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
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
Chicken? Where we’re going, we don’t need chicken. Update 25/2/2018 – updated formatting, added details of early 2018 revisit I try not to pay too much attention to a restaurant’s PR push before I eat there, as the nauseating buzzwords, jargon and marketing waffle can colour my view of the place before it’s even opened. … Continue reading
Peckham Taiwanese small bites Update 25/2/2018 – updated formatting and corrected a few typos We Londoners like to think that we’re very cosmopolitan, open to new things and experiences, but when it comes to food we tend to prefer our exoticism in small, easily relatable bites. Chinese food is a prime example. A wealth of eating … Continue reading
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
Porky’s larger, better looking but shallower neighbour You wait months for a new American-style barbecue restaurant in London and two arrive at the same time. Q Grill in Camden arrives hot on the heels of One Sixty in West Hampstead, but while One Sixty has a fairly short, focussed menu, the menu at Q Grill … Continue reading
Fitzrovia tapas and sherry Update 7/04/2019 – this restaurant is now closed Fitzrovia, that weird part of London north of Oxford Street, south of Euston, west of Bloomsbury and east of Marylebone, is overflowing with tapas restaurants. Barrica, The Salt Yard and Fino are well established, each with their own dedicated following. That hasn’t stopped … Continue reading
Mayfair poshos vs market stall wanderers Breddo’s Tacos was one of the very few Mexican eateries that I managed to miss during my recent round-up of London’s burrito and taco eateries. I finally got off my arse and tasted the market stall’s wares (also currently available at The Player), while also trying the Mexican food … Continue reading
A Mexican restaurant of two halves As my fellow restaurant blogger 31_75 pointed out recently, in his own inimitable style, there are very few good Mexican restaurants in London. The situation isn’t nearly as bad as it was two decades ago when all we had were horrid Tex-Mex dives like Chiquito, but it’s still far from … Continue reading
The Picky Glutton 