Paradise Garage review – the best value tasting menu in London
★★★★☆ / British / Eclectic / Modern European / Modernist

Paradise Garage review – the best value tasting menu in London

This railway arch restaurant will set your heart racing Update 12/02/18 – this restaurant has now closed Unless you walk around London, it’s hard to appreciate just how close many of the city’s neighbourhoods are to each other. Bethnal Green has the City and Shoreditch directly on its western border, while Mile End and Stratford sit … Continue reading

Pidgin review – tiny Dalston restaurant with an equally compact set menu
★★★☆☆ / Eclectic / Modern European / Modernist

Pidgin review – tiny Dalston restaurant with an equally compact set menu

Don’t just look at the star rating and move on, read the words If anything symbolises the obstacles London’s insane property market throws in the way of budding restauranteurs, then it’s the location of Pidgin. Located in a mostly residential area on a side street with a handful of other shops, passing trade is probably … Continue reading

Taberna do Mercado review – food so good the City doesn’t deserve it
★★★★★ / Portuguese

Taberna do Mercado review – food so good the City doesn’t deserve it

Sophisticated Portuguese food satiates the cravings you never knew you had If Spanish and Portuguese cuisine were human siblings, then Spanish food would undoubtedly be the attention-grabbing overachiever. From paella, jamon iberico de bellota and Cantabrian anchovies to the heady heights of modernist Basque and Catalan cooking, Spain has it all. Portugal, on the other hand, rarely … Continue reading

Bao London review – Taiwanese bun street stall settles down in Soho
★★★★★ / Chinese / Taiwanese

Bao London review – Taiwanese bun street stall settles down in Soho

The entire menu reviewed Update 13/01/18 – added new opening hours and updated formatting Bao is a street food stand that was one of the winners of my Taiwanese buns group test, outdoing flashier, more well known competition such as Flesh and Buns. While Bao still operates a stall at various markets, it now has a small … Continue reading

Kintan vs Jin Go Gae review – Japanese and Korean barbecue face-off
★★★★☆ / ★★★☆☆ / Barbecue/BBQ / Japanese / Korean

Kintan vs Jin Go Gae review – Japanese and Korean barbecue face-off

Chancery Lane vs New Malden Update 22/2/2015 – added extra comment about the weird booze at Jin Go Gae Every restaurant needs a hook (or, if you’re uncharitable, a gimmick) to stand out in London’s dizzying eating out market. Kintan claims to be the first Japanese barbecue (‘yakiniku-style’) restaurant in the capital. While technically true, as far … Continue reading

Hotbox review – the City barbecue miles better than Bodean’s
American / ★★★★★ / Barbecue/BBQ

Hotbox review – the City barbecue miles better than Bodean’s

Market stall BBQ settles down on Commercial Street Market stalls and street food tend to be underestimated and under-appreciated by many visitors to London. That’s their loss as street food vendors can often be far better than more established restaurants, as my group test of American-style barbecue eateries demonstrates. An increasing number of street food vendors are settling down in … Continue reading

Q Grill review – bandwagon barbecue bumbles into Camden
American / ★★☆☆☆ / Barbecue/BBQ / Eclectic

Q Grill review – bandwagon barbecue bumbles into Camden

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

Peyote vs Breddo’s Tacos review – Mayfair Mexican miracle or middling muddle?
★★★★★ / ★★★☆☆ / Mexican

Peyote vs Breddo’s Tacos review – Mayfair Mexican miracle or middling muddle?

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

HKK review – Chinese fine dining in the City
★★★★☆ / Chinese / Chinese Dumplings / Chinese Noodles

HKK review – Chinese fine dining in the City

Suits you or just for suits? Hakkasan was one of the restaurants that helped foster the idea that Chinese food in London wasn’t just greasy take away fare. HKK is a new City spin-off of the Soho original, but with an emphasis on expensive tasting menus that befits its location in the shadow of capitalism’s … Continue reading