Vico review – Italian fast food that thinks it’s opera but is just out of tune
★★★☆☆ / Italian / Pizza

Vico review – Italian fast food that thinks it’s opera but is just out of tune

Cheap (ish) Cambridge Circus cuisine Marketing is a magical thing. It can transform the mundane into something much more wondrous and exotic. Vico, an Italian restaurant that has taken over what used to be the Pizza Hut on the corner of Cambridge Circus and Charing Cross Road, is basically a fast food joint. Or a canteen or cafeteria if … Continue reading

Oldroyd review – Polpo-lite comes to Islington
★★★☆☆ / Eclectic / Italian

Oldroyd review – Polpo-lite comes to Islington

Finally, a good restaurant in Islington Oldroyd might sound like a wizened, unwanted hanger-on in an unmentionable anatomical structure, but it’s actually a new restaurant in Islington from one of the brains behind Polpo. Although independent from that burgeoning empire, Oldroyd’s menu immediately feels Polpo-esque – small plates, as well as a few larger dishes, with … Continue reading

In Parma by Food Roots review – Italian charcuterie and cheese you have to try
★★★★☆ / Italian

In Parma by Food Roots review – Italian charcuterie and cheese you have to try

A taste of northern Italy in Fitzrovia Italy has a bevy of regional cuisines but very few of them get any sort of exposure in London. For this reason alone In Parma deserves some credit for largely focussing on produce and dishes from the city of Parma and the surrounding region of Emilia-Romagna. This doesn’t seem that … Continue reading

Rex and Mariano review – iPad your budget seafood in Soho
★★★★☆ / Italian / Seafood

Rex and Mariano review – iPad your budget seafood in Soho

Bargain seafood in the West End – hallelujah! Update 12/3/15 – added extra tuna steak photo Seafood in London has a reputation for being expensive, but Rex and Mariano shows that it doesn’t have be like that. Created by some of the masterminds behind Burger and Lobster, Rex and Mariano uses a couple of sneaky tricks to … Continue reading

Metamorfosi review – Gorgonzola lollipops and eel with ice cream
★★★★☆ / Italian / Modern European / Modernist

Metamorfosi review – Gorgonzola lollipops and eel with ice cream

This review of a Rome restaurant is a break from The Picky Glutton’s usual London-based coverage Holidaying by oneself can be a lonely experience, but it also gives a great degree of freedom – especially when it comes to choosing where and when to eat. Metamorfosi is a restaurant that would put many of my dining … Continue reading

Antico Arco review – Rome fine dining near the Janiculum Hill
★★★★☆ / Italian / Modern European / Modernist

Antico Arco review – Rome fine dining near the Janiculum Hill

This review of a Rome restaurant is a break from The Picky Glutton’s usual London-based coverage Londoners love to complain about The Big Smoke’s public transport and traffic congestion, but they haven’t seen anything until they’ve tried getting around Rome. The Eternal City’s minuscule metro and rail networks (minuscule for a major European capital at … Continue reading

Pipero al Rex review – quirky fine dining near Termini
★★★☆☆ / Italian / Modern European / Modernist

Pipero al Rex review – quirky fine dining near Termini

This review of a Rome restaurant is a break from The Picky Glutton’s usual London-based coverage Restaurants named after their chefs, celebrity or otherwise, is pretty standard but a restaurant named after its sommelier/proprietor is a new one (for me at least). That’s the case at Pipero al Rex, Alessandro Pipero’s restaurant inside Rome’s Hotel Rex. The … Continue reading

All’oro review – glossy Rome fine dining
★★★☆☆ / Italian / Modern European / Modernist

All’oro review – glossy Rome fine dining

This review of a Rome restaurant is a break from The Picky Glutton’s usual London-based coverage Update 19/2/15 – clarified language detail regarding Quandoo Love them or loath them, online restaurant reservation services such as OpenTable are now an integral part of London’s restaurant culture. This makes eating out in Rome seem all the more quixotic as … Continue reading