Bar Douro review – Portuguese small plates, bar food and tapas
★★★★☆ / Portuguese

Bar Douro review – Portuguese small plates, bar food and tapas

By any other name, this London Bridge railway arch treasure would still be as sweet For a country so beloved by Britain’s middle-class holidaymakers, the food of Portugal has a surprisingly low profile in London. Unless you count the ubiquitous Nando’s (which I don’t), there are surprisingly few Portuguese restaurants in London with most seemingly … Continue reading

Seveni review – there’s more than just barbecue to this sizzling Chinese restaurant
★★★★★ / Chinese

Seveni review – there’s more than just barbecue to this sizzling Chinese restaurant

Grilled offal, Cornish pasty-lookalikes and hearty doughnuts are just some of the charms at this Lambeth North restaurant Not having to cook is one of the more pragmatic attractions of eating out, rather than staying in – it’s part of the service that you’re paying for after all. This utilitarian consideration probably helps explain why … Continue reading

Mc and Sons review – the Thairish pub that’s not as plucky as it first appears
★★☆☆☆ / Gastropub / Thai and Lao

Mc and Sons review – the Thairish pub that’s not as plucky as it first appears

A pub food minichain hiding in plain sight Pubs serving Thai food seems like an odd pairing, but this now commonplace coupling was initially a result of nothing more exotic than economic necessity and entrepreneurial foresight. The first documented pub on these islands with a Thai kitchen was apparently Notting Hill’s Churchill Arms – a … Continue reading

Indian Accent vs Gymkhana review: black pudding naan vs venison biryani
★★★★☆ / ★★★☆☆ / Indian / South Asian

Indian Accent vs Gymkhana review: black pudding naan vs venison biryani

Slumming it in Mayfair for South Asian haute cuisine giggles Update 17/06/2020 – Indian Accent has closed as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic Pitting Gymkhana against Indian Accent seems like such a natural thing to do. Both are pricey high-end Indian restaurants on the same street in Mayfair, located mere yards apart from … Continue reading

Calcutta Street review – Indian supper club settles down in Fitzrovia
★★★★☆ / Indian / South Asian

Calcutta Street review – Indian supper club settles down in Fitzrovia

Curry that makes you feel at home. Sort of. Update 12/3/23: this restaurant has now closed I’ve never understood the compulsion for restaurants to describe dishes as ‘home made’. When eating out, I want professionally made dishes – culinary delights that I couldn’t make at home. That conceit is slightly different at Calcutta Street though. … Continue reading

Bukowski Grill Soho review – bandwagon burgers and barbecue
★★☆☆☆ / Barbecue/BBQ / Burgers

Bukowski Grill Soho review – bandwagon burgers and barbecue

A waste of Soho real estate Update 19/06/2020 – this restaurant has now closed I haven’t heard the name Bukowski Grill in years – not since my round up of London’s best non-chain burgers. The Shoreditch branch of Bukowski fared poorly in those burger stakes, so it was no surprise when superior burger purveyors expanded far more rapidly … Continue reading

Shuang Shuang review – conveyor belt Chinese hot pot
★★★☆☆ / Chinese

Shuang Shuang review – conveyor belt Chinese hot pot

Do-it-yourself food at silver spoon prices Chinese food in London has long been dominated by Cantonese cooking, but that appeared to be changing in the mid noughties with Sichuanese eateries opening up across the city. That move towards better representation of China’s myriad regional cuisines soon stalled, but it appears to have restarted with new … Continue reading