Latest Entries
Burger and Beyond review – there’s more to this Shoreditch restaurant than just burgers
★★★★☆ / Burgers

Burger and Beyond review – there’s more to this Shoreditch restaurant than just burgers

Street food stall settles down in Shoreditch Burger and Beyond’s story sounds like such a throwback from the past, that it’s almost quaint in its retro-ness. This burger stall, a stalwart of street food markets such as Street Feast’s Public Market in Woolwich, has now set up shop in the heart of Shoreditch with plans … Continue reading

Casa Pastor review – the Kings Cross Mexican trying to make diamonds from coal
★★★☆☆ / Mexican

Casa Pastor review – the Kings Cross Mexican trying to make diamonds from coal

But the result is taco zirconium Most restauranteurs would kill to have the premises that Casa Pastor has managed to snag for itself. The handsome Victorian brick-and-iron building near Kings Cross sits in what was once a coal sorting yard – the plainly named Coal Drop Yards – almost literally under the shadow of a … Continue reading

Berenjak review – this JKS restaurant got me hooked on Iranian kebabs
★★★★★ / Iranian

Berenjak review – this JKS restaurant got me hooked on Iranian kebabs

Iranian stews and kebabs in Soho It’s strange to begin a restaurant review by talking about another restaurant, but bear with me for a moment. Some of the best dishes at Brigadiers, an Indian restaurant in the City, were the kebabs which meant it was immediately noticeable when the kebab chef responsible, Kian Samyani, left … Continue reading

Bababoom vs Maison Bab review – new wave kebabs head-to-head
★★★★☆ / ★★★☆☆ / Eclectic / Turkish Kebabs

Bababoom vs Maison Bab review – new wave kebabs head-to-head

Islington brisket vs Covent Garden celeriac Traditional Turkish kebabs are nigh-on perfect. Whether you prefer shish, kofte, doner, iskender or beyti, the smoke and sizzle of a charcoal mangal is hard to beat. The wisest restauranteurs know better than to attempt ‘elevating’ or ‘refining’ these timeless classics, but instead attempt to put their own personal … Continue reading

Two Lights review – this unassuming Clove Club sequel is full of surprises
★★★★☆ / Eclectic

Two Lights review – this unassuming Clove Club sequel is full of surprises

Grouse sausage and a mussels flatbread in Hoxton Update 08/5/2021 – this restaurant has now closed ‘We’ll need the table back in two hours’ is a familiar phrase for restaurant-going Londoners, but is utterly alien to many foreign visitors – especially those from the Continent. For many of our European cousins, the notion of table … Continue reading

Red Farm review – this Chinese restaurant isn’t revolutionary, but it is quietly radical
★★★★☆ / Chinese / Chinese Dumplings / Chinese Noodles

Red Farm review – this Chinese restaurant isn’t revolutionary, but it is quietly radical

It’s an import from New York in Covent Garden, but don’t hold that against it Updated 28/1/2019 ‘Red Farm’ sounds like a Maoist agricultural collective where exiled bourgeoise are forced to hunt sparrows as part of their re-education, but it’s actually the name of a Chinese restaurant in Covent Garden. It’s quite unlike any other Chinese … Continue reading

1251 review – this Islington restaurant is trying to make a name for itself…
★★★☆☆ / Eclectic / Modern European / Modernist

1251 review – this Islington restaurant is trying to make a name for itself…

… but is coming up short. Names can be many things. A descriptive label, a pigeonhole, a statement of intent. It’s therefore striking that Islington restaurant 1251 has such an easily forgotten, easily misremembered name. It may have some significance to someone behind the scenes, especially in light of the fact that chef James Cochran … Continue reading

Singburi review – the thrilling Thai restaurant that could close forever
★★★★☆ / Thai and Lao

Singburi review – the thrilling Thai restaurant that could close forever

Leytonstone’s best kept secret Singburi is a Thai restaurant in Leytonstone, but it’s hardly new as it was established back in the heady, halcyon days of 1999. While hardly unknown, it hasn’t garnered nearly as much fame as London’s new wave Thai restaurants, such as Kiln and Farang. The reasons why aren’t hard to fathom. … Continue reading

Masala Wala Café review – Brockley curry restaurant focusses on what matters
★★★★☆ / Pakistani / South Asian

Masala Wala Café review – Brockley curry restaurant focusses on what matters

Curry by any other name would taste as delicious Update 12/3/23: this restaurant has now closed Choosing how to describe your restaurant and its style of cooking can be a tricky thing. Masala Wala Cafe is a case in point, describing itself as a Pakistani restaurant on its website. This is notable in of itself … Continue reading