Smoking Goat review – Thai Soho barbecue
★★★★☆ / Barbecue/BBQ / Thai and Lao

Smoking Goat review – Thai Soho barbecue

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

Bobo Social review – fussy Fitzrovia burgers
★★★☆☆ / Burgers

Bobo Social review – fussy Fitzrovia burgers

Peanut butter burgers and chocolate chilli bacon sides There are so many burger restaurants in London that it takes something special for one to stand out. Unfortunately for Bobo Social, it didn’t start out well and stood out for all the wrong reasons. While Bobo Social is attractive enough, the small two-floor restaurant fills up quickly, … Continue reading

The Providores and Tapa Room review – fusion Marylebone masterpiece
★★★★☆ / Eclectic

The Providores and Tapa Room review – fusion Marylebone masterpiece

Can’t get into Chiltern Firehouse? Try here instead. Update 16/8/2019 – this restaurant has now closed Australia has a lot to answer for. Tony Abbott, Home and Away and The Veronicas are all things I can easily live without. But the Antipodes has also given us Kylie Minogue, the flat white and the Tim Tam Explosion. Modern … Continue reading

Bilbao Berria review – Regent Street tapas that’s not quite good enough
★★★☆☆ / Spanish / Tapas

Bilbao Berria review – Regent Street tapas that’s not quite good enough

Masterchef? What’s that? I don’t envy any new tapas restaurant opening in London. Unless you’re as good as José or Ember Yard, or as cheap as Barrafina, then it’ll be a real struggle to stand out. Bilbao Berria tries to rely on three things to set itself apart – a menu with alleged Basque and Catalan … Continue reading

Iberica Marylebone review – chorizo lollipops and dopey service
★★★☆☆ / Spanish / Tapas

Iberica Marylebone review – chorizo lollipops and dopey service

Great Portland Street tapas Restaurant decor in London seems to have fallen into a Shoreditch-inspired rut. Bare light bulbs, reclaimed furniture, exposed concrete and brick walls – I’m bored of it all. The interior of Iberica’s Marylebone branch is therefore a breath of fresh air – both the ground floor and the mezzanine are decorated with … Continue reading

Rawduck Hackney review – fish for Sunday roast, raw duck, cold lamb and more
★★★★☆ / Eclectic

Rawduck Hackney review – fish for Sunday roast, raw duck, cold lamb and more

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

Fera at Claridge’s review – come back Gordon Ramsay, all is forgiven
★★☆☆☆ / Modern European / Modernist

Fera at Claridge’s review – come back Gordon Ramsay, all is forgiven

Foraging in Mayfair We do a lot of things that our ancestors would find regressively, inexplicably primitive. In the past (and right now in the developing world while we’re at it), living in a field without running water, electricity or plumbing would be considered poverty. In the modern West, we call it camping and subject our … Continue reading

Rosa’s Thai Cafe review – Carnaby Street Thai surprise
★★★★☆ / Thai and Lao

Rosa’s Thai Cafe review – Carnaby Street Thai surprise

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