Photo by Simon Goyne

Despite its popularity in the US, bourbon (and its fellow American whiskies) hasn’t found much popularity in the UK. The Stateside design firm Teroforma wants to change that by spotlighting these American spirits at its Colonial Common pop-up during the London Design Festival. Running for nine days,  Teroforma bills Colonial Common as “a filling station” where visitors can experience American bourbon and whiskies in many ways. The Common is bound to be a design-laden experience too. The Shoreditch space will feature a speakeasy-type bar setup, as well as a culinary tasting room and product showcase featuring Teroforma’s famous Whisky Stones, as well as other limited edition pieces designed specifically for the Colonial Common.

Photo by Simon Goyne

The pop-up will also include live bluegrass from bands such as the Lands End Trio and The Barker Band (pictured). Food and cocktails will be available from vendors specialising in American Southern fare such as Beard to Tail, Joe’s Southern Chicken, and Anna Mae’s while the whiskey and bourbon tasting will be conducted by bartenders from Aqua at the Shard, Lockhard, Milk and Honey and Social Eating House.
The Colonial Common is running in conjunction with London Design Festival until September 22nd and is free to enter. It is located at 1 Kingsland Road, Shoreditch, E2 8DA from 4-9pm. For more info, visit: http://www.colonialcommon.com/

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White walls, wooden decor and urban-inspired design scream modern London; in fact, you probably wouldn’t guess it was a Mexican food outlet. However, the contemporary interior allows the food to take centre stage.

With an ordering process, reminiscent of Subway, you can pick various elements to add to your meal, with burritos, nachos, tacos on offer. As for fillings, there’s three types of rice to choose from, plus various beans and meats including seasoned steak, tender marinated pork as well as a veggie option of chargrilled vegetables, tofu and fresh guacamole.

Named by ES magazine as having one of the best burritos in London, I chose to give the chicken version a test run. Tightly wrapped, and deeply filled with parsley rice, beans, and cheese, I happily received the hefty portion. The chicken had a wonderful grilled flavour plus a bit of chilli kick too, but at £6.10, it could be seen as little pricier than the popular Wahaca version, which also comes with a side of tortilla chips.

The drink selection is limited to four options, starting from £1 (including different flavours of homemade aqua frescas) going up to £4.50 for frozen margaritas. There aren’t any sweet snacks on offer either, but as a quickie lunch hotspot; Poncho No 8 is a pretty decent option. Catering for the hungry and impatient customer, here’s a no-frills yet modern outlet that just prides itself on offering real Mexican food – what more could you want? (Monique Todd)

Price: £££££

For more information, visit www.poncho8.com

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