Blue Nile Cafe review – a taste of Eritrea in Woolwich
★★★★☆ / Ethiopian/Eritrean

Blue Nile Cafe review – a taste of Eritrea in Woolwich

The best restaurant in Woolwich Update 24/9/2018 – updated formatting and added details of autumn 2018 revisit  Update 24/12/2021 – this restaurant has now closed Woolwich is not one of London’s premier dining destinations – even the area’s most ardent defenders will admit that. Still, there are some culinary bright spots and one of them is … Continue reading

Smoking Goat review – Thai Soho barbecue
★★★★☆ / Barbecue/BBQ / Thai and Lao

Smoking Goat review – Thai Soho barbecue

Smoky moody Tottenham Court Road dive bar Updated 12/02/2016 – added back room private dining details Updated 16/02/2015 – updated opening times This review was originally published on 5/11/2014 and has since been updated Thai food in London has been stuck in something of a rut, with the usual pad thais and green curries predominating. That’s slowly … Continue reading

The best and worst tonkotsu ramen in London review – Ippudo vs Kanada-Ya vs Bone Daddies and the rest
★★★★★ / ★★★★☆ / ★★★☆☆ / ★★☆☆☆ / ★☆☆☆☆ / Best and Worst group tests / Japanese / Japanese Noodles

The best and worst tonkotsu ramen in London review – Ippudo vs Kanada-Ya vs Bone Daddies and the rest

Not all of London’s Japanese pork bone broth noodle soups are created equal Londoners are experiencing a ramen revolution. This soothing noodle soup, once a hasty add-on buried in the extensive menus of some Japanese restaurants, now has several restaurants dedicated to it. Although there’s lot of joy to be had from shio and shoyu ramen, … Continue reading

Tredwell’s review – why the Evening Standard is wrong about Covent Garden’s best diner
★★★★☆ / Eclectic

Tredwell’s review – why the Evening Standard is wrong about Covent Garden’s best diner

Marcus Wareing or not, you need to eat here Update 4/11/21 – this restaurant has now closed. Covent Garden has more than its fair share of shoddy restaurants. For every quality eatery such as Ape and Bird or Opera Tavern, there’s a dozen more slop houses such as Five Guys or Joe’s Southern Kitchen. Tredwell’s is … Continue reading

The best and worst Dim Sum for dinner in London – evening dumpling review
★★★★★ / ★★★★☆ / ★★★☆☆ / ★★☆☆☆ / ★☆☆☆☆ / Best and Worst group tests / Chinese / Chinese Dumplings

The best and worst Dim Sum for dinner in London – evening dumpling review

22 restaurants and hundreds of dishes reviewed – Dumpling dinner dreams and disasters Dim Sum is arguably one of Cantonese cuisine’s finest contributions to the world. It’s one of the few types of foods I can eat repeatedly without tiring of it, if only because of its endless variety. Many of the restaurants in Chinatown serve … Continue reading

The Providores and Tapa Room review – fusion Marylebone masterpiece
★★★★☆ / Eclectic

The Providores and Tapa Room review – fusion Marylebone masterpiece

Can’t get into Chiltern Firehouse? Try here instead. Update 16/8/2019 – this restaurant has now closed Australia has a lot to answer for. Tony Abbott, Home and Away and The Veronicas are all things I can easily live without. But the Antipodes has also given us Kylie Minogue, the flat white and the Tim Tam Explosion. Modern … Continue reading

Big Easy vs Howard’s Meat Co vs the rest review – Fourth of July BBQ
★★★★★ / ★★★★☆ / Barbecue/BBQ

Big Easy vs Howard’s Meat Co vs the rest review – Fourth of July BBQ

The only way to celebrate US Independence Day is with barbecue. The 4th of July means American-style barbecue which is apt as it’s been almost a year since my comprehensive, popular and divisive group test of American BBQ restaurants and eateries in London. I’ve also covered the handful of new entrants since then, which have ranged … Continue reading

Heirloom review – Crouch End’s hidden gem
★★★★☆ / British / Modern European / Modernist

Heirloom review – Crouch End’s hidden gem

Better than Fera at Claridge’s, any day of the week Despite its booming property prices, leafy lanes and bourgeois reputation, Crouch End isn’t one of London’s dining hotspots. This is almost certainly due to its comparatively out-of-the-way, off-the-Tube location. It’s a 10 minute bus ride from Finsbury Park station which is an unimaginably arduous trek – if … Continue reading

A guide to Harringay Market – street food review
★★★★★ / ★★★★☆ / ★★★☆☆ / ★★☆☆☆ / Street food/food court

A guide to Harringay Market – street food review

Pasta, pizza, katsu curry, jerk chicken and more North London’s Green Lanes is best known for its Turkish restaurants and grocers, but there’s another culinary reason to visit the Harringay area. Harringay Market runs every Sunday afternoon from 11.00 to 15.00 with very occasional extended seasonal opening times. Alongside a butcher, baker, fishmonger, patisserie, vegetable … Continue reading