Foxlow review – the Farringdon meat restaurant that’s not St John
★★★☆☆ / Barbecue/BBQ / Eclectic / Steak/chophouse

Foxlow review – the Farringdon meat restaurant that’s not St John

The Hawksmoor that’s not a Hawksmoor Foxlow is the latest restaurant from the guys behind the Hawksmoor mini-chain of steakhouses, but it tries to be different by concentrating on meats other than steak. I say ‘tries’ quite deliberately, as you can still order various cuts of steak at Foxlow. Even if this wasn’t the case, Foxlow’s … Continue reading

Berners Tavern review – looks good and tastes even better
★★★★☆ / Modern European / Modernist

Berners Tavern review – looks good and tastes even better

Hotel food with a twist Hotel restaurants are very different from restaurants in hotels. This may seem like a minor semantic difference, but there’s actually a yawning gulf between the two. Hotel restaurants are identikit eateries serving up a large menu of lowest common denominator dishes designed for weary travellers too tired to care and … Continue reading

The Clove Club review – superlative Shoreditch supper
★★★★★ / Modern European / Modernist

The Clove Club review – superlative Shoreditch supper

The best meal of the year and inexcusably overlooked by the Michelin Guide I encountered a fellow travelling Brit with some interesting views on food during my recent jaunt around Jordan. Although he had a broad palate, this didn’t extend to Modernist cuisine, especially multi-course tasting menus. ‘Artsy fartsy’ ‘nouvelle cuisine’ wasn’t ‘proper food’ he contended. Like … Continue reading

Smokehouse review – Islington barbecue gastropub
★★★★☆ / Barbecue/BBQ / Gastropub

Smokehouse review – Islington barbecue gastropub

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire? When I surveyed the state of American-style barbecue in London, one of the most common queries was ‘what about Smokehouse?’. However, despite its name Smokehouse isn’t devoted purely to barbecue. This joint venture between Neil Rankin, former head chef at Pitt Cue, and the people behind the nearby Pig and … Continue reading

Taiwan New Paradise Banana review – a museum? A restaurant? It’s both!
★★☆☆☆ / Chinese / Taiwanese

Taiwan New Paradise Banana review – a museum? A restaurant? It’s both!

This review of a Taiwan restaurant is a break from The Picky Glutton’s usual London-based coverage Most Western tourists visiting Taiwan will probably never visit the city of Taichung in the western half of the island. Even if they do then it’s likely that they’ll be passing through on their way to one of Taiwan’s … Continue reading

Eating my way around Taiwan
Chinese / Chinese Dumplings / Chinese Noodles / Taiwanese

Eating my way around Taiwan

A travelogue where I eat myself stupid while the locals gawp and stare I could bore myself to tears writing about Taiwan – the landscapes, the cities and the people are, respectively, awe-inspiring, terrifying and fascinatingly peculiar. Taiwan’s food culture is a complex, wonderful thing with cuisines from all over mainland China crowded together on … Continue reading

Naamyaa Cafe review – Busaba Eathai’s awkward younger brother
★★★☆☆ / Thai and Lao

Naamyaa Cafe review – Busaba Eathai’s awkward younger brother

Alan Yau does it again? London’s restaurant going public can be broadly divided into two camps: those that care about celebrity chefs, brand names and trends and those that don’t. People in the first camp will almost certainly have heard of Alan Yau, the entrepreneur behind Wagamama, Busaba Eathai, Cha Cha Moon, Hakkasan and Yauatcha. … Continue reading

★★★☆☆ / Japanese / Japanese Noodles / Sushi/Sashimi

Ittenbari review – ramen revelation or revulsion?

Ra-ra-ramen-ra In London’s increasingly crowded restaurant scene, new eateries often need a hook or some unique selling point to pull in the punters. For restaurants drawing on the rich culinary heritage of a foreign country, one easy hook is a dish or regional cuisine underrepresented in the UK. Ittenbari is a new Japanese restaurant specialising … Continue reading