Rosas and Xocolate review – just as sweet by any other name
★★★★☆ / Eclectic / Mexican

Rosas and Xocolate review – just as sweet by any other name

This review of a Yucatan restaurant is a break from The Picky Glutton’s usual London-based coverage Rosas & Xocolate is an odd name for a restaurant and an even odder name for a hotel. Even if it didn’t have a distinctive name, the pink yet graceful mansion-esque premises is hard to miss. The dining room at … Continue reading

Yumi Izayaka review – small Japanese bar with big flavours
★★★★☆ / Japanese / Japanese Noodles

Yumi Izayaka review – small Japanese bar with big flavours

Shaftesbury Avenue yakitori that deserves your support Update 14/2/17 – this restaurant has now closed Location, location and location. It’s supposed to be one of the keys to a successful London restaurant, but a spot on the West End’s bustling Shaftesbury Avenue hasn’t helped Yumi Izakaya. Nestled in between the entrance to the Piccadilly West … Continue reading

Xi’an Impression review – cheap Arsenal Chinese scores a hattrick
★★★★☆ / Chinese / Chinese Dumplings / Chinese Noodles

Xi’an Impression review – cheap Arsenal Chinese scores a hattrick

Cheap Chinese regional mega bites reviewed in rhyming couplets and haiku I’ve written before how about the under-representation of China’s numerous regional cuisines in London’s restaurants. If you needed a singular, illustrative example of the effects of that disappointing trend then it would be noodles. Veal Smasher and Happy Buddha have had to put up with my rants about … Continue reading

Mr Bao review – New York, Taipei, Peckham
★★★★☆ / Chinese / Taiwanese

Mr Bao review – New York, Taipei, Peckham

Peckham Taiwanese small bites Update 25/2/2018 – updated formatting and corrected a few typos We Londoners like to think that we’re very cosmopolitan, open to new things and experiences, but when it comes to food we tend to prefer our exoticism in small, easily relatable bites. Chinese food is a prime example. A wealth of eating … Continue reading

Tierra y Cielo review – delightfully different Mexican fine dining
★★★★☆ / Mexican

Tierra y Cielo review – delightfully different Mexican fine dining

This review of a Chiapas, Mexico, restaurant is a break from The Picky Glutton’s usual London-based coverage Drinking while eating out can be a thoroughly disheartening experience if you don’t imbibe alcohol. Dare to wander away from the usual carbonated drinks and you’ll encounter, like I have, watered down Virgin Marys, insipid cordials and thinly-disguised … Continue reading

Le Bab review – venison kebabs and a pig’s head
★★★★☆ / Eclectic / Turkish Kebabs

Le Bab review – venison kebabs and a pig’s head

Moo, cluck and oink Disclosure: A 10% discount was applied to the bill for my fourth meal, unsolicited. This was accepted only out of politeness. I originally had no intention of reviewing Le Bab. The first thing that put me off was the location – Soho’s Kingly Court (home of the risible Whyte and Brown) is effectively … Continue reading

Biko review – glossy, classy Mexico City fine dining
★★★★☆ / Mexican / Modern European / Modernist

Biko review – glossy, classy Mexico City fine dining

This review of a Mexico City restaurant is a break from The Picky Glutton’s usual London-based coverage Biko is a glossy and sleek fine dining restaurant decked out in refined and soothing shades of beige and brown. It really could be anywhere in the world, but what it lacks in aesthetic distinctiveness it more than … Continue reading

Piquet review – classy French where you’d least expect it
★★★★☆ / British / French

Piquet review – classy French where you’d least expect it

Oxford Street has never had it so good Update 14/2/17 – this restaurant has now closed Although by no means the most incongruously positioned restaurant I’ve ever come across, Piquet is nonetheless oddly located. Wedged in-between a faceless office block and a hair salon, it sits opposite a building site and part of Oxford Street’s branch … Continue reading