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Welcome back to Insta Stories, a column examining the London restaurant scene through the often-problematic medium of Instagram. This week’s filter is the two genders.
New(s) of the week
For wine geeks, the third Thursday in November is better known as the day on which vignerons in the region of Beaujolais release a wine made from grapes picked earlier that year. This Beaujolais nouveau, a vin de primeur bottled only a few weeks after harvest, is youthful and fruity, designed for immediate, plentiful drinking. Never ones to pass up this kind of invitation, the team at Bloomsbury’s Noble Rot hosted an industry knees-up to celebrate, with beloved chef and cookbook writer Simon Hopkinson knocking out outrageous Francophone food for the day. The smart money is on things having got quite messy.
Fake news of the week
Instagram has said that it will take more proactive steps to weed out fraudulent activity oon the platform — which may mean certain accounts that have used third party services to boost their profile could take a major hit on followers and likes. It’s a necessary step, as Instagram looks to defend the integrity (and therefore profitability) of its advertising revenue stream, but — as with other pronouncements regarding questionable activity in the feed — it may be a question of “will they,” rather than “when will they?” Here’s a cute dog courtesy of the fascinatingly anodyne @Instagram account in the meantime.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqI2V0fhjeo/
Good news of the week
As with any social media platform, it would be much easier to pile on to Instagram and decry it as an unethical cesspool if it didn’t show occasional flashes of being a genuine force for good. It has been instrumental in spreading the word about #CookForSyria in the past; this week showed it could also be harnessed to help out closer to home.
Important update of the week
Eater London broke the huge news about La Famiglia Rana’s range of Instagrammable pastas a couple of months ago. Now — praise be! — it can confirm that a bricks and mortar pop-up has popped up, where people can buy their own. Dubbed the ‘Ultimate Instagrammable Grocer,’ it’s in Marylebone, and early imagery suggests that it is indeed Instagrammable AF. Natoora’s got some unseasonal competition.
On-trend Baltic hedonism of the week
Cost price caviar! With bone marrow waffles! Take it away, Parks and Rec!
Mashup of the week
Fusion food has never really got its due: everyone can recall at least one disastrous experience involving something like cornflake-coated grouper with jalapeño vinaigrette and mangosteen pilaf. But the basic principle — respectfully flexing rigid boundaries between national or regional cuisines — is a sound enough one, and has clearly proved influential for a number of chefs working today. Without it, this sandwich is inconceivable, and is a world without sesame toast steak sandwiches really one you’d want to live in?
Subtle design accent of the week
Real blink and you’ll miss it stuff, friends.
Dish of the week
Now this is winter food.
Shot of the week
O.K., now this is winter food.