Smoky moody Tottenham Court Road dive bar Updated 12/02/2016 – added back room private dining details Updated 16/02/2015 – updated opening times This review was originally published on 5/11/2014 and has since been updated Thai food in London has been stuck in something of a rut, with the usual pad thais and green curries predominating. That’s slowly … Continue reading
Tag Archives: mackerel
64 Degrees London review – Brighton’s best flails and stumbles
The temperature at which hope burns Menus are funny things. As restaurants have become more casual, pared back and minimalist, so have the menus. 64 Degrees, an outpost of the Brighton original and attached to the Artist Residence hotel, is a good example. While its menu isn’t quite as terse as the one at the … Continue reading
Ember Yard review – Soho tapas is losing its sizzle
Octopus and chorizo skewers on Berwick Street Updated 21/6/2020 – added details of 2020 meals and updated the Verdict as well as the formatting. Disclosure: I used a publicly available discount for my 2020 meals. This discount was available to the general public; as ever I did not seek any special treatment just because I’m … Continue reading
Janetira review – the tasty Soho Thai restaurant that isn’t Busaba
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
Bonnie Gull review – tiny Fitzrovia seafood shack
Small shiny seafood shack serves salty sustenance It’s fascinating what you’ll find in the back streets of London. Bonnie Gull is a seafood restaurant located on Foley Street, a quiet street located in a slice of city in between the thoroughfares of Oxford Street and Great Portland Street. The place has been done up to … Continue reading
Bo London review – ‘X-treme Chinese’ arrives in Mayfair from Hong Kong
Proper Bo or just Bo’ Selecta? Many of the new restaurants that have opened in London over the past year have inexpensive menus, but that’s definitely not the case with Bo London. This new restaurant, from Hong Kong chef Alvin Leung, serves only three different tasting menus at dinner time and is unashamedly expensive with … Continue reading
Great Queen Street review – Covent Garden’s best gastropub?
Pub food fit for a queen? Update 16/8/2019 – this gastropub has now closed Going to a restaurant recommended by another blogger is fraught with difficulty. If I agree that it’s great, then either the other blogger radiates unbearable smugness or a collective warm fuzziness, usually only seen during communal sporting events or when swooning … Continue reading
Chez Liline review – a taste of Mauritius in north London
A ray of tropical sunshine in grey north London? Update April 2013 – this restaurant has now closed With some restaurants, there may be a nagging doubt in the back of your mind as to whether the ingredients used by the kitchen are fresh or not. This shouldn’t be a problem with Chez Liline however … Continue reading
Spuntino review – Italian and American small plates in Soho
West End bar food with a difference There are plenty of chain and independent restaurants in London, but some straddle this distinction such as the various, apparently independent Polpo restaurants that are all actually part of the same group. Although I have yet to make my way to Polpo or Da Polpo, I have dined … Continue reading
Ten Ten Tei review 2 – still as good as ever?
Rather successful at currying favour The humble Ten Ten Tei is the standard by which I measure other Japanese restaurants in London, both inexpensive and luxurious. Although I’ve managed to sample a good smattering of dishes from its expansive menu on previous visits, I had yet to try their katsu curry which is an oversight … Continue reading