Tag: dining

Bombshell Bill

“Bombshell revelation” about Bill Clinton dining with Ghislaine Maxwell after she was first accused is a signal he’s likely headed under the bus

Whilst Piers Morgan quite rightly slammed the fact the £15,848 of taxpayers’ money was spent transporting Prince Andrew in a private jet to a golf course as “a disgusting abuse of our money” this morning, news that Bill Clinton had an “intimate dinner” with Ghislaine Maxwell after she was first accused of involvement in sexual abuse is equally outrageous.

Described widely as a “bombshell revelation,” Clinton has neither confirmed nor denied dining with the mucky madam at the Crossroads Kitchen vegan restaurant on Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles in 2014.

Speaking to the Daily Beast, one “friend” of Clinton shared that “claims of Maxwell’s involvement [in abuse] were known to [his] staffers in 2011, when the Daily Mail reported on survivor Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who said Epstein and Maxwell trafficked her to Prince Andrew when she was 17. The report included a photograph of the British royal posing with Giuffre at Maxwell’s London home. In the picture, Maxwell smiles in the background as Andrew grips Giuffre’s bare waist.”

The friend then tellingly added:

“It’s always someone else’s fault, it’s always not true. [The Clintons are] always fighting against the reporting and not that they did it. That’s the problem.”

Elsewhere, other unnamed associates of Maxwell have been telling anyone willing to listen that she will not be “selling out” Prince Andrew, but hint that she will be “naming other big names.” Aside from the allegation of an affair between the former president and ‘Bouncing Bob’s’ daughter that continues to circulate, the repeated denial of visits to Jeffrey Epstein’s ‘Paedo Island’ – when plenty of sources claim otherwise – is actually doing Clinton no favours.

Just as with his “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky” line of defence back in January 1998, Clinton increasingly comes across as someone willing to lie his way out of trouble. Sadly for him, he lay down with dogs in the form of Epstein and Maxwell and now it seems his activities with these fleas are coming back to bite him in the bum.

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Bombshell Bill – Bill Clinton has travelled on private jets with Ghislaine Maxwell, he has dined with her, he has received largesse and donations from her and she even attended his daughter’s wedding.

Bombshell Bill – Piers Morgan quite rightly called out the amount spent flying Prince Andrew to watch a gold championship this morning, but in response some Twitter users highlighted his own links to the mucky madam Ghislaine Maxwell.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBe_guezGGc

September 25, 2020
Stand Up Against Snitch O’Flock

Matthew Steeples condemns the government’s ludicrous new 10pm bar, pub and restaurant curfew and slams the snitch culture of the next likely lockdown

Like sheep we’re being herded towards another lockdown. Our Prime Minister doesn’t dare force us into the pen in one fell swoop, so like the true coward that this miserable cretin is, Bosie The Clown is beginning by slamming closed the doors of bars, pubs and restaurants from 10pm tonight.

Of this strange move (and remember it is not 10pm last orders, but 10pm lights out), one London restaurant owner – who quite rightly wished to remain anonymous given the snitch culture that he expects to start tonight from busybody neighbours and over zealous police officers – told The Steeple Times that though he will abide by the rules, he could not understand the reasoning for them. He commented:

“Why 10pm? Why are bars, pubs and restaurants lumped together? A restaurant with social distancing should be allowed to trade normal hours. Restaurants are primarily about dining rather than drinking and eating involves sitting at tables and not moving. Since seating can be managed and guests can be controlled, what difference does getting rid of them before 10pm or 12 midnight make to the virus? Not much, but what difference does it make to the business… The answer: The fine line between profit and loss.”

Another, the owner of a busy bar and dining spot, added:

“This is another blow to an already damaged sector. We effectively will now have to take last orders for food at around 8.30pm and as 20% of our custom for dinks comes post 10pm, our business just won’t work. That this is going to be in place over our busiest period, Christmas, and for 6 months minimum is a killer. Will we last? I don’t know, but if we close completely, I will have to let 34 people go.”

Just as with the ludicrous rule of seven children not being allowed to gather to feed a duck, whilst thirty men can assemble to shoot it, here is a new draconian imposition that will inevitably not actually achieve anything except damage to the already crippled hospitality sector.

