Chiltern Firehouse review – sound the alarm, this place is on fire
★★★★☆ / Modern European / Modernist

Chiltern Firehouse review – sound the alarm, this place is on fire

Marylebone celeb hangout serves good grub I like to make repeat visits to restaurants before writing a review for any number of reasons, from trying to get a feel for the kitchen’s style to giving wobbly staff a chance to get their act together. Or simply because I really enjoy what they serve. Making repeat visits to Chiltern Firehouse … Continue reading

Rawduck Hackney review – fish for Sunday roast, raw duck, cold lamb and more
★★★★☆ / Eclectic

Rawduck Hackney review – fish for Sunday roast, raw duck, cold lamb and more

East End brunch and dinner I’m deeply sceptical about the entire idea of brunch. It’s the original naff restaurant marketing gimmick – add some muesli and eggs to get a whole new meal! Charge extra for some mediocre coffee! While Rawduck didn’t change my mind about this bastard relative of the elevenses, I’m still mightily impressed … Continue reading

Kurobuta Marble Arch review – modern Japanese izakaya falls flat
★★☆☆☆ / Japanese / Sushi/Sashimi

Kurobuta Marble Arch review – modern Japanese izakaya falls flat

An Edgware Road restaurant that isn’t Lebanese Eating at Kurobuta has, if nothing else, confirmed that I’m slowly devolving into a cantankerous old fart. Kurobuta is a modern take on the izakaya, a Japanese food pub, situated on a residential street just off Edgware Road. Originally due to open last Autumn, it was so delayed … Continue reading

8 Hoxton Square review – from Soho to Shoreditch but lost in translation
★★★☆☆ / Eclectic

8 Hoxton Square review – from Soho to Shoreditch but lost in translation

Soho’s 10 Greek Street comes to Shoreditch Update 11/01/18 – this restaurant has now closed. The originally-named 8 Hoxton Square is the sister restaurant of 10 Greek Street, one of my favourite restaurants of 2012. This was reason enough to get me very excited about eating there, so I dragged Templeton Peck, Vicious Alabaster, Socialist … Continue reading

Sardo review – classy Fitzrovia Sardinian
★★★★☆ / Italian

Sardo review – classy Fitzrovia Sardinian

Independent Tottenham Court Road Italian There’s a small clutch of Italian restaurants on the western side of Tottenham Court Road in Fitzrovia, but most are either yawn-inducing chains or dreary places serving up massive menus of slop. One of the very few exceptions is Sardo, a long-standing restaurant specialising in dishes from Sardinia. Not to … Continue reading

House of Ho review – modern Vietnamese food shakes up Soho?
★★★☆☆ / Vietnamese

House of Ho review – modern Vietnamese food shakes up Soho?

No sniggering in the back The vast majority of Vietnamese restaurants in London have very traditional menus and tend to be clustered together in Hoxton and Deptford, with smaller concentrations in other places such as Hammersmith. Soho’s House of Ho is a very different affair. The exposed brick walls, moody lighting and odd contemporary art … Continue reading

Social Eating House review – Modernist cuisine gets affordable-ish
★★★☆☆ / Modern European / Modernist

Social Eating House review – Modernist cuisine gets affordable-ish

So popular, it needs its own doorman The oddly-named Social Eating House is the latest restaurant in Jason Atherton’s empire and it’s not quite as expensive as Atherton’s flagship Pollen Street Social. Whereas Pollen Street Social has a muted, inoffensive decor suited to its Mayfair location, the Soho-based Social Eating House is a tad more … Continue reading