Events

🍹 Old J Spiced Rum launched Old J Coconut after a social media poll where it won 35% of votes, followed by mango with 21%. Devagiri Estate brings ‘farm-to-table’ teas from Sri Lanka to the UK, aiming for sustainability without raising retail prices. ThinK Wine introduces 200ml prosecco cans with 1g sugar, both organic and vegan, targeting street markets. Real unveils Peony Blush in 250ml cans, a non-alcoholic alternative to sparkling rosé. Disaronno International UK’s Rump@blic offers global rum varieties at 41.5%-43% abv. Mikolasch vodka, founded in 1842 in Ukraine, returns with organic corn and grain vodkas. Ben Lomond Gin introduces a non-alcoholic spirit at 0.5% abv for £22 online. Lonkero launches a Finnish 5.5% abv gin-based 'long drink' in the UK. Eden Mill releases Art of St Andrews 2024 whisky, with amarone and sherry cask maturation. PALMARÁE Gin, at 44% abv and £65, features north African botanicals. Beavertown offers Lunar Melon, a 4.5% abv hazy IPA in cans for £2, or cases of 12 and 24 for £23 and £43.

🍛 Dishoom, a renowned Indian food brand, collaborates with Pastis, a New York café, for a breakfast event. From August 19 to 23 and August 26 to 30, 8-11am, DishoomNYCxPastis will serve breakfast at Pastis’ 52 Gansevoort Street location, which reopened in 2019 after the original site closed in 2014. Dishoom, established in 2010, has expanded to 10 restaurants and two Permit Room spin-offs.

🗡️ Andrew Sheridan's restaurant group, including Restaurant 8 (Liverpool), The Bracebridge (Birmingham), Black and Green (Worcestershire), and Restaurant OXA (Wirral), targeted by blackmailers demanding £2,000 to avoid thousands of fake one-star reviews. The threat was made through WhatsApp. One fake review appeared before being removed. Google and TripAdvisor removed a few fake reviews only after BBC involvement. The group is set to open a sixth restaurant, Dishes, in Prestatyn, North Wales.

🎶 YolanDa Brown to open Soul Mama at The Gantry in September, featuring live music and a menu blending African, Caribbean, and South American flavors. Announced in June 2022 after raising over £248,000 on Kickstarter, the largest for a restaurant on the platform. Relocated from Islington Square to Stratford, Soul Mama will offer comedy and family concerts. Chef Aleandro Brown, trained by Gordon Ramsay, serves dishes like coconut curry and jerk cauliflower. The design includes a central stage, all-day café, cocktails, and local beers.

🏠 Nobu Hospitality launches Nobu Toronto in Canada next month. Designed by Studio Munge, the 10,000-square-foot venue features a two-level restaurant and bar with Japanese-inspired design and Canadian craftsmanship. Key aspects include a 28-foot bronze chainmail chandelier, a 20-seat sake bar, a 140-seat courtyard dining room with a sushi bar and private tasting room, and a 20-seat private dining room. Nobu Hotel Toronto to open in spring 2025.

🍴 Oscar Akgul and Osman Doganozu will open The Cut & Craft Manchester in a Grade II-listed building, the former Manchester and Salford Bank, dating back to 1862. The original Cut & Craft was launched in York in 2018, with Akgul and Doganozu also managing Lucia restaurants in York and Beverley. The Manchester venue will include high-ceilinged spaces and former vaults converted into private dining and entertainment areas, emphasizing quality steak and sustainable seafood. Bruntwood SciTech COO Ciara Keeling expresses excitement for the restaurant's addition to Bond.