Gilly’s Fry Bar review – the chippy that wants to be a tempura restaurant
★★☆☆☆ / British / Eclectic

Gilly’s Fry Bar review – the chippy that wants to be a tempura restaurant

Finsbury Park doesn’t need more battered fried food I have a confession to make. It’s a deeply unpopular, long-held opinion that will not endear me to many of you. It’ll be even more controversial than the time I disparaged chicken, dismissing it as a soulless meat fit only for children and invalids. I don’t like … Continue reading

Holborn Dining Room review – the Instagram pie phenomenon
★★★★☆ / British

Holborn Dining Room review – the Instagram pie phenomenon

Aye for pie with an eye for pie One should never, ever underestimate the importance of how food looks. Attractive-looking food not only influences how we perceive its taste, but can get otherwise disinterested punters in through the door in the first place. This placebo-like effect can be seen in the social media hubbub surrounding Holborn Dining Room. This previously … Continue reading

Lyle’s review – minimalist Shoreditch restaurant is exquisite despite its flaws
★★★★☆ / British / Modern European / Modernist

Lyle’s review – minimalist Shoreditch restaurant is exquisite despite its flaws

Defies both easy categorisation and expectations If there’s been one defining cultural aesthetic in the West over the past 20 years or so, then it has to be minimalism. Paring back everything to their essentials is, depending on your point of view, either the ideal way to show off something’s true nature or a stark, monotonous … Continue reading

Pitt Cue City review – Soho to Liverpool Street barbecue changes more than just the location
★★★★★ / Barbecue/BBQ / British

Pitt Cue City review – Soho to Liverpool Street barbecue changes more than just the location

Barbecue British-style Update 10/6/2019 – this restaurant has now closed The move from street food maverick to established restaurant can be a rocky one. Even if you somehow tame the logistical and financial maelstrom of setting up a London restaurant, there’s still the task of evolving your menu to keep up with the competition. That’s something The … 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

Paradise Garage review – the best value tasting menu in London
★★★★☆ / British / Eclectic / Modern European / Modernist

Paradise Garage review – the best value tasting menu in London

This railway arch restaurant will set your heart racing Update 12/02/18 – this restaurant has now closed Unless you walk around London, it’s hard to appreciate just how close many of the city’s neighbourhoods are to each other. Bethnal Green has the City and Shoreditch directly on its western border, while Mile End and Stratford sit … Continue reading

The Wild Game Co review – venison Fitzrovia pop-up
★★★★☆ / British / Burgers / Steak/chophouse

The Wild Game Co review – venison Fitzrovia pop-up

Quality venison that’s not too deer Opening a restaurant is almost as hard work as running one. Some restauranteurs take a long-winded path to opening their own premises, either by choice or necessity, starting off with a street food stall before moving on to pop-ups and eventually their own permanent patch. The Wild Game Co is … Continue reading