Homeboy Bar review – this Irish bar in Islington is perfect for brunch or dinner
★★★★☆ / Eclectic / Irish

Homeboy Bar review – this Irish bar in Islington is perfect for brunch or dinner

To Eat Like A Girl is an aspiration, not a slight Update 27/10/2019 – added detail that this is a pop-up at Homeboy  I’ve been writing about London restaurants for close to a decade now, so I’d like to think I’m at least a passable writer with decent judgment in what you should and shouldn’t … 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

Maya DD’s vs Danfe review: Nepalese food in Woolwich and Plumstead
★★★★☆ / ★★★☆☆ / Tibetan/Nepalese

Maya DD’s vs Danfe review: Nepalese food in Woolwich and Plumstead

Eating well on a budget in south east London If you hang around on London Food and Restaurant Twitter (TM) for long enough, then you’ll inevitably come across a peculiar form of griping. For some people, certain words and phrases are considered impermissible in food writing on pain of public shaming. Some, such as ‘melt … 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

Flor review – Lyle’s does British tapas in Borough Market
★★★☆☆ / Eclectic / Modern European / Modernist

Flor review – Lyle’s does British tapas in Borough Market

Small plates don’t always lead to big rewards Update 31/01/2022 – this restaurant has now closed There’s no shortage of places in London to graze on small tapas-sized plates while guzzling wine, places where the list of liver-annihilating beverages is several times longer than the menu, especially around London Bridge and Borough Market. To the … Continue reading

Mercato Metropolitano review – the Southwark street food hall trying to be everything to everyone
★★★★★ / ★★★★☆ / ★★★☆☆ / ★★☆☆☆ / ★☆☆☆☆ / Street food/food court

Mercato Metropolitano review – the Southwark street food hall trying to be everything to everyone

Halfway between Elephant & Castle and London Bridge, but nowhere in particular Updated 30/9/2019 – added reviews of new traders and updated the reviews of Badiani, Duman, Little Sicily and Turkish Garden Updated 16/4/2019 – added hyperlinked table of contents, corrected spelling and grammatical errors The weird thing about street food in London isn’t the … Continue reading

Siren at The Goring review – seafood that isn’t fit for a Queen
★★☆☆☆ / Seafood

Siren at The Goring review – seafood that isn’t fit for a Queen

Overstuffed and underwhelming Update 17/06/2020 – this restaurant has closed as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic Seafood, like many things in life, is subject to the cyclical, ever-changing whims of fashion and finance. Although the details often depend on the specific seafood in question, seafood has – throughout the long history of these … Continue reading

Pescheria Assunta review – there’s nothing at all fishy about the London branch of this Rome seafood restaurant
★★★☆☆ / Italian / Seafood

Pescheria Assunta review – there’s nothing at all fishy about the London branch of this Rome seafood restaurant

The Italian seafood restaurant that moved from Mayfair to Earl’s Court I had eaten my fill, but I was not satisfied. As the hapless staff flailed at even the most basic tasks, the feeling started to drain from my numbed backside and legs from sitting for so long, while my phone – my only bulwark … Continue reading