About The Blog & Writers

This is a blog by Emyr Thomas, founder and director of Bon Vivant, and a team of writers featuring food, travel and luxury related reviews and recommendations, including many ‘best of’ and ‘top 10 lists’ for London, including our guide to the best brunch in London.

Through this blog, we will advise you on the best hotels, restaurants, bars, spas and exclusive and under the radar events, along with offering insights and tips and the occasional competition.

We’ll tell you what you need to book, for whom, when and how – sign up below.

Read on below to learn about our writers.

Emyr Thomas

Emyr founded Bon Vivant in early 2009 and it has quickly risen to become one of the most established and trusted concierge services in London. Emyr has always had a passion for travel, dining out and trying new places, and you can be sure that if there’s a new restaurant or hotel opening, he’s there at the bar with a glass of champagne.

A Bon Vivant is defined as someone who loves the finer things in life, especially travel, food and drink, which makes an ideal name for the company and for Emyr!

Vilma Darling

Journalist by trade, cocktail, wine and food lover by choice, Vilma Darling has been working in the media industry for 15 years. She started writing for the BV Blog at the beginning of 2011 and used the opportunity to combine her journalistic skills with her love of going out and indulging in good wine, food and beauty therapies.

You are most likely to find her sipping champagne cocktails and nibbling on Asian fusion dishes in elegant bars, but our darling is an adventurous spirit and is very eager to try various places and treatments. She is more than happy to experience old and new beauty procedures and is a victim of advertising for any exciting health and beauty products. You can read Vilma’s articles here.

Frances Cottrell

The consummate PR, Frances is never happier than when critiquing the latest must-haves or be-seen-at, all with a glass of champagne in hand. It’s this experience and expertise in restaurants and bars that she shares with the Bon Vivant blog.

From limited edition pop-up restaurants to the City’s most established favourites – she’s happy to divulge tips on best tables, must-order dishes and the finest signature cocktails across town. You can read Frances’s articles here.

Sophie McLean

Sophie is a freelance travel and lifestyle journalist with a penchant for all things Italian, champagne-fuelled and exotic. She contributes features and reviews to a variety of high class and high culture publications.

You can count on her to recommend the best places of international watering holes, idyllic escape destinations and what exactly you should be pouring into your glass next.

Qin Xie

Qin Xie glides seamless between words which fill the stomach and food that feeds the mind. If the softly spoken gastronome didn’t need to constantly satiate her foodie abyss with the most luxurious gourmet treats, then perhaps she would have more time to pursue musings of intellectual enquiry.

Instead, Qin spends her days partaking in and writing about adventures in food, drink and travel as a maverick gourmand. Occasionally, when not engaged in surfing or power kiting, she can be found at the end of a camera photographing still life. Roof tops at twilight are a particular favourite.

Other Writers

Read about Fiona Mannion and Krista Faist.

Get In Touch!

If you would like Emyr and the team to review your product, service or venue, to attend your event or if you would like him to cover a specific lifestyle topic for your publication, please email him here.

All submissions are the legal property of Bon Vivant. © Bon Vivant 2012.