Bong Bong’s Manila Kanteen review – Filipino food comes to Bethnal Green
★★★★☆ / Filipino

Bong Bong’s Manila Kanteen review – Filipino food comes to Bethnal Green

BBQ Dreamz street food stall settles down in east London Updated 23/11/20 – this restaurant has now closed Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. A street food stall serves up a cuisine barely known to most Londoners, earning plaudits and a devoted following in the process. Following a series of pop-ups, residencies and … Continue reading

Bababoom vs Maison Bab review – new wave kebabs head-to-head
★★★★☆ / ★★★☆☆ / Eclectic / Turkish Kebabs

Bababoom vs Maison Bab review – new wave kebabs head-to-head

Islington brisket vs Covent Garden celeriac Traditional Turkish kebabs are nigh-on perfect. Whether you prefer shish, kofte, doner, iskender or beyti, the smoke and sizzle of a charcoal mangal is hard to beat. The wisest restauranteurs know better than to attempt ‘elevating’ or ‘refining’ these timeless classics, but instead attempt to put their own personal … Continue reading

Two Lights review – this unassuming Clove Club sequel is full of surprises
★★★★☆ / Eclectic

Two Lights review – this unassuming Clove Club sequel is full of surprises

Grouse sausage and a mussels flatbread in Hoxton Update 08/5/2021 – this restaurant has now closed ‘We’ll need the table back in two hours’ is a familiar phrase for restaurant-going Londoners, but is utterly alien to many foreign visitors – especially those from the Continent. For many of our European cousins, the notion of table … Continue reading

Lyle’s review – minimalist Shoreditch restaurant is exquisite despite its flaws
★★★★☆ / British / Modern European / Modernist

Lyle’s review – minimalist Shoreditch restaurant is exquisite despite its flaws

Defies both easy categorisation and expectations If there’s been one defining cultural aesthetic in the West over the past 20 years or so, then it has to be minimalism. Paring back everything to their essentials is, depending on your point of view, either the ideal way to show off something’s true nature or a stark, monotonous … Continue reading

Dickie Fitz review – light and airy Australian almost ruins an entire suckling pig
★★★☆☆ / Eclectic

Dickie Fitz review – light and airy Australian almost ruins an entire suckling pig

The successor to Newman Street Tavern I rarely get upset when a restaurant closes, no matter how good it was. At the risk of sounding trite, nothing in this life lasts forever. Even so, I was mortified to hear that Newman Street Tavern, an elegant restaurant serving reliably well-crafted French-ish dishes, was closing to be replaced by a … Continue reading

Nobelhart and Schmutzig review – cloaked contemporary cuisine close to Checkpoint Charlie
★★★☆☆ / German/Austrian / Modern European / Modernist

Nobelhart and Schmutzig review – cloaked contemporary cuisine close to Checkpoint Charlie

This review of a Berlin restaurant is a break from The Picky Glutton’s usual London-based coverage Berlin, like most major cities, has more than its fair share of tourist trap restaurants in and around its historical, heavily touristed centre. It also has some surprises up its sleeve, such as Nobelhart & Schmutzig. Located a literal stone’s throw … Continue reading

Blacklock review – £20 for a huge plate of chops in Soho
★★★★★ / Steak/chophouse

Blacklock review – £20 for a huge plate of chops in Soho

Bargain West End grilled meat The idea of a restaurant that serves just chops sounds startlingly modern, but it’s actually quite an old idea. London used to be covered in chophouses – restaurants that, from the late 17th century to the end of the 19th, catered exclusively to men and plied them with booze and cuts of meat. … Continue reading

The Manor review – proof that Clapham isn’t just for wankers
★★★★☆ / Modern European / Modernist

The Manor review – proof that Clapham isn’t just for wankers

Entire menu reviewed at intriguing Clapham surprise When I’d heard that a restaurant in Clapham, The Dairy, was serving high quality, complex and beguiling food I dismissed the reports as utter lunacy. I regarded Clapham as full of nothing more than crap bars transplanted from the Costas and stuffed to the rafters with wannabe Hooray Henrys braying about … Continue reading

Tredwell’s review – why the Evening Standard is wrong about Covent Garden’s best diner
★★★★☆ / Eclectic

Tredwell’s review – why the Evening Standard is wrong about Covent Garden’s best diner

Marcus Wareing or not, you need to eat here Update 4/11/21 – this restaurant has now closed. Covent Garden has more than its fair share of shoddy restaurants. For every quality eatery such as Ape and Bird or Opera Tavern, there’s a dozen more slop houses such as Five Guys or Joe’s Southern Kitchen. Tredwell’s is … Continue reading