Smoked trout and a Tricycle

My problem this week is that I have a terrific wine pairing but I can't tell you about it because it's the result of a tasting I was running for Decanter magazine. So you'll have to hang on till December for that. Sorry.

In the meantime here's my second best match which is not a wine at all but a Tricycle, a refreshing apple, cucumber and mint-based soft drink I had at the Riding House Café with my daughter this week. Like many places these days they specialise in small plates so it had to take an artichoke dip, salt cod fritters and red pepper aioli, cured trout, jalapeno pepper and crème fraîche (right) and sea bass ceviche with lime and chilli in its stride.

It actually coped very well, particularly with the trout, in much the same way, I think, as a herby Sauvignon Blanc would have done. (I always find it helps to think of a vinous equivalent of soft drinks.) I've ordered that kind of drink in Lebanese restaurants before and it goes well with mezze too.

It would also be a nice summery drink to take on a picnic for non-drinking friends. Assuming we still have some summer left, not obvious from today's overcast sky :(

Cicheti and an Aperol Spritz

If anyone can make Aperol - the Venetian Campari drinkalike - fashionable it's Russell Norman of Polpo, Polpetto, Spuntino and now Da Polpo - four of the coolest (and smallest) restaurants in London. Admittedly bitters are not to everyone's taste - they are...well...bitter but I find Aperol fruitier and easier to drink than Campari. The traditional way to serve it as as an Aperol spritz topped up with Prosecco and a whoosh of soda water - the perfect way to recover when the Tube is at its hellish steamy worst.

No self-respecting barman in Venice would dream of serving you a drink without a plate of cicheti which frequently don't amount to much more than a few dog-eared sandwiches but the Polpo stable's are in different league.

We were in the restaurant for some meatball action but managed to down a couple of pizette including this zucchini chilli and mint one (right) with which our spritzes paired perfectly.

You can order a whole lot of other delicious things like grilled fennel and white anchovy, and potato and parmesan crochettas. (Mmmm. Potatoes and cheese. My favourite.) A great place to graze.

Mezze and apple, mint and ginger lemonade

It must be the unseasonally hot weather but I've been drinking a lot of soft drinks lately. There seems to be much more choice on the market, especially more sophisticated drinks that are full of flavour but not too sweet. And which go well with food.

A good example is this combination of apple mint and ginger lemonade and mezze at the new branch of Yalla Yalla just off Oxford Street. Mint and apple is a really refreshing combination and went well with our diverse selection of mezze which included some very good, light felafel, tabbouleh (parsley salad), batata harra (a Lebanese take on patatas bravas) and - I think I remember rightly - Samboussek Lahmé, a delicious pizza-like dish of flatbread stuffed with spiced lamb.

I must confess to a feeling of slight regret to seeing Yalla Yalla roll out as a successful brand. The new branch, which is at the top of Winsley Street, just opposite the oddly named Pantheon branch of Marks and Spencer, isn't as cute and café-like as the original in Green's Court in Soho but you stand a much better chance of getting a seat and the food is still great.

They also have an interesting list of Lebanese wines should you feel like drinking something stronger.

Citrus fizz and Mexican food

If you’re not drinking for whatever reason - because you’re driving, pregnant or just taking a break - it’s sometimes difficult to find something that makes a good match for what you’re eating. Soft drinks can be sweet and sugary. Water sometimes too plain.

I found just the answer in a Mexican restaurant called Wahaca in the amazing new Westfield shopping centre (which is HUGE) in West London the other day. Described as a Citrus Fizz it was a bit like a rum-less Mojito. Muddled mint, lime juice and a dash of sugar syrup over ice, topped up with sparkling water and garnished with a slice of lime.

Deliciously refreshing and perfect with zingy Mexican ingredients like salsa fresca and tomatillo sauce, it would be good with seafood too.