Alan Yau tries his hand at Turkish food with mixed results Londoners have been praying for the demise of the hated Aberdeen Angus Steakhouse chain for decades now. While that tourist-duping parasite is still with us, its weird clone of a competitor the Scotch Steak House chain has thankfully bitten the dust. Taking its place … Continue reading
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
Thai mini-chain sprouts again in Soho Restaurants, especially those serving foreign cuisines, have a funny relationship with names. They will often have a cliched name related to the mother country – a disproportionate number of Thai restaurants, for example, will have some combination of ‘Thai’, ‘Siam’, ‘lotus’ or ‘elephant’ in their name. Then there’s the … Continue reading
Contemporary Indian small plates for sharing I’m fortunate enough that I can almost anything I want, but others have restrictions on what they can eat. The Cape, the better half of the The Squinting Brummie, is gluten intolerant for example. A surprising number of London’s restaurants do little to accommodate those with celiac diseases, but … Continue reading
Late to bed and early to rise makes one fat and tired Update 10/04/2019 – this restaurant is now closed Given the number of early risers and night owls in London, there are surprisingly few breakfast spots worth seeking out and even fewer late night diners. A restaurant that combines both is rarer still. Jackson + … Continue reading
Brewer Street gets spicy If you’ve got a hankering for Thai food when you’re out and about in the Soho area, then the obvious choice is Busaba Eathai. I find Alan Yau’s chain to be merely okay though, so the relaunch of Janetira on Soho’s Brewer Street piqued my interest. This small mom and pop … Continue reading
The Hawksmoor that’s not a Hawksmoor Foxlow is the latest restaurant from the guys behind the Hawksmoor mini-chain of steakhouses, but it tries to be different by concentrating on meats other than steak. I say ‘tries’ quite deliberately, as you can still order various cuts of steak at Foxlow. Even if this wasn’t the case, Foxlow’s … Continue reading
There are plenty of cheap restaurants in London, but low prices and high quality cooking don’t always go together. Although Soho Joe servers up burgers, pastas and a grab bag of other Italian dishes, its main selling point is its cheap pizzas. Soho Joe occupies what was once the site of the Dean Street branch … Continue reading
A butterfly reemerges from the old Cocoon? London’s Regent Street is better known for its shopping than its dining. The few restaurants are divided between fast food joints and the odd cafe on one hand and expensive fine dining places on the other. Senkai is definitely one of the latter. Although this Japanese restaurant appears … Continue reading
The Picky Glutton 