Grillstock Walthamstow review – Bristol BBQ comes to north-east London
★★☆☆☆ / Barbecue/BBQ

Grillstock Walthamstow review – Bristol BBQ comes to north-east London

How Not To Do A Barbecue Restaurant Expectations, prejudices and other pre-conceived notions can cloud your judgement, which is why I try to be as open-minded as possible when reviewing restaurants. Trying to do so when walking through the door at Grillstock Walthamstow was difficult though. My Bristol-based chums had waxed lyrical about the original … Continue reading

Banh Mi in London review – baguettes from Whaam Banh Mi, Moba and more
★★★★★ / ★★★★☆ / ★★★☆☆ / ★★☆☆☆ / Best and Worst group tests / Vietnamese

Banh Mi in London review – baguettes from Whaam Banh Mi, Moba and more

Vietnamese sandwiches spread across the capital My 2014 group test of banh mi eateries proved to be one of my most popular Best and Worst round-ups – and also one of the most contentious, as some of the ill-tempered Comments attest. I’m quite thick-skinned though and I take such vehement, blinkered criticism as a sign … Continue reading

The best and worst lobster rolls in London review – Smack Lobster, Fraq’s Lobster Shack vs the rest
American / ★★★★★ / ★★★★☆ / ★★★☆☆ / ★★☆☆☆ / ★☆☆☆☆ / Best and Worst group tests / Seafood

The best and worst lobster rolls in London review – Smack Lobster, Fraq’s Lobster Shack vs the rest

Cut-price crustacean cuisine clash A lot of people get upset at the idea that London merely follows the example of New York when it comes to the latest food trends and fads. Proper burgers and ramen, for example, made the headlines first in the Big Apple before becoming popular over here. This seems overblown to me. As long as … 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

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

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

Fera at Claridge’s review – come back Gordon Ramsay, all is forgiven
★★☆☆☆ / Modern European / Modernist

Fera at Claridge’s review – come back Gordon Ramsay, all is forgiven

Foraging in Mayfair We do a lot of things that our ancestors would find regressively, inexplicably primitive. In the past (and right now in the developing world while we’re at it), living in a field without running water, electricity or plumbing would be considered poverty. In the modern West, we call it camping and subject our … Continue reading

Kurobuta Marble Arch review – modern Japanese izakaya falls flat
★★☆☆☆ / Japanese / Sushi/Sashimi

Kurobuta Marble Arch review – modern Japanese izakaya falls flat

An Edgware Road restaurant that isn’t Lebanese Eating at Kurobuta has, if nothing else, confirmed that I’m slowly devolving into a cantankerous old fart. Kurobuta is a modern take on the izakaya, a Japanese food pub, situated on a residential street just off Edgware Road. Originally due to open last Autumn, it was so delayed … Continue reading