February 9, 2010 | New Food and Packaging | by The Urban Grocer |
From a small Madrid-based boutique chocolatier comes the fantastic ChocoLate Orgániko. Made of 100% organic chocolate sourced in the Caribbean, the brand boasts too many cool sweets to list. But, we’ll still try. There’s green anise, fleur de sel, olive oil, and Ethiopian coffee beautifully paired with rich, deep dark chocolate. Read more
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February 4, 2010 | Cool Travel | by The Urban Grocer |
Think of cheese and it’s typically the French or Swiss that come to mind. Not the Brits. Or is it? Thanks to a growing group of talented, enthusiastic, and young artisanal cheesemakers in the UK, it seems Britain is claiming the throne. Of cheese, that is. One place showcasing England’s new energy of cheesemaking is Neal’s Yard Dairy, based in London. Here, the fine work of over 70 organic artisanal cheesemakers is carefully selected from farms through Britain and Ireland. At their Old England style boutique shops, wheels and chunks sit perched, piled upon one other and sorted in the shelves forming a sort of mouldy rind wallpaper. Read more
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February 3, 2010 | New Products | by The Urban Grocer |
Most people crochet hats, gloves, and scarves. Clare Crespo, however, knits oysters on the half shell, hamburgers, sushi, and smoked salmon. Yup, it’s yarn intended to make your mouth water. In her latest collection, Crespo’s creative talent is focused on Mardi Gras, that infamous New Orleans carnival celebrated in her native Louisiana. Traditional, hyper-local eats, like seafood gumbo, beignets, catfish poboys, and soft shell crabs, have made their way into her inventive crocheted ode to the city. Read more
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January 28, 2010 | New Eco | by The Urban Grocer |
Inventive, quirky, and a creative force in the Canadian wine industry: this is Blasted Church Vineyards. Taking its name and imagery from the true story of a mining era church that was dismantled by dynamite then moved to town where the vineyard now lies, this small estate winery is a true tour de force. The whimsical cartoon like design, originally developed by the cool cats at Vancouver-based marketing and design shop Brandever Strategy, reinvented the vineyard a few years back, turning Blasted Church into one of Canada’s most celebrated wineries. Read more
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January 27, 2010 | New Food and Packaging | by The Urban Grocer |
It’s official: Macarons are the new cupcakes. Tremendously colorful, bursting with flavor, and available in a range of tastes from classic to quirky, it’s clear why they’re the urban foodies must-have of 2010. And one hot spot gaining heaps of accolades for its crisp-on-outside, soft-on-the-inside version of these meringue-based biscuits is Baroque Patisserie, nestled in Sydney. Read more
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January 27, 2010 | Cool Travel | by The Urban Grocer |
Situated between the hip El Born and Barceloneta neighborhoods in always stylish Barcelona, Spain is an unassuming narrow boutique where shelves are lined with all things olive. Here at aptly named OLIVE, Delicatessen del Mediterraneo, an awe-inspiring collection of olive oils sit beside a plethora of olive-oil based cosmetics, soaps, creams, gels, and any other olive-related product one can dream up. Sourced mainly from Spain, in addition to France and Italy, this olive smorgasbord is headed up by a charming Frenchman who also pushes organic cosmetics and chic kitchen design goods. So next time you’re keen on taking up a Mediterranean diet, make a b-line to Barcelona to stock up at OLIVE’s.
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January 22, 2010 | New Food and Packaging | by The Urban Grocer |
If you’ve ever romanticized about exploring the tastes of India on a train, then Bangalore Express in London is your kind of joint. Here, contemporary Indian cuisine is served to heaps of young and enthusiastic Londoners, within an interior that unabashedly mimics train booths — only more sleek and modern. Linear grooved walls with abstract painted blocks, tube steel ladders, and double height booths create the coach-vibe though a real sense of intimacy still remains. Read more
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January 20, 2010 | New Food and Packaging | by The Urban Grocer |
Butter is so 1979. These days, it’s all about olive oil. But not just any olive oil; organic, Slow Food, artisanal, extra-virgin olive oil, of course. Still, that’s not always enough. To this, add one a world renowned designer and you’ve got one of the most in vogue kitchen-must haves: LA Organic. A hundred years ago Spanish nuns near Andalusia were producing olive oil from century old trees. Today, those same stellar groves provide LA Organic with their sumptuous olive oil. Using old-school methods, the artisans behind LA Organic create top-notch oil, continuing in the region’s traditions and in celebration of the land. Read more
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January 18, 2010 | New Food and Packaging | by The Urban Grocer |
Vintage pin-up girls cunningly hug curvaceous bottles of Schweppes’ recently launched Limited Edition Collection. To celebrate its historic style, Schweppes’ Ginger Ale, Lemonade, Soda Water, and Indian Tonic Water, are all swanked up with authentic, rarely-seen pin-up muses hailing from the 1920s to the 1950s. Created in collaboration with Australian-based design agency DiDonato, this limited series is one of two ranges released by Schweppes in honor of its chic heritage and sophisticated past. In its Fashion Range, developed exclusively by Australian fashion designer Toni Maticevski, a contemporary approach to the old-school Schweppes style is taken, echoing enduring style and spirit. Sadly, the collection is not enduring but limitedly available for a short time at select bars, restaurants, and cafes.
