TUESDAY 20 JULY, 2010

Lick This
New gelato joints giving fro-yo a kicking.

If you’ve spent most of the last month sitting prostrate in front of a desk fan or with your tongue in the freezer, you’re not alone. Summer in the city is leaving us sweaty, sticky and certainly gritty – so what better way to cool down than with a sweet frozen treat?

Whilst last season’s spate of frozen yoghurt joints had us singing their low-cal praises, we can’t help but feel that the identikit Oreo toppers and shards of strawberries are leaving us a little uninspired (though if you’re still interested, Yu-foria have opened up on Beak Street and pretender to the Snog crown, Frog, is serving up in Queensway).

So we’re looking to a new crop of proper Italian gelato joints to get our tastebuds tingling. Covent Garden favourite Scoop opened up on Brewer Street this summer and was swiftly joined by Gelupo, Bocca di Lupo’s sweeter sister. We love the gelato stuffed cannolis and twisted take on ice-cream sandwiches in brioche buns. Then there’s Dri Dri, the brand new Portobello parlour opened by a Harvard Business alum, with the chicest cone-clad door mistress we’ve ever seen (now that’s good marketing sense). Flavours include Biscotto (cookies and cream), Nocciola (hazelnut) and Stracciatella (chocolate chip), with ingredients sourced from the finest suppliers and containing less fat than your bog-standard 99er. 

We can think of worse ways to engage your tongue this summer – can’t you? Wait... don’t answer that. 

Info
Dri Dri
189 Portobello Road, W11 2ED

Gelupo
7 Archer Street, W1D 7AU

Scoop
53 Brewer Street, W1F 9UY

TOP THREE Bars for … Experimenting
Three of London’s best bars for experimental cocktails

There are certain moments in life when nothing quenches quite like a cold beer. There are those times when it’s a Martini or even a gin and tonic. But then there are those occasions in life when one really ought to live a little; to drink outside the box, as it were. Foams and infusions, essences and caviars, the drinks scene in London is in a very special place right now. Here our top three cocktail bars of the moment getting experimental on our tastebuds.

Check out the bars…

Wine Chap’s Wine Tips: July
Bring a bottle with the BYO Club or trust the experts at 28°–50° Wine Workshop?

It’s all very well picking a restaurant with excellent wines - but even then, fighting your way through a ten page winelist can still be a bit of a ‘mare. Which is why UJ’s own WineChap recently popped over to the gorgeous 28°-50° Wine Workshop Kitchen to pick his four favourite bottles to make your life even easier. Could it get any more simple? Well, I suppose you could you just join the snazzy, new BYO Club and, y’know, BYO…

Here are the WineChap recommendations…

DRINK – Celebrate Columbia’s Independence with cocktails and a carnivalesque festival at Vinopolis. 6:30-11:30pm, 1 Bank End, SE1 9BU. £35.

SEE – Dover Street Market’s Tachiagari make-over is complete with cool new spaces to discover. 11am-6:30pm, 17-18 Dover Street, W1S 4LT. Free Entry.

TALK – Jonathan Ross hosts a Q&A with Ghost Stories’ creators after tonight’s show. 8pm, Duke of York’s Theatre, St Martins Lane, WC2N 4BG. £15.

TOMORROW – Get down to Culture Label’s exclusive product preview of hot new stock. 10am-4pm, Beach Blanket Babylon, 19 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA. Free.