Coronavirus is spreading not because people are dining and drinking in carefully arranged spaces, but more so in care homes and student housing. The numbers suggest that it is the old and the young that are the primary ‘superspreaders’ and not in fact middle aged restaurant goers.

Moving from ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ to ‘Drink Up and Piss Off’ is, in my view, simply stage one of further restrictions on our freedom and a death knell for a significant contributing sector of the economy. We must call out this rudderless government’s totalitarian tactic for what it is and rise up and resist it. Now is the time to support your local venues – but remember: Go early, go often and watch out for the snitches in your midst.

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“More Killjoy Cromwell than Churchill” – The words of a Knightsbridge restaurant owner when asked about his views on Boris Johnson and his government’s 10pm curfew and new desire for a snitch culture.

September 24, 2020
The Hotel Detective and his Lover

Hotel legend Derek Picot’s novel ‘The Hotel Detective and his Lover’ is a perfect easy read for those wishing to enjoy quirky hotel land

Derek Picot is a legend in the world of hoteliers. He has charm and a brilliant eye for detail and now he’s written a novel, The Hotel Detective and his Lover.

Available on Amazon for £10.50 since the 9^th August, ex head honcho at London’s sadly now under renovation Carlton Tower, Picot’s second foray into print – following on from, Hotel Reservations, which was very much a deserved hit in its own right – tells the tale of an internal detective at a fictional hotel on The Strand.

Complete with characters drawn from his own real-life experiences in the industry and quite a bit of action in the suites, this is a book that is fun and it is one that makes for a perfectly delightful read. You’ll find skullduggery, deviousness and dining on its pages and you’ll marvel at a world that has sadly long since been eroded by multi-national chain blandness of Hiltons and Intercontinentals.

In the days of dullness of coronavirus lockdowns, we need to remember the fun times of the past and in Picot’s work, you’ll find something refreshing. Here is a book that has, as the author’s restaurateur friend Philip Lawless commented to The Steeple Times, “had names changed to protect the innocent, yet not has lost the authenticity of something of Agatha Christie’s At Bertram’s Hotel.”

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‘The Hotel Detective and his Lover’ is set in a fictional hotel on The Strand; The Savoy, of course, is the only real hotel of any note on that street, but Picot’s creation is an utterly fascinating concoction of intrigue.

August 23, 2020
Magnificent Madeleine

Matthew Steeples suggests the utterly charming Chez Madeleine as the best place for seafood in Saint Tropez, France

To those that aspire to be Mary Berry, Saint Tropez is famous for its Tarte Tropézienne – created in a bakery in the main square in the 1950s by Alexandre Micka, a young Polish baker, and made famous by Brigitte Bardot’s obsession with it subsequently in the 1960s – and to the flash with wads of cash, this is a summer spot that is all about hedonism and high fashion.

If you want Celine, Dior, Hermès, Loro Piana or Louis Vuitton, in Saint Tropez you will find yourself in your idea of heaven and in terms of dining, the coastal town is primarily divided between restaurants that cater to tacky tourists and dining destinations that pander to the cravings of the super, super ultra rich. However, for those desiring something a little more authentic there’s a wonderful little oyster bar hidden behind a small fish market named Chez Madeleine that you simply just couldn’t fail to fall in love with.

Owned and operated by a delightful lady named Garance Fonquerne and her family since December 2019, Chez Madeleine is certainly petite. With just a few bar stools, it’s a quick pitstop for some but, if you linger, you’ll soon discover the charm of this dining destination is based upon its atmosphere and jolly staff.

Garance is thoroughly French, but her father runs a hair salon in London’s Gloucester Road. She was educated partly in South Kensington and as such has an ability to click with her international clientele. Here, indeed, is a hostess exceptionnelle and someone whose dining spot is deservedly buzzy.

