On a recent visit, we worked our way through a beautiful, generous selection of dishes,  fragrant with mouth-watering spices. Our favourites were the “camarao alho e oleo”, a delicious serving of garlic chilli prawns; the “frango a passarinho”, crunchy, moreish chicken pieces served with a lime mayo; and the vegetarian “Abobrinha recheada” a delicately-flavoured dish of courgette stuffed with artichoke and mushrooms.

The desserts were just as impressive. A chocolate truffle (or “Brigadeiro”) was sticky and rich, packing a lot of flavour for such a modest serving.  At two quid each, we’d recommend going for a couple. And the passionfruit cheesecake (Cheesecake de maracuja) was tangy and lush, everything you’d expect of a worthwhile finale. So if you’re new to Brazilian food or wanted to get a taste of the culture, Made in Brasil Boteco should be on the hit-list. The great prices are a bonus!

For more information visit www.madeinbrasilboteco.co.uk

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For more info, visit: www.vq24hours.com

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As for the eats and drinks, The Tamale Shack will be dishing up the Mexican classic aplenty, while  Stav B will be hosting the bar, knocking out bourbons with the creative skill and precision this pop-up liquor bar has become known for. Just make sure you sign up for membership  at Kansas Smitty’s ASAP so this weekend you can let the good times roll.

Apply for Kansas Smitty’s membership at: www.kansassmittys.com
For tickets visit: www.billetto.co.uk/kansassmitty

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Arts & Culture

Exhibitions on Film: Jiro Dreams of Sushi at Somerset House, September 5th – To mark the elBulli: Ferran Adrià and The Art of Food exhibit, the Gourmand will be hosting a final screening of food-related docs, this time resurrecting the charming Jiro Dreams of Sushi.  The 2011 film follows the life of a 85-year-old sushi master who runs an internationally-renowned, Michelin-starred restaurant  in a Tokyo subway station.

Alternative

Run to the Beat, September 8th –  Described as the capital’s “music half-marathon”, a selection of DJs and a headline act will be dotted along the 13.1 mile course which starts and finishes at Greenwich Park. So head over to cheer on your fellow Londoners and shake a leg!

Music

The Do-Over, September 8th – With the help of partystarters Boglewaltz, Adidas Originals has been these throwing these free US style block parties in the capital for the last couple of years (click here to see the 2011 edition). They’re back again for those who register quick enough to get on the guestlist, so with past surprise guests like  Questlove, Little Brother’s Phonte and Damian Marley,  you might not want to miss this…

Eat & Drink

Butler’s Wharf Blackout and Blackout Banquet, September 6th-15th  – As part of this year’s Mayor’s Thames Festival, four riverside restaurants at the Wharf will be flicking their switches from 8:30pm so you can enjoy dining in the dark (or at least at candlelight). There will also be a pop-up  banquet table serving a rotating menu of dishes from the  Le Pont de La Tour, Cantina del Ponte, Blueprint Café and Butler’s Wharf Chophouse.

Cinema 

Fashion Film Festival, September 15-17 – Silent Cinema are turning their head(phones) to London Fashion Week this month with an inspired mini-fest in St Martin’s Courtyard.  For three nights, they’ll be screening Zoolander, Grey Gardens and The September Issue and it won’t cost you a cent.

Arts & Culture

Under Her Skin at Atomica Gallery, Hackney Downs Studios, September 12-30th – This group show marks the first anniversary of Things&Ink magazine with an exhibition of the work of 12 female tattoo artists who’ve appeared in magazine.  The launch party takes place on September 12th – and there will be free cocktails!

Best bits from last month

• What we’ve been up to… W Does Brunch at W Hotel, Leicester Square
• Somewhere you should go… Portobello Film Festival 2013
• What we’ve been up to… Groove On Down The Road
• Somewhere you should go… the Cave of Sounds at Hack the Barbican Festival
• Something you should see… Siobhan Davies presents ROTOR

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I stayed in Chungking Mansions on Nathan Street, Kowloon, home to hundreds of guest houses and ideal for travellers on a tight budget. On average, a single room will cost around $200 HK (approximately £18) a night. The accommodation is cell-like, just room for a tiny bed, a TV, and nothing else, though there is usually space under the bed to store your belongings. The rooms are generally clean, but you get what you pay for.

