Madame D review – Gunpowder spin-off tries to scale new heights in Spitalfields
★★★☆☆ / Tibetan/Nepalese

Madame D review – Gunpowder spin-off tries to scale new heights in Spitalfields

But doesn’t quite reach the summit. It’s odd watching the city of your youth gradually change and morph, almost imperceptibly, over the years. Commercial Street is a thoroughfare that links Hoxton and Shoreditch in the north with Whitechapel to the south, running right through Spitalfields and parallel to the City as it does so. It was until recently, and still … Continue reading

Monty’s Deli review – street food bagels settle down in Hoxton
★★★☆☆ / Jewish

Monty’s Deli review – street food bagels settle down in Hoxton

Jewish soul food reasserts itself in the East End Update 16/8/2019 – this restaurant has now closed Jewish food doesn’t have much of a visible presence in London to the casual observer. But that’s before you realise that many dishes that we taken for granted in our everyday lives – from bagels and smoked salmon to hot … Continue reading

Holborn Dining Room review – the Instagram pie phenomenon
★★★★☆ / British

Holborn Dining Room review – the Instagram pie phenomenon

Aye for pie with an eye for pie One should never, ever underestimate the importance of how food looks. Attractive-looking food not only influences how we perceive its taste, but can get otherwise disinterested punters in through the door in the first place. This placebo-like effect can be seen in the social media hubbub surrounding Holborn Dining Room. This previously … Continue reading

Hoppers review – the Sri Lankan verdict on Soho’s new Sri Lankan restaurant
★★★★☆ / Sri Lankan

Hoppers review – the Sri Lankan verdict on Soho’s new Sri Lankan restaurant

To queue or not to queue If you hear a deep, guttural howl of despair echoing across London, then fear not. It’s probably just me triaging my email inbox. If they gave out monetary prizes for inbox restaurant buzzword bingo, then I’d be swanning about the Maldives in a hover chariot made of moonrock. ‘Seasonal British … Continue reading

Shotgun Barbecue review – sleek and inventive Kingly Street BBQ
American / ★★★★☆ / Barbecue/BBQ

Shotgun Barbecue review – sleek and inventive Kingly Street BBQ

I call shotgun Update 14/2/17 – this restaurant has now closed There’s been a small boom in American-style barbecue restaurants in London since I first started covering the cuisine in-depth. New openings tend to be fairly traditional though, at least in principle, in both cuts of meat and technique. They also tend to stick to all … Continue reading

Rök review – Scandinavian smoked meats in Shoreditch
★★★☆☆ / Steak/chophouse

Rök review – Scandinavian smoked meats in Shoreditch

Smoke and fire that didn’t really rock my world Thanks to the recent and growing popularity of American barbecue in London, restaurants serving other cuisines have jumped onto the barbecue and smoking branded bandwagon. It wouldn’t be completely fair to ascribe such cynical opportunism to the people behind Rök, as they do serve dishes inspired by the … Continue reading

★★☆☆☆ / Chinese / Japanese / Korean / Pan-Asian / Thai and Lao / Vietnamese

East Street review – full of Eastern promise or just full of it?

Oxford Street’s East Asian street food smorgasbord With some restaurants, the reasons behind the choice of décor can be inscrutable but that isn’t the case with East Street. East Street is a casual eatery located just off the north edge of Oxford Street and serves up a broad menu of street food from a large … Continue reading