Oh Sherry, there’s no reason to be all alone anymore! “Culinary alchemist” Heston Blumenthal (of Fat Duck fame), with scientist Professor Don Mottram of Reading University, has discovered a group of compounds known as diketopiperazines (try saying that drunk without offending someone) in Sherry. Apparently, these diketopiperazines are thought to accentuate the taste and flavour of “umami-rich” foods. In case you haven’t caught the blurps, umami is a newly discovered fifth tasting sense beyond......

Saturday morning had Londonist sitting in on a cookery class at “chic and contemporary Indian restaurant” Moti Mahal (near Covent Garden at 45 Great Queen Street, WC2B 5AA). The student/teacher ratio was low (about ten in our class). And, our teacher, head chef Anirudh Arora (aka Chef Ani) was brilliant. His guided tour of Moti Mahal’s thriving kitchen impressed us, as did his mellow yet authoritative manner while sharing his cookery skills. Indeed, the......

Cheers to Dave Hodgkinson, who after winning a pair tix from us for a gourmet food & wine tasting with Jimmy Doherty at Vinopolis was thoughtful enough to post a review of the event on his blog and to give us a heads up. Looks good, Dave. We’re glad you had a good time.......

Last night’s wine tasting at Tsuru simply confirmed what’s become obvious to Londonist: Tsuru is a phenomenal restaurant serving up some of London’s best sushi and Japanese dishes. Beyond that, it helped us realize that, yes, sushi and wine can accompany each other in delicious harmony. The evening featured six wines (three whites and three reds – yes even reds can go with Japanese food) paired with a hearty handful of yummies (tuna and......

Jimmy Doherty from the BBC2 show Jimmy's Farming Heroes will host a gourmet food and wine tasting event at Vinopolis … and Londonist wants you to be there. The event will take place on Sunday 14th September, with sessions at noon and 3pm. Known for his traditional farming methods and rearing rare breed pigs such as Gloucester Old Spots, Saddlebacks and Essex pigs, Jimmy will share his insight about traditional farming in the modern......

This rainy, windy August is really making us yearn for a touch of Gallic charm to lift our summer mood. Of course, we're staying in London so news that the National Theatre is going francophile has got us all of a foux de fafa. If you remember, La Binoche is taking over this September with a headline-grabbing, highly anticipated original performance with contemporary dance superstar, Akram Khan, a retrospective of her prestigious film career......

Back in June, Londonist had a lot of fun pairing sushi with sake at Tsuru, Canvey Street’s excellent little Japanese restaurant and bar that’s a hop, skip and look-both-ways-before-crossing-the-street from the Tate Modern. Well, odds are we’re gonna head back in September for what looks to be an intriguing evening of wine and Japanese food matching on the 17th. Damian Tillson, from Sotheby’s Wine Department, will be on hand to guide folks through six......

With their newly opened kitchen, N1 favourite, Edinburgh Cellars (125 Newington Green Road, N1 4RA) is offering a free bottle of house wine with their Sunday roasts when you book a table of four. They've got lamb, beef, chicken and veggie options. For more info, visit www.theedinburghcellars.co.uk.......

Do your taste buds a favour. Take ‘em on an expedition to La Cave à Fromage at Cromwell Place near the South Ken Tube and treat ‘em to a seasonal selection of the best cheeses (not to mention a gorgeous selection of meats and wines) that you’re apt to find in London. A good time to go might be on a selected Thursday, when La Cave hosts tasting events. And it’s not just your......

Despite the fact that Londonist’s favourite London tapas bar - Laxeiro - wasn’t vending, Tapas Fantasticas at the Old Truman Brewery presented a delicious opportunity to sample some of the best tapas in London as well as some especially gorgeous tapas from the Rioja region of Spain. To wash all those tasty tapas down, about 20 wineries from Rioja were kindly on hand with an impressive range of vino – from perky whites to......

Wethinks the Livingstone doth protest too much. Our former mayor is upset at the suggestion, made by Boris Johnson, that Ken kept a secret stash of liquor with which to get merry with the wives of Windsor and who knows whom else. A comedy of errors it may be (that's enough poor Shakespeare references. Eds.), but Boris claims that, when he first moved into the Thameside offices, he discovered a secret fridge stocked with......

Starting tomorrow and running until 15 June, a rather impressive list of London gastropubs (along with some help from Spain’s Institut del Cava) will offer buy one/get one free glasses of Cava. Sounds like a brilliant opportunity to give this Spanish bubbly a try or to indulge in an extra glass or three if you’re already a fan, not to mention the chance to come across as generous to friends that might be unaware......

The Big Yellow Self Storage Company has just opened the UK’s first wine self storage facility in Fulham, near the Chelsea Harbour Club. In addition to its four floors of self storage, the facility has 1,200 temperature and humidity controlled wine cellars. Prices start at £7.50 per week for an 18 case cellar. 36 and 54 case cellars are also available as well as “full height rooms” with capacity for 500 cases or more. If......

Food and wine. Together? What a concept! Who knew? Apparently, the peeps at the Frontline Club are well aware of this winning combo and will go so far as to conduct a food and wine matching event with their head chef John Taylor and wine author Malcolm Gluck. Taylor’s food: sourced from local, indie producers. Gluck’s vino: picked from the Frontine’s wine list (created by Gluck) to complement to each of Taylor’s courses. Both......

Photography courtesy of chutney bannister via the Londonist pool on Flickr. Interested in your drink-related photos appearing on Londonist? Click here.......

