Café Monico review – vaguely French brasserie is less grand and more grandiosely shallow
★★★☆☆ / Eclectic / French

Café Monico review – vaguely French brasserie is less grand and more grandiosely shallow

Corbin and King have nothing to worry about Update 24/4/2021 – this restaurant has now closed What’s old is new again. This phrase comes to mind when witnessing the resurgence in appreciation of the grand French/continental-style brasseries that now crop up occasionally in London’s wealthier neighbourhoods. Once seen as fusty, the best of these brasseries … Continue reading

Foley’s review – a weird but not necessarily wonderful Fitzrovia restaurant
★★★☆☆ / Eclectic

Foley’s review – a weird but not necessarily wonderful Fitzrovia restaurant

Globe-trotting ex-Palomar chef needs to settle down Fusion food is one of those misguided and blingtastically tacky relics of the 1980s that should’ve died long ago along with shoulder pads, the New Romantics and Thatcherism. Foley’s doesn’t serve fusion food, strictly speaking, but its menu does swagger across the globe pulling in ingredients and techniques from … Continue reading

Berber and Q Shawarma Bar review – Exmouth Market gets sit-down kebabs
★★★☆☆ / Eclectic / Lebanese/Jordanian/Levantine

Berber and Q Shawarma Bar review – Exmouth Market gets sit-down kebabs

Middle Eastern BBQ sequel goes back to basics When most restaurants decide to expand by opening new branches, they usually sprout carbon copy clones of the original, try to make each new location different from all the others or try to strike some of middle-ground balance. Berber and Q, the flawed yet generally still superb Middle … Continue reading

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

Dickie Fitz review – light and airy Australian almost ruins an entire suckling pig
★★★☆☆ / Eclectic

Dickie Fitz review – light and airy Australian almost ruins an entire suckling pig

The successor to Newman Street Tavern I rarely get upset when a restaurant closes, no matter how good it was. At the risk of sounding trite, nothing in this life lasts forever. Even so, I was mortified to hear that Newman Street Tavern, an elegant restaurant serving reliably well-crafted French-ish dishes, was closing to be replaced by a … 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

Nudo Negro review – culture clash dining in Mexico City
★★☆☆☆ / Eclectic

Nudo Negro review – culture clash dining in Mexico City

This review of a Mexico City restaurant is a break from The Picky Glutton’s usual London-based coverage Wandering around Mexico City’s Roma neighbourhood is a pleasant way to while away a couple of hours. Previous residents had a curious European fixation with some of the streets humorously named after continental cities. Many of the late 19th … Continue reading

Sushisamba review – sky-high group dining
★★☆☆☆ / Eclectic / Japanese / Sushi/Sashimi

Sushisamba review – sky-high group dining

Glossy, pretty and oh so vacant Tourist guide books often note that London no longer has a high-rise rotating tower restaurant like Berlin’s TV Tower or Toronto’s CN Tower. While thankfully true, this doesn’t mean London is short of skyscraper restaurants – far from it. There are plenty of places where you’re paying more for the … Continue reading