As for food, there’s no shortage of good Indian food in and around Chungking, but I was craving some greasy noodles and dumplings. The area surrounding Jordan Station is great for cheap local food, especially if you visit the night market. For awesome wonton and beef noodles, I highly recommend Mak Kan Kee. I also have to give a shoutout to Ned Kelly’s Last Stand Pub in Kowloon for inviting me to play drums with their phenomenal jazz band.

Pic: Carys Jones

If you find yourself in Hong Kong, a trip to Lantau Island is a must. On my second outing there, I took the subway to Tung Chung Station then rode the cable car to the Po Lin monastery and the gigantic Tian Tan Buddha, more colloquially known as the ‘Big Buddha’. From there we took the number 21 bus to Tai O Fishing Village where I was told we could see pink dolphins if we were lucky, but unfortunately we didn’t spot any.
I’ve been told that one of the must-see attractions is The Peak. The best way to get there is by tram, but when I attempted to visit there was over an hour wait. I began to hike alongside the tram route, but as summer dresses and sandals don’t make for good hiking gear, especially in 34 degree weather and 69 per cent humidity, I eventually gave up and went to the nearby botanical gardens instead.

Pic: Carys Jones

My next destination will be Shanghai. Word of advice, if you’re travelling to mainland China you will need a visa. These are easily obtainable from most travel agents in Hong Kong, but don’t make the rookie error I made and leave it until the last minute (I applied on a Friday, I needed the visa for the following Tuesday) as you could end up paying up to quadruple the base price.

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Jazzy music warms up the atmosphere,  service is prompt and friendly and the menu offers a few delights that come highly recommended, like the scotch egg ( served with fresh piccalilli and the yolk is gorgeously soft).  Elsewhere, the salmon foursome of rillet, smoked, confit and caviar with melba toast is a generous pick, though only falls short by being a little salty.

Starters aside, the mains like the 3-5 day air hung rib-eye steak with hand cut chips  expectedly deliver – can’t go wrong, really? – and the 8 oz braised beef burger packs an extra punch with its Hunter sauce, bacon and cheese and caramelised onions. It’s colossal too.

It was very hard to resist dessert, especially as a good pecan pie can be hard to come by – and Hunter’s took me back to the kind my neighbours would bake when I was a kid in Texas – while the apple and mixed berry crumble with homemade custard is as perfect as it sounds.  To top things off, a three-course meal comes up to little under £30 which is decent for quality grub, and if you throw in a warming house red like the Esperanza Merlot, you’ll be sure to have a memorable evening at a pub that won’t be exclusive to the hip locals for long. (Words: Matilda Egere-Cooper) 

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I’d been to Soho’s swankiest dim sum restaurant before, on a couple of occasions, but due to no fault of theirs always left with a sense of melancholy; I won’t labour the point but let’s just say unrequited romance was involved and I’d come to feel that Yauatcha and I were jinxed. This time I was with my purely-platonic pal Eliot, so there was no danger of me leaving with a heavy heart, and could appraise the experience rather less partially than on my previous visits.

Opened by uber-restaurateur Alan Yau – he of Wagamama and Busaba fame, as well as Hakkasan and Sake No Hana – in 2004, Yauatcha is a sleek, sprawling two-floor space designed by French king of cool Christian Liaigre. The ground floor tea room (although to call it such is rather like calling Harrods a corner shop) is a light, bright room done out in minimalist grey and black with accents of blue including the glass front wall; downstairs is a dark, sexy jewel-coloured dining room with acres of lacquer and a twinkling ceiling. We were seated in the former; the unsuitability of the low-slung seating for two chaps both 6’3″ and over is all I can find to fault about the design…

…To read the rest, click here to visit Hugh Wright’s blog, Twelvepointfivepercent.com – London Restaurant Reviews Of Real Discretion. 

Follow Hugh on Twitter: @HRWright

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WigWamBam is at the Queen of Hoxton, 1-5 Curtain Road, and is open Monday to Friday 4-10pm and Saturday 6-10pm until March 2012. More information can be found here: www.queenofhoxton.com (Words: Clare Ebberson) 

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The cafe’s also renown for its tasty food too (you can smell the outdoor BBQ a mile a way!), so where other East End haunts might be a bit try-hard to win custom, Cafe 1001 is an effortless spot for good eats and tunes, that’s got a little something for everyone. (Words: Hollie Hines)

For more info visit www.cafe1001.co.uk

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