Featuring primarily a menu of oysters including the Josephine and the Gillardeau – both famously farmed by the family of the latter name since the 19^th century. As you sit observing these delights being shucked, you’ll soon realise the truth of Andrew Carnegie’s quote on this most delectable of shellfish: “The first man gets the oyster, the second man gets the shell” as you then witness the suave staff of the ‘have yachts’ arrive to collect stunningly presented takeaway baskets of such for their masters to consume on their nearby gin palaces.

Offered here also is king crab, prawns, salmon and caviar and washed down in the sunshine with a bottle of rose, you’ll also realise you’ve found the best thing in life in Chez Madeleine: A simple, yet utterly glorious culinary paradise.

Chez Madeleine, 14 Place aux Herbes, 83 990, Saint Tropez, France. Telephone: +33 (0) 9 52 04 39 47. Instagram: @la.fine.equipe.chez.madeleine

Pictured top: Garance Fonquerne outside Chez Madeleine.

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August 20, 2020
Bow Wine Vaults Back

Acclaimed restaurateur Philip Lawless to reopen Square Mile institution and haunt of city financiers the Bow Wine Vaults on Monday

Situated next to the Sir Christopher Wren designed church of St Mary-le-Bow, the Bow Wine Vaults on the corner of Bow Churchyard and Bow Lane in EC4M has long been a favoured haunt of City titans.

Like all restaurants and bars in the UK, it was forced to close for the first time ever for a significant period because of the coronavirus lockdown, but on Monday it will reopen once again.

Proprietor since 1987, Philip Lawless – a well-known personality in hospitality in Belgavia, the City of London and Mayfair since he came to London in the 1950s – told The Steeple Times:

“It’s going to be exciting to reopen after three months and to welcome back both our regulars and new faces.”

“We have put in place careful measures to meet government requirements, but we’re glad to report we’ve got bookings for the whole week.”

“In a funny way, I’m looking forward to seeing how this new experience will work.”

With a bar, bistro and outdoor dining terrace, here is a place that will once again resound with the sound of City sorts at work and at play. They will be a little more socially distanced than before, but those craving the best comfort food post-lockdown will certainly be delighted that the Bow Wine Vaults will be once again be back to business.

Bow Wine Vaults, 10 Bow Churchyard, London, EC4M 9DQ. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7248 1121. Reopens Monday 6^th July from 11am.

Pictured top: The terrace of the Bow Wine Vaults; it will, of course, have social distancing measures in place from Monday.

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Proprietor Philip Lawless looks forward to welcoming customers old and new to the Bow Wine Vaults from Monday 6th July.

The bar of the Bow Wine Vaults has been a renowned haunt for City dealmakers for generations.

The Bow Wine Vaults stand next to the church of St Mary-le-Bow, a famous City landmark. Its bells are referenced frequently in the story of ‘Dick Whittington and His Cat’ and in the nursery rhyme ‘Oranges and Lemons’ whilst, if tradition is to be believed, a ‘true Cockney’ must be born within earshot of the sound of the bells.

July 2, 2020
Three of the Best – Things to Get You Through Lockdown

Matthew Steeples highlights three things that are keeping him going through coronavirus lockdown living (aside from not running out of gin)

Having found myself ensconced in East Anglia for five weeks now –never did I imagine myself staying in a rural place so long – and having not actually got into a car or visited a town in that period, I busy my days reading, writing and walking a bit. It’s been especially strange not to physically see friends and I can’t say I’ve fathomed ‘House Party,’ but my telephone device has certainly seen more Bob Hoskins-esque “It’s Good To Talk” action than ever before.

Whilst most people will tell you Netflix has been their best source of entertainment during this period and I will most certainly join them in commending ‘binge watching’ Ozark, I’ve found time to do things that I’ve always put-off such as clear out my iPhone’s address book and chuck out paperwork I’m never going to actually get round to dealing with. It’s been a time to read and reflect and an opportunity to listen to music a little more often and here follows a few other ‘lockdown discoveries’ of mine that you might find useful:

Harvey Nichols

Nobody would imagine that Patsy and Edina’s favourite shop, Harvey Nichols, would be the bargain food and drink store of the lockdown, but given they don’t charge for next-day delivery wherever you are in the UK and there’s no minimum spend, here is an unbeatable service. Unlike some greedy online booze retailers (some of whom have actually increased their prices and introduced preposterously high delivery charges to coincide with us all being stuck at home), you can get a bottle of the heather-hinted, 43% ABV Edinburgh Gin for just £32, a jar of highly addictive ginger and chilli jam for £3.95 or an utterly delicious asparagus and shrimp risotto that feeds two for just £5.95. Add half a glass of white wine and Bob’s Your Uncle and Fanny’s Your Aunt.

