Bo Drake review – the Soho Asian barbecue where there’s smoke but no fire
★★★☆☆ / Barbecue/BBQ / Eclectic / Korean

Bo Drake review – the Soho Asian barbecue where there’s smoke but no fire

It’s Korean-ish BBQ with a dash of Mexican. Sort of. Around Christmas/New Years time I usually got a small shovel-load of emails asking me to predict what the restaurant trends for the coming year will be. Putting aside my view that being so beholden to the trends of the day is a sign of a weak mind … Continue reading

The Wild Game Co review – venison Fitzrovia pop-up
★★★★☆ / British / Burgers / Steak/chophouse

The Wild Game Co review – venison Fitzrovia pop-up

Quality venison that’s not too deer Opening a restaurant is almost as hard work as running one. Some restauranteurs take a long-winded path to opening their own premises, either by choice or necessity, starting off with a street food stall before moving on to pop-ups and eventually their own permanent patch. The Wild Game Co is … Continue reading

Tredwell’s review – why the Evening Standard is wrong about Covent Garden’s best diner
★★★★☆ / Eclectic

Tredwell’s review – why the Evening Standard is wrong about Covent Garden’s best diner

Marcus Wareing or not, you need to eat here Update 4/11/21 – this restaurant has now closed. Covent Garden has more than its fair share of shoddy restaurants. For every quality eatery such as Ape and Bird or Opera Tavern, there’s a dozen more slop houses such as Five Guys or Joe’s Southern Kitchen. Tredwell’s is … Continue reading

A guide to Harringay Market – street food review
★★★★★ / ★★★★☆ / ★★★☆☆ / ★★☆☆☆ / Street food/food court

A guide to Harringay Market – street food review

Pasta, pizza, katsu curry, jerk chicken and more North London’s Green Lanes is best known for its Turkish restaurants and grocers, but there’s another culinary reason to visit the Harringay area. Harringay Market runs every Sunday afternoon from 11.00 to 15.00 with very occasional extended seasonal opening times. Alongside a butcher, baker, fishmonger, patisserie, vegetable … Continue reading

Sardo review – classy Fitzrovia Sardinian
★★★★☆ / Italian

Sardo review – classy Fitzrovia Sardinian

Independent Tottenham Court Road Italian There’s a small clutch of Italian restaurants on the western side of Tottenham Court Road in Fitzrovia, but most are either yawn-inducing chains or dreary places serving up massive menus of slop. One of the very few exceptions is Sardo, a long-standing restaurant specialising in dishes from Sardinia. Not to … Continue reading

Meat People review – Islington zebra, steak and pork
★★★☆☆ / Eclectic / Steak/chophouse

Meat People review – Islington zebra, steak and pork

S&M no more Update 6/1/2014 – tweaked the Verdict. Meat People might sound like yet another part of the burgeoning Meatliqour burger empire, but it’s actually, as far as I can tell, an independent meat-focussed restaurant. It’s located not far from the genteel sprawl of Islington’s Upper Street. Meat People has taken over the premises … Continue reading

The most popular London restaurants of 2013
News

The most popular London restaurants of 2013

I really dislike the end-of-year roundups found on most websites. Ensuring that loyal readers have something to read over the quiet Christmas/New Year’s/Winterval period is admirable; cynically regurgitating old content and presenting it as new is not. I’m particularly against concocting a dull list of my ‘favourite’ restaurants of the past year – if you … Continue reading

Jackson + Rye review – Soho late night diner and American breakfasts
American / ★★★☆☆ / Breakfast

Jackson + Rye review – Soho late night diner and American breakfasts

Late to bed and early to rise makes one fat and tired Update 10/04/2019 – this restaurant is now closed Given the number of early risers and night owls in London, there are surprisingly few breakfast spots worth seeking out and even fewer late night diners. A restaurant that combines both is rarer still. Jackson + … Continue reading

Mamita Que Chorizo review – South American Shoreditch sandwiches for supper
★★★★☆ / Steak/chophouse

Mamita Que Chorizo review – South American Shoreditch sandwiches for supper

Dinner time baguettes, ciabattas and buns Having a sandwich for dinner sounds like something only a slummy student might do, but having a steak sandwich from Mamita Que Chorizo is no second-best option. This small Shoreditch restaurant is only open in the evenings from Thursday to Saturday (perfect for chucking out time) and serves up … Continue reading