Bad Sports review – tacos so good, it’s unsportsmanlike
★★★★☆ / Mexican

Bad Sports review – tacos so good, it’s unsportsmanlike

Hoxton tacos worth travelling across town for Update 27/1/2019 – this restaurant has now closed The phrase ‘Hoxton restaurant’ has become a joke to many. Whatever it may once have meant, prosaically or otherwise, it has now become a byword for shallow, self-indulgent and self-absorbed trend-chasing. Although there may be an element of truth in … Continue reading

Red Rooster at The Curtain review – the botched Shoreditch soul food transplant
American / ★☆☆☆☆ / Eclectic

Red Rooster at The Curtain review – the botched Shoreditch soul food transplant

Live music and a celebrity chef amount to a hill of beans Updated 23/11/20 – this restaurant has now closed I try to avoid mentioning celebrity chefs when writing about their restaurants. Apart from trying to avoid the cult of personality that most newspapers trip over themselves to indulge in, I just don’t think it … Continue reading

Cattle and Co review – King’s Cross meat bandwagon rattles along
★★☆☆☆ / Barbecue/BBQ / Burgers

Cattle and Co review – King’s Cross meat bandwagon rattles along

Botched burgers and bungled barbecue Conflating burgers and barbecue into the same menu is a common mistake. It’s easy to see why – alongside mac and cheese, they are the emblematic dishes of American cuisine in the popular imagination. But they’re also very different. The best burgers are cooked medium rare at high temperatures with … Continue reading

Red’s True Barbecue review – the North brings US BBQ to Shoreditch
American / ★★★★☆ / Barbecue/BBQ / Burgers

Red’s True Barbecue review – the North brings US BBQ to Shoreditch

Red Alert! Update 10/5/18 – this restaurant has closed Thanks to restaurants, I now detest the word ‘concept’. In restaurant management and public relations speak, ‘concept’ generally refers to the restaurant’s overall feel from cuisine and service style to atmosphere. Unfortunately, the word has now, in many cases, devolved to simply mean ‘gimmick’. Far too many … Continue reading

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