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January 18, 2010 | Cool Travel | by The Urban Grocer |
With a chic interior, solid coffee, and enthusiastic team running the joint, Dead Man Espresso in South Melbourne is unsurprisingly boasting a loyal following of addictive fans. The minimalist interior, with long communal tables and perches lining the front windows, creates the perfect laid back vibe for enjoying their house blend espressos and weekly changing single-origin coffees. Read more
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January 16, 2010 | New Trends | by The Urban Grocer |
While some vineyards work hard for high ratings, others are working to empower individuals. South African-based Thandi Wines wholly embraces the latter. As the first ever all black owned and operated vineyard in the world — not to mention the first Fair Trade-certified vineyard, too — Thandi fights to strengthen previously disadvantaged communities. Read more
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January 15, 2010 | New Food and Packaging | by The Urban Grocer |
Tablecloths made out of pastry dough, marshmallow installations, meals where diners take small bites as dictated by a drum. These are just but some of Dutch-designer Marije Vogelzang’s fabulously quirky and over-the-top creative projects, executed via her Amsterdam-based food design company Proef. [image via Eat Me Daily] Read more
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January 14, 2010 | New Food and Packaging | by The Urban Grocer |
Just south of Tokyo, in the port city of Yokohama, heaps of loyal customers flock to Nana’s Green Tea. Within its chic interiors, Nana’s takes a contemporary approach to traditional Japanese drinks with a plethora of hot and cold green tea creations filling their menus. Read more
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January 13, 2010 | New Food and Packaging | by The Urban Grocer |
Nestled inside the foodie enclave of trendy Surry Hills is the not-so-secret, but nonetheless extraordinary, local gem, Bourke Street Bakery. Inside this artisanal shop, organic pastries and savoury foods are brilliantly united within the bakery’s tiny walls. Here, dedicated Sydneysiders brave impressive queues for exquisite breads, divine tarts, muffins, pastries, and knock-out sandwiches, sausage rolls, and other satisfying delights. [read about more Aussie places at The Colour] Read more
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January 9, 2010 | New Food and Packaging | by The Urban Grocer |
Chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, and syrup: the perfect lazy weekend breakfast. The combination of creamy morsels of sweet chocolate mixed with salty, fatty bacon topped off with sticky syrup is seriously outrageous and surprisingly addictive. And now, thanks to the cheeky folks at Vosges Haut Chocolat, you can indulge in this scrumptious delight all week long. Read more
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Adrian Tomine is one of the finest cartoonists and illustrators of this generation, alongside the iconic Chris Ware and Daniel Clowes. He began his career Xeroxing copies of his comics for distribution, and stubbornly chooses to work in a medium as deliberately obscure as independent comics. While he continues to develop his ongoing series Optic Nerve (currently entering its fifteenth year of publication), he’s also the illustrator of choice for the New Yorker.
French fashion designer and illustrator Cedric Rivrain draws how I’d love to be able to — with amazing attention to detail and patience. He’s designed for Martine Sitbon and John Galliano at Christian Dior and his fashion experience reflects in his work, which has been shown in magazines such as Numéro, Dazed and Confused, Tokion, Stiletto, and A magazine.
Knuckleheads is a pretty fun little side scrolling game where you’re a pair of Mexican-wrestler-looking things attached to each other by a chain. You swing each other around to move and hit floaty capsule things for points, and you can change the length of the chain to get over various obstacles, but watch out for the bats.
Several years after they disbanded, one of indie rock’s brightest sparks — Ambulance Ltd — are back. Read more
Schmidt, Hammer and Lassen’s design for the Copenhagen national library is a celebrated structure in the already glittering design portfolio of northern Europe. The marble and glass façade of The Black Diamond (yes, that is what their national library is called) is an example of architectural brilliance, with even the angled walls designed to best mirror the city’s beautiful canals.
Ten Masked Men are a British parody band that does death metal covers of famous pop songs by Ricky Martin, Christina Aguilera, Madonna, and many others. One of my favorites is their cover of Justin Timberlake’s ‘Cry Me a River’. It’s epic.
I recently bought a 1960 Oyster Perpetual Datejust and I love it. Read more
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Hong Kong-based illustrator Man-Tsun draws dark and beautiful painterly images that look like they are straight off a high-end Japanese animated film. Read more
Wheeeeee! This game is so freaking fun! You move your cursor over each dot to make them split into four smaller dots ad infinitum.
Kate Banazi’s silkscreen artwork
A three-lettered ‘wow’ explodes in my mind whenever I look at the work of Sydney-based silkscreen artist Kate Banazi. Her latest work is fantastically dynamic, stylistic and abstract, making clever use of colour-bomb palettes. Read more
Yum, yum, cupcakes are fun. These creations are so clever, so arty, so damn bizarre that it would almost be a shame to eat them. Almost! Read more
There is not a medium that UK illustrator Lizzy Stewart cannot wrap around her little finger to make the most beautiful, whimsical images. Read more
These Stephanie Simek designed rabbit’s foot-like charms made from pussy willow buds dangle from the ears by strands of thin chains like silent wind chimes. The earrings are approximately 3 inches long plus ear wire and available for US$125. Read more
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