...in fear of global evaporation

PICTURED ABOVE, not unpleasant tubed cocktail taken in a Soho bar after satiation at nearby Meza. Culture Club icon of androgyny, Boy George was within view at this cheerful 'tapas lounge'.

Pictured right, rich pickings at Vintage House a stone's throw away. Message under the bottle of this 'peerless spirit': £20K to secure.

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Harpers drinks trade journal has popped open the issue of a potential Champagne shortage. Apparently Russia, China and India have acquired a taste for froth and are receiving preferential treatment over British imbibers. I doubt we are facing bubble-wrap yet, however. I remember a friends' father stockpiling wine from France's most northerly wine region before the millennium in fear of global evaporation... In the meantime, acres of the garden of England continue to be sewn with the big three bubbly varieties.

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I had a sneak preview of brave new venture Kenza, a Lebanese-Moroccon dug under a quiet square in the City. Pristine, hand-carved panels, hush-hush booths, banquettes and warm colours. An ultra-stylish Moorish concept made mottled concrete.