Tag Archives: Covent Garden

NEW Matiere Premiere London Store

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new shop

I have an emotional relationship with perfume, it is usually something I invest in when I travel and want to remember a special trip. Recently I’ve loved Xinu from Mexico City, Strange Invisible from LA’s Venice Beach and Fueguia 1833’s collaboration with Fife Arms in Scotland. It’s rare I fall in love with a scent on home turf… but when I heard Matiere Premiere’s story, and founder Aurélien Guichard’s dedication to the brand, I was completely engrossed. So when I discovered they were opening their first London store, I was one of the first through the doors.

In their own words… “Matiere Premiere creates its perfumes from an overdose of a central natural material, cultivated or chosen for its unique strength. Its raw beauty and texture are brought to the forefront, without compromise or artifice.” Aurélien has created a radical perfumery where he cultivates and picks many of his own ingredients (think roses in the flower fields of Grasse) ensuring a scent that is both powerful and alluring, it truly lingers on your skin all day.

In the sleek Scandinavian-style store the minimalist design allows the product to command all the attention. Smell the raw pure ingredients (I fell hard for Coffee Extract from Venezuela), try the perfumes and get invested in the beautiful range of skin and hair products, and the irresistible candles ~ I highly recommend ‘Rose de Mai’ for a flavour of Provence at home.

I recommend you visit to find yourself a new perfume for Spring ~ ‘Vanilla Powder’ is the most iconic in the collection – a sweet and creamy scent that you can’t help but fall in love with, while ‘Encens Suave’ is a more mellow fragrance that reminded me of incense in church. Or pop in and find a gift for someone special with the genius ‘Discovery Set’ ~ you can hand-pick a selection of MP miniatures, and then the recipient can try them out and choose their favourite to invest in.

The Matiere Premiere perfumes are available to buy online, or in store at the new Covent Garden store. More information here.

Tandoor Chop House, Covent Garden

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It is difficult to find an Indian restaurant to suit everyone. I know some people prefer something upmarket and civilised (and head to Gymkhana), whilst others swear by the long-standing, cheap Indian restaurants that line Brick Lane, believing the food to be more authentic. I like a combination of the two, a comfortable but relaxed restaurant which offers Indian flavours at reasonable prices. And so I was delighted to discover Tandoor Chop House, which effortlessly ticked every box for me.

Tandoor Chop House

The stylish exterior had me immediately excited about what lunch at this new restaurant would be like. Inside, the black and white tiled floor and lavish red leather banquettes assured me further that this new eatery was worth photographing for more than just the food. We settled down at a beautifully lit corner table and ordered a couple of the speciality ‘Star of Bombay’ gin and tonics flavoured with orange, hazelnuts and mint.

Tandoor Chop House

The menu is full of exciting sounding dishes, Indian recipes with a twist of British influence. I always prefer to share an assortment of dishes when it comes to Indian food so I was relieved to find the portion sizes relatively small. Amritsari lamb chops were wonderfully aromatic and tender pieces of meat, the black dahl is a brilliant creamy and comforting vegetarian dish, and Bhaki onion rings are a irresistibly naughty snack. I found the paneer pieces rather too big, which sadly made the cheese rather bland, and the Tandoor broccoli, though delicious in flavour was quite tough to cut through.

Tandoor Chop House

I had been pre-warned about the delicious coal roasted pineapple, so despite feeling rather full we had to order one to share. It was delicious, a sticky and sweet caramelised piece of tropical fruit that was nicely balanced with a creamy honey ice-cream.

As we walked out of Tandoor Chop House I noticed how busy and jolly the rest of the restaurant was… with food this tasty I’m sure the popularity will continue to grow at this charming new Indian eatery.

More information and book a table at Tandoor Chop House here.

Asia de Cuba, St Martin’s Lane

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In the midst of planning a trip to Cuba I received an invite to a new menu sampling evening at Asia de Cuba at St Martin’s Lane London. The event couldn’t have come at a better time. Before sitting down to eat, I spoke to Cuban-born executive chef Luis Pous about the essence of Cuban food and how he elevates the style and flavour for this restaurant in London.

Asia de CubaAsia de CubaAsia de Cuba

Luis has always presented Cuban food with an exotic Asian twist. This season he welcomes a new menu to the restaurant featuring vibrant flavours and exciting ingredients. A large group of food enthusiasts sat down together, mojitos all round, to enjoy the feast and chat about common interests.

Asia de CubaAsia de Cuba

The menu for the evening included delicate cured salmon and tuna ceviche, healthy, fiborous salads and grand boards of grilled meats. Each course arrived as sharing platters for the tables to taste and share.

I loved the Adobo Roasted Chicken salad which was tossed with a mix of baby spinach, snow peas, endive, mung beans, aji Amarillo and miso vinaigrette. It was a lovely contrasting variety of textures and flavours. Of the main courses the Grilled Flank Steak was my favourite, marinated in an addictively moreish sauce of miso ginger butter and shiitake soy reduction. The beef was served with fresh and delicious baby bok choi.

Asia de CubaAsia de CubaAsia de Cuba

A trio of desserts was presented in front of us. Mexican doughnuts with a selection of sauces were demolished instantly! I found the Guava whipped cheesecake the perfect palate cleansing pudding after a big dinner.

Asia de Cuba has a feel of celebration about it. Conveniently located nearby to Theatreland it is a good place to go pre or post theatre for a flavoursome snack and cocktail, or decide blow the budget and go for the luxurious £60 Signature menu.

More information and book a table at Asia de Cuba here.