Photo by Phillyist's Matt Johnson, SkyscraperSunset.com, December 19, 2007. Phillyist explored an impending implosion and lived to tell the tale.Gothamist marveled at the city's new NYC-branded condom campaign - especially the use of a Toronto landmark in the advertising. (Also, fun fact: Gothamist turned five years old yesterday.)Tired of the worldwide Scientology protests? Torontoist totally isn't: they covered the big downtown protest the day it happened, and followed up with an examination of all......

There have been big changes at Londonist this year - we've had new staff, a new commenting system and a brand new tagging system installed so we had a lot to celebrate at the Christmas party. And as we're not keen on making trouble for ourselves, only for other people, we thought we would go to a party already arranged for us; last night a hearty party of Londonistas headed off to the Barbican......

Londonist asks that most pressing of daily concerns: where to go on your lunch break. Betjeman’s 44 Cloth Fair EC1A 7JQ Nearest Tube: Farringdon 0207 600 7778 12pm-3pm for Lunch(Monday-Friday) 6pm-9pm for Dinner (Monday-Friday) 12pm-11pm for drinks (Monday-Friday) Map Expect to Pay: £10 or more for lunch Rating: 8 out of 10 Across the street from celebrated Club Gascon (with a list of accolades out its coulis) and hardly more than a belly roll......

2007 is quickly slipping away, and with it the few remaining book events for the year. As most of us are busy buying books for the bibliophiles on our shopping lists rather than reading or going to signings this week, we thought we’d present you with an alternative Book Grocer today. For those of you already finished with your shopping (you overachievers you), the traditional listings follow. If, like Londonist, you go for the......

Will London see snow this Christmas? With the big day just over a week away, we’re into that sweet spot of UK weather prediction somewhere between educated guess and wild speculation. What better time, then, to round up some of forecasters’ mulled wine-fuelled stabs in the dark? Unfortunately for those who like a bit of the white stuff on Christmas (insert Winehouse joke here), meteorologists seem to be in a pessimistic mood this year,......

Last full week before Christmas, we expect your bank account's feeling the strain. All that Christmas shopping and partying taking its toll? If you want to make the most of being out and about before Christmas cabin fever and complete exhaustion set in then we're here to help. Monday: Keep the braincells going through silly season. Go to the free lecture at Gresham College about why our society rewards celebrities, fads and fashions and......

Every day this month the Londonist team will be pointing you in the direction of a Christmas present that (with a bit of luck) you won't already have on your list. Climb up onto our collective lap and we'll see what we can move from our sack to your stockings... A large shop with gorgeous window displays most of us can only look at rather than touch, Fortnum and Mason is a pillar of......

Londonist asks that most pressing of daily concerns: where to go on your lunch break. Queen Boadicea 292-294 St John St EC1V 4PA Nearest Tube: Angel 0207 354 9993 11.30am-Midnight (Monday-Thursday) Midday-2am (Friday-Saturday) Midday-11pm (Sunday) Map Expect to Pay: Under £10 for lunch Rating: 8 out of 10 Ooh wait. Do we have time for one more pub lunch before 2007 comes to a close? Well then, allow us to mention Queen Boadicea. There’s......

This week’s events are top-heavy with poetry readings. Have our novelist friends squirreled themselves away to write tomes in their Christmas cards, we wonder? Monday: Head to the RADA Foyer Bar for a reading from the Poetry School’s third anthology, I am twenty people! All inferences to the contrary, there will actually be six, not twenty, new poets reading from their work. Free, 7.00pm. Tuesday: We were reminded last week that poetry isn’t just......

So this week, we spent all our money on cold remedies and extra balmy tissues for our beleaguered noses. The plan is to be back and fighting fit by Monday so here are some of the things we could all get up to this week for very little wonga. Monday: Call the BBC Ticket Line on 0870 901 1227 and get free tickets for the recording of Clare in the Community - the radio......

Apparently, Christmas means more than chickpeas for folks at Just Falafs, who have introduced a bit of festive cheer by temporarily adding mulled wine and mince pies to their menu. Not very falaf-y, but if these Yuletide extras are as good as their wraps (which we consider a brilliant option for lunch), then we're game for a little tis-the-seasoning. And who can blame Just Falafs for trying to tap into the mindset of all......

Ahoy hoy, book grocery shoppers! The metaphorical book grocer aisles are stocked high with choice meats and sweet confections this December, so whatever your tastes, fill up your shopping cart and gorge yourself on this week’s selection of literary events – they’ll give you much less of a stomach-ache than mince pies. Monday: Revisit Sylvia Plath by attending the aptly named Sylvia Plath Revisited, at the ICA (7pm in the Nash Room £10 nonmembers/£9......

The cold weather - and holiday festivities - descended upon Gothamist. The Rockefeller Christmas tree was lit, Broadway stagehand finally ended their strike, and NASCAR decided to run their victory lap through Times Square. There were disturbing photographs revealing the working conditions in which many city manholes are produced and ninjas were also a hot topic, either robbing homes or entering into alibis. But the city was really rocked by how Rudy Giuliani's visits......

Advent is upon us. Hanukkah starts on Wednesday. Office parties are already everywhere. Tis the season to be jolly, jolly, jolly but we know this can be draining, emotionally and financially. Don't let the state of your wallet throw you over the edge. We can't afford to buy tickets to the BFI IMAX all-nighter next weekend and we're not allowed to enter our own competition. But we can do the following splendid things for......

We were trying to wait till December but it's just no good. It's Christmas, folks and you'd better get your festive shopping pants on. What better way to start than at Old Spitalfields Market this Thursday evening for the launch of "A Merry Different Christmas". Firmly heathen and hedonistic there will be an alternative Christmas service with a helium choir and Reverend Duncan Pritchard, from the Big Love Inflatable Church will sermonise on the......