Podcasts and Radio Plays

I’ve become addicted to true crime podcasts such as Murder Mile (in spite of the most recent one I listened to being about the appalling murder of my late friend Robert Troyan in Mount Street Mayfair in 2013) in the last weeks. An especially gritty and somewhat grim example is The Clearing, an eight-episode serialisation based on the crimes of the American serial killer Ed Edwards (AKA ‘Wayne’ Edwards) that has been lauded by the Guardian as “an immense achievement.”

Equally gripping, if you haven’t heard it already (I’m listening to it for a second time), is BBC Radio 4’s rerun of GF Newman’s The Corrupted. Featuring a fictional dodgy MP interacting with real political figures from the past including Margaret Thatcher and Douglas Hurd, here is something for political geeks to get their teeth into before the ‘B-word’ again raises its ugly head once coronavirus fades into the background.

‘The Quiz’ on Facebook

Some of us were already playing before orders to stay indoors arrived, but the ‘Quiz Planet’ app on Facebook has proved a charming way to interact with friends from near and afar. Some of the questions do border on the inane and others have induced a Major Charles Ingram-esque cough on my part, but if you want to while away the hours, do sign up and if you want someone to thrash, try challenging me.

And Then… What’s Next?

Most of all, of course, what will really keep you going through all this is this: A day will soon come when you’ll again be eating, drinking and being merry with your nearest and dearest at your very favourite establishment. Whether you fancy fish and chips or a bottle of Chablis (or both), it’ll come and it’ll come not a moment too soon.

For now, do heed the words of the late Mr Hoskins: “What men call chatter, really does matter. It’s about being a friend. Having the time to listen. It’s what makes the world goes round.” Call a friend or, if you’re not a technophobe like me, ‘give’ them a Zoom.

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April 24, 2020
Not Such A Lucky Strike

Coronavirus has proved a double blow to restaurateur Keith McNally: First he got the virus himself and now his original restaurant has closed permanently due to it

Currently recovering from coronavirus himself, restaurateur Keith McNally sadly will not be able to fulfill a wish he made in November 2019 of having his last meal at his oldest restaurant, Lucky Strike. He’s just shut it for the final time and blamed the global pandemic for the French-American bistro’s demise.

Of why the “Soho staple” at 59 Grand Street, near West Broadway in New York – which opened in 1989 – has closed permanently, McNally told Eater:

“Due to the COVID-19 crisis, I was unable to find a way to make Lucky Strike work financially. This decision was particularly difficult since many of Lucky Strike’s wonderful staff have worked for me for over 20 years, and some of the customers have been coming since the day we opened: 31 years ago.”

In the same interview last year where he talked about having one last “steak au poivre medium rare” before going to meet his Maker, McNally waxed lyrical about Lucky Strike more generally and in conversation with Food & Wine’s Regina Schrambling commented:

“When I opened Lucky Strike, it was far easier to build a restaurant than nowadays. There weren’t these absurdly strict health rules that are designed as much to rake in money for the city as to make eating in restaurants safer.”

In spite of McNally openly sharing knowledge that Lucky Strike didn’t make a profit as long ago as 2016, he was honest about why he kept it open. “I like the staff…I am fond of all of them,” he stated, but now, sadly, for these pour souls, they’ve only got left GoFundMe left as a means of survival. Meanwhile, on Instagram, of why Lucky Meal had served its last meal, the “Restaurateur Who Invented Downtown’ concluded: “Greedy landlord during lockdown syndrome.”

