Where sirloin steak is almost upstaged by a beef dumpling At the risk of indulging in armchair GCSE-level psychology, Myrtle is one of those restaurants where elements of the personality and background of the chef are clearly evident. Starting with the obvious, there’s the Irish-accented menu – a surprisingly uncommon thing in London – created …
Every dish on the menu tried and tasted Bao in Borough isn’t just another Taiwanese restaurant serving up gua bao. It’s the latest in a line of small but highly successful bao restaurants that have been lauded and recommended by many, including this site. Living up to one’s own expectations is tough enough. Living up …
If you’re looking for a bog-standard restaurant review, then this isn’t it I’ve always tried to keep this site focussed on giving practical restaurant advice – where to eat and what to order, served with what I hope is a dash of wit and wry commentary. It’s what I’ve always wanted to read and hopefully …
Not all Silk Roads lead to treasure Some restaurants become so totemic and talismanic, that no amount of criticism on my part or anyone else’s is likely to dent their popularity. In London, a town somewhat unfairly pilloried for being expensive to live in, that maxim applies most potently to cheaply priced restaurants. Few sit-down …
…there’s plenty more to enjoy at this Russell Square Shaanxi/Xi’an restaurant Opening a new restaurant serving Xi’an food (or Shaanxi food, if you prefer) in the seemingly barren concrete wastes of the Holborn-Bloomsbury-Russell Square hinterland appears bafflingly odd at first glance. Despite being wedged in between a pair of pubs, there’s not much in the …
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 …
The street food stomach liner every Soho pub goer needs Chinese food has come far in London over the past decade or so, leaving behind the takeaway baggage that still weighs it down elsewhere throughout the country. It’s therefore ironic that one of the most delicious Chinese dishes in the capital is served from what … Continue reading
Closure to the year in restaurants 2018 has been one hell of a year for restaurants in London. While plenty of new restaurants have opened, an alarmingly large number of restaurants have closed their doors forever. Much has been written elsewhere about the perfect storm of conditions that have led to this industry-wide reckoning, with … Continue reading
The biggest restaurant chain you’ve never heard of has opened in central London It should go without saying, but no restaurant is worth queuing for – at least in London or any other metropolis that’s similarly bursting at the seams with other restaurants at your disposal. Queuing for potentially hours on end does nothing but … Continue reading
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
Words I wish I had written in 2018 (and 2017, for that matter) As 2018 staggers to an end, the realisation dawns on me that I’ve been writing this website for almost eight years. The number of lost weekends spent churning out an ungodly assemblage of verbs, adjectives and innuendo-laden captions is almost beyond counting. … Continue reading
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
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
