Latest Entries
The Palomar review – modern Jewish food hits Soho
★★★★☆ / Eclectic / Jewish

The Palomar review – modern Jewish food hits Soho

Modern Jerusalem treats for pre/post-theatre and lone diner meals Despite appearances to the contrary, food from the Middle East has long had a presence in London from the Lebanese restaurants of Edgware Road to the kosher eateries of Golder’s Green. Previous attempts to make Middle Eastern cuisines, or at least food inspired by the Near East, more … Continue reading

Blue Nile Cafe review – a taste of Eritrea in Woolwich
★★★★☆ / Ethiopian/Eritrean

Blue Nile Cafe review – a taste of Eritrea in Woolwich

The best restaurant in Woolwich Update 24/9/2018 – updated formatting and added details of autumn 2018 revisit  Update 24/12/2021 – this restaurant has now closed Woolwich is not one of London’s premier dining destinations – even the area’s most ardent defenders will admit that. Still, there are some culinary bright spots and one of them is … Continue reading

Smoking Goat review – Thai Soho barbecue
★★★★☆ / Barbecue/BBQ / Thai and Lao

Smoking Goat review – Thai Soho barbecue

Smoky moody Tottenham Court Road dive bar Updated 12/02/2016 – added back room private dining details Updated 16/02/2015 – updated opening times This review was originally published on 5/11/2014 and has since been updated Thai food in London has been stuck in something of a rut, with the usual pad thais and green curries predominating. That’s slowly … Continue reading

The Joint review – barbecue comes to Marylebone
American / ★★★☆☆ / Barbecue/BBQ

The Joint review – barbecue comes to Marylebone

Eat with your hands, poshos The number of American-style barbecue restaurants is growing, but not necessarily for the better. Mediocre restaurants such as Porky’s and Red Dog Saloon are opening up new branches left, right and centre while far better vendors such as Pitt Cue and Miss P’s Barbecue are still stuck at one site or … Continue reading

Bobo Social review – fussy Fitzrovia burgers
★★★☆☆ / Burgers

Bobo Social review – fussy Fitzrovia burgers

Peanut butter burgers and chocolate chilli bacon sides There are so many burger restaurants in London that it takes something special for one to stand out. Unfortunately for Bobo Social, it didn’t start out well and stood out for all the wrong reasons. While Bobo Social is attractive enough, the small two-floor restaurant fills up quickly, … Continue reading

The best and worst tonkotsu ramen in London review – Ippudo vs Kanada-Ya vs Bone Daddies and the rest
★★★★★ / ★★★★☆ / ★★★☆☆ / ★★☆☆☆ / ★☆☆☆☆ / Best and Worst group tests / Japanese / Japanese Noodles

The best and worst tonkotsu ramen in London review – Ippudo vs Kanada-Ya vs Bone Daddies and the rest

Not all of London’s Japanese pork bone broth noodle soups are created equal Londoners are experiencing a ramen revolution. This soothing noodle soup, once a hasty add-on buried in the extensive menus of some Japanese restaurants, now has several restaurants dedicated to it. Although there’s lot of joy to be had from shio and shoyu ramen, … Continue reading

Tredwell’s review – why the Evening Standard is wrong about Covent Garden’s best diner
★★★★☆ / Eclectic

Tredwell’s review – why the Evening Standard is wrong about Covent Garden’s best diner

Marcus Wareing or not, you need to eat here Update 4/11/21 – this restaurant has now closed. Covent Garden has more than its fair share of shoddy restaurants. For every quality eatery such as Ape and Bird or Opera Tavern, there’s a dozen more slop houses such as Five Guys or Joe’s Southern Kitchen. Tredwell’s is … Continue reading

The best and worst Dim Sum for dinner in London – evening dumpling review
★★★★★ / ★★★★☆ / ★★★☆☆ / ★★☆☆☆ / ★☆☆☆☆ / Best and Worst group tests / Chinese / Chinese Dumplings

The best and worst Dim Sum for dinner in London – evening dumpling review

22 restaurants and hundreds of dishes reviewed – Dumpling dinner dreams and disasters Dim Sum is arguably one of Cantonese cuisine’s finest contributions to the world. It’s one of the few types of foods I can eat repeatedly without tiring of it, if only because of its endless variety. Many of the restaurants in Chinatown serve … Continue reading

64 Degrees London review – Brighton’s best flails and stumbles
★★★☆☆ / Eclectic / Modern European / Modernist

64 Degrees London review – Brighton’s best flails and stumbles

The temperature at which hope burns Menus are funny things. As restaurants have become more casual, pared back and minimalist, so have the menus. 64 Degrees, an outpost of the Brighton original and attached to the Artist Residence hotel, is a good example. While its menu isn’t quite as terse as the one at the … Continue reading