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April 17, 2020
Churchillian Boisdale

Boisdale prepares for celebration of ‘Victory Over CV19’ with the launch of fourteen ‘war bonds’ to be redeemed when gastronomes can again gather

With outposts in Belgravia, Bishopsgate, Canary Wharf and Mayfair, Boisdale is a London institution where the late, great Baroness Trumpington – a legend known best for once sticking her fingers up in Churchillian fashion at a fellow peer in the House of Lords when she took umbrage at some nonsense he was spouting – was given a prize for writing an article titled: “If I ruled the world” in 2015.

Baroness Trumpington and Sir Winston Churchill both enjoyed sticking their fingers up at things they did not like; they’d both have given the finger to COVID-19.

Now, like all restaurants throughout the land, Boisdale is sadly temporarily shut, but its affable and somewhat eccentric proprietor Ranald Macdonald has decided to prepare his customers for the better days that will be with us soon.

Presented as ‘war bonds’ and featuring imagery of Churchill, the celebratory ‘Victory Over CV19’ vouchers on offer include everything from two whole lobster thermidors or a 20oz Scottish chateaubriand for two with four side dishes for just £75 (usually £120) to a private victory party with food and wine to the value of £2,000 for just £1,500.

Those wanting a real steal can opt for a £295 ‘Belvedere and caviar’ bond with 200g grams of Russian Oscietra caviar and a whole bottle of vodka to wash it down with (normally £695), but sadly the only thing Macdonald cannot provide is Churchill’s very own presence. When coronavirus is banished, the greatest ever wartime leader would have most definitely have reused the remark: “In victory I deserve it. In defeat I need it” as the very first champagne cork goes pop.

To buy Boisdale ‘Victory Over CV19 War Bonds’ click here.

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April 16, 2020
Simplifying Sunday Lunch (in Chelsea)

Chelsea favourite No. Fifty Cheyne is now offering its Sunday lunch menu “in the comfort of your own home… with only very little further cooking needed”

For those stranded in Chelsea and its environs during the coronavirus lockdown looking to want to have a bit of time off from their kitchen this Sunday, Iain Smith, the head chef at No. Fifty Cheyne, “has prepared a special menu… with only very little further cooking needed” that can be delivered direct to your home.

Available to order via Uber Eats at just £25 per head, you could be having roast chicken with glazed vegetables, Yorkshire puddings and gravy without all the fuss. Orders can be placed from 10am to 2pm.

For those looking for fine restaurant food at home during the week, No. Fifty Cheyne – which was described in 2019 as “a good laugh and definitely romantic” by Grace Dent in the Guardian and having a “remarkable feel of settled ease” by the Evening Standard’s David Sexton – has the answer also. They are now offering a daily menu that includes a fillet of beef with salt-baked beetroot and truffled creamed potato (£29.50) and pan-fried pollock with potato and leek, cockle velouté and milk crumble (£26) from Monday to Friday.

Hampers (from £59.50) and wine (from £32 to £215 per bottle) can be supplied by the restaurant and in addition, shortly, home essentials including lavatory roll and rubber gloves will be available as well.

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April 4, 2020
Riccardo’s Responds

Riccardo’s restaurant in Chelsea leads the way in showing community mindedness during the coronavirus outbreak

Across the land small businesses are doing their bit for their communities and a case in point in Chelsea comes in the form of Riccardo’s, the popular Tuscan style Italian restaurant on Fulham Road.

Owner Riccardo Mariti, having had to close for seated lunch and dinner service, has most helpfully turned his premises into a deli and is offering a delivery service also. Not only is the restaurant selling standard items such as pizza and organic chicken from the Rhug Estate in North Wales, but they also offer lavatory roll at £2 per pack (limited to one per order), fresh milk, mixed fruit and vegetables, fresh meat and wine also. Food and other items can either be delivered or collected.

Whilst many others are providing such, Riccardo’s is going one stage further and is also offering use of their maintenance crew to help with shopping and emergency repairs in the locality as well. Here, indeed, is a fine example of selflessness and here is a business that deserves to be saluted. If you’re nearby, here’s a far better solution than facing the queues at Sainsbury’s.

Riccardo’s, 126 Fulham Road, Chelsea, London, SW3 6HU. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7370 6656. To see what is available and order, click here.

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March 26, 2020