A bird ’ s eye view of food and drink in the city
As winter approaches , it ’ s a time to batten down the hatches , put a head under a wing and settle in for the dark nights ahead . It ’ s not a good look for most restaurants , but wait , what ’ s this ? Your gull has spotted has spotted a new dining experience coming out of hibernation .
Amari is the reborn Amarillo , the partnership headed up Mo and Ali from Halisco and Michelin-starred former Murmur chef , Ian Swansain who has been feeding his delicious morsels for private hires and pop ups while simmering ideas for his new Spanish diner in Baker Street . Sourcing local fish and British pigs from farms where they ’ re positively encouraged to run around and have a good time , the vibe is definitely Latin . With excellent pickings for the finer palate , the Serrano and Iberico hams will come from the best Spanish producers while his Halisco fans will still find his legendary tacos on the table . The culture though is more modern British ; the suckling pig will have had a longer life than its local Spanish equivalent , and Ian will be proudly breaking down the beast to make sure there ’ s zero waste .
Hovering over Hove , your gull finds herself in a renovated Victorian terrace with best
Editorial
It ’ s 1996 , possibly 1997 . I ’ m in Regent ’ s Park , London Town , with my best friend , Maxwell Wolf . That ’ s him in the picture . I ’ m reading poetry and Maxwell is indulging his favourite pastime , putting the squirrels back in the tree . He ’ s good at it . He runs after them , they wait till he gets just this close and then … from nowhere they find a tree and run up it . Maxwell jumps up the tree impressively high – he ’ s a fine figure of a hound – but doesn ’ t jump high enough . He looks around , pleased with himself , satisfied that the squirrel is back in the tree . He knows though that the squirrel is just one of many . And they all need to go back in the tree . I have a little fantasy that “ Putting The Squirrel Back In The Tree ” has become an Olympic sport with time trials , different difficulty levels . Well , if breakdancing … when Maxwell lets out a yelp . He ’ s chasing … he ’ s very close … Actually that is very close . I ’ m not sure the squirrel is going to make it .
From nowhere , the squirrel finds the tree ( they really are sneaky ) and runs up it ,
friends , |
Lauren |
menu represents his best finds from the five |
Mullany |
and |
Ben |
different states in south of India , each with |
Smith , also staying at home with their monthly lunch club , The Sunday Joint . Word had already |
completely different cuisines . The Jaffna black pork , a rich and fragrant slow-cooked curry with black pepper , coconut vinegar and pandan combined with dark roasted curry powder from Sri Lanka is a gull favourite , and |
reached |
the |
ears |
also available from Uber Eats . |
of your gull about |
Hopping on a thermal to West Sussex , your |
this |
lovely |
little |
gull finds herself at home at Four . Tucked |
supper club in May this year ; the young gulls in the family , disillusioned with work and lack of work life balance , had heard of this Millenial chef who wanted to prioritise the things she truly enjoys , such as cooking , recipe development and helping people to bond over shared culinary experiences . And so your gull happily flew over to peck at the windows . Spotting a cheffing certificate from Ireland ’ s Ballymaloe Cookery School on Lauren ’ s kitchen wall , your intrepid bird spent a fine Sunday afternoon pecking at the exquisite leftovers , particularly enjoying Lauren ’ s home brews |
away in his own home in residential Worthing , former Smoking Goat chef and single dad , Aaron Dalton is putting food on his own table while his kids sleep upstairs . Your gull followed the aromas of local mackerel and Sussex beef to peck at the windows of his purpose-built kitchen with gull-friendly outside smoke-house and barbecue , and to taste some of the locally sourced slow braised , home-smoked dishes she ’ s scavenged .
As your bird glides home , the sun sets on a glassy sea . The curtains are closed early across town but for a food fan , it ’ s going to be a cosy few months ahead .
|
for a little winter well-being |
boost . |
Over in Portland Road , your |
gull ’ s sticky beak happened |
upon a renovation at The Spice |
Circuit where Kanthi Thamma , |
the former Chilli Pickle chef |
and co-founder of Palmito , |
has just opened the smallest |
restaurant in town . At the back |
of a cocktail bar , he invites just |
four people to a South Indian |
feast at a table in his kitchen , |
a home from home . Cracking |
open the idea that South Indian |
|
food is all about dosas , each
Arroz negro with squid ink allioli from Amari
|
Maxwell hot on his tail . Literally . Maxwell ’ s got the squirrel by the bum . He ’ s excited but this isn ’ t supposed to happen and he doesn ’ t really know what to do next . The squirrel does . He stops running , turns round and bites Maxwell on the nose .
I promised Maxwell I wouldn ’ t say what happened next . We went home and never spoke of it again .
More than any other dog we ’ ve had since Maxwell went to chase the Big Ball In The Sky , Polly has picked up the mantel . She looks like him , moves like him , has the same sense of responsibility ... You should have seen Maxwell when we had our first child . Really , the best babysitter . I can ’ t begin to think what Maxwell Wolf would have made of St . Ann ’ s Well Gardens , a park so laden with squirrels you almost trip over them .
By the time you read this , Polly and Harry will have had their first anniversary with us . It feels like they ’ ve been here forever , but it ’ s barely been a year . Sometimes I wonder whether they can remember their past life
when they were called Freckle and Domino , and lived at the extraordinary Healing Paws Rescue in Greece .
And yes , here comes the serious bit . This is the Xmas issue and it ’ s that time of year when we say yes , get a dog , but remember - as the old phrase has it - a dog is for life , so give the idea some proper thought . And when you realise it ’ ll be the best thing you ever did , get a dog from a rescue centre . Somewhere like Raystede , which is a really good place . Or maybe from further afield , like Healing Paws . There are so many lovely dogs that need rescuing , need a home . So if you ’ re going to do it , do it right .