefs were more humourous and more helpful this time and the company of the people I met at the event made it a even more special experience. So I suppose it also depends on who you meet on the night would make a difference to if you enjoy your time that night or not.