Iberica Marylebone review – chorizo lollipops and dopey service
★★★☆☆ / Spanish / Tapas

Iberica Marylebone review – chorizo lollipops and dopey service

Great Portland Street tapas Restaurant decor in London seems to have fallen into a Shoreditch-inspired rut. Bare light bulbs, reclaimed furniture, exposed concrete and brick walls – I’m bored of it all. The interior of Iberica’s Marylebone branch is therefore a breath of fresh air – both the ground floor and the mezzanine are decorated with … Continue reading

8 Hoxton Square review – from Soho to Shoreditch but lost in translation
★★★☆☆ / Eclectic

8 Hoxton Square review – from Soho to Shoreditch but lost in translation

Soho’s 10 Greek Street comes to Shoreditch Update 11/01/18 – this restaurant has now closed. The originally-named 8 Hoxton Square is the sister restaurant of 10 Greek Street, one of my favourite restaurants of 2012. This was reason enough to get me very excited about eating there, so I dragged Templeton Peck, Vicious Alabaster, Socialist … Continue reading

Tayyabs review – Whitechapel curry praised in Haiku
★★★☆☆ / Pakistani / South Asian

Tayyabs review – Whitechapel curry praised in Haiku

 Classic cheap curry consumed cheerfully For most Londoners, Tayyabs needs no introduction. Away from the tourist trap that is Brick Lane, this Whitechapel stalwart has been serving up inexpensive, quality curries and grills for years. A lot of words have already been written about Tayyabs, so rather than my usual prose I’m going to experiment … Continue reading

The best and worst banh mi in London – Vietnamese sandwiches review
★★★★★ / ★★★★☆ / ★★★☆☆ / ★★☆☆☆ / ★☆☆☆☆ / Best and Worst group tests / Vietnamese

The best and worst banh mi in London – Vietnamese sandwiches review

26 eateries, 66 sandwiches, one verdict Updated 26/2/14 – tweaked Bun Cha review, added a missing photo and added reviews of Chao Kitchen and Chao!Now Updated 05/3/14 – added review of Bep Haus, tweaked The Verdict slightly to reflect its inclusion Updated 12/3/14 – added review of Miss Chu Updated 13/7/14 – added reviews of … Continue reading

House of Ho review – modern Vietnamese food shakes up Soho?
★★★☆☆ / Vietnamese

House of Ho review – modern Vietnamese food shakes up Soho?

No sniggering in the back The vast majority of Vietnamese restaurants in London have very traditional menus and tend to be clustered together in Hoxton and Deptford, with smaller concentrations in other places such as Hammersmith. Soho’s House of Ho is a very different affair. The exposed brick walls, moody lighting and odd contemporary art … Continue reading

Boopshi’s review – Fitzrovia schnitzel and bratwurst
★★★☆☆ / German/Austrian

Boopshi’s review – Fitzrovia schnitzel and bratwurst

Hearty party Update 28/03/2016 – this restaurant has now closed Traditional Austrian food is never going to take over the world. At the risk of making a crude generalisation, old school Austrian food at its best is tasty, but also rather heavy with lashings of meat and rich pastries. Still, there’s definitely a place for … Continue reading

E. Mono review – Kentish Town kebabs come to Finsbury Park
★★★☆☆ / Turkish / Turkish Kebabs

E. Mono review – Kentish Town kebabs come to Finsbury Park

Worth seeking out or just another take away for tired, drunken locals? E. Mono is a renowned kebab restaurant and take away in Kentish Town that also has a second outpost within the confines of Finsbury Park station. Whereas the Kentish Town original has lovingly restored Edwardian premises, the Finsbury Park location is a much … Continue reading

Devran review – Green Lanes kebab newcomer
★★★☆☆ / Turkish / Turkish Kebabs

Devran review – Green Lanes kebab newcomer

Getting fat on big-ass kebabs Most of the Turkish restaurants on north London’s Green Lanes have been around for years, so the arrival of an apparent newcomer such as Devran is an unusual occurrence. Its decor fits the Green Lanes template though – murals depicting the Haiga Sophia and other typically Turkish vistas adorn the … Continue reading