Restaurants, rather than street food, dominate this glossy middle-class cafeteria Arcade Food Theatre is a food court taking up the entire street-level annexe of Centre Point, the Tottenham Court Road skyscraper that everyone loves to hate. Even more unusually for a London food court, Arcade Food Theatre isn’t filled with street food traders. Its stalls … Continue reading
Tag Archives: tempura
Yen review – the soba ‘specialists’ that also serve sushi, sashimi and donburi
A head-scratching double take on The Strand Bringing an under-appreciated cuisine or dish to foreign shores is an effort fraught with all sorts of logistical, culinary and financial difficulties. Reviewing such an effort isn’t as arduous, but still has pitfalls of its own. Yen, a new restaurant on The Strand, is a purported specialist in … Continue reading
Magpie review – Modernist food served ‘Dim Sum’-style in Mayfair
The Pidgin sequel takes flight but doesn’t quite soar Update 10/04/2019 – this restaurant is now closed I once wrote that it’s rare for a restaurant to relocate inwards from the suburbs to the centre of town, rather than other way around. Recent events are proving me wrong, showing that such a move (or sprouting … Continue reading
Jugemu review – Soho izakaya flies solo
Uniquely Japanese in more ways than one Eccentric cultural institutions usually lose something in translation when they’re transplanted outside of their home country. Monster truck rallies, Eccles cakes and Viz magazine are prime examples. The izakaya is another. A Japanese staple, these bar-cum-restaurants are often translated as pubs or gastropubs, but none of those names really quite fit as izakayas are subtly different … Continue reading
Eating my way around Japan part 2 – Wakayama’s Kii Peninsula and the Kumano Kodo
This Japan-focussed article is a break from The Picky Glutton’s usual London-based coverage For many the archetypal image of Japan is the buzzing, sprawling megacity exemplified by Tokyo. But, to state the trite and obvious, there’s another side to the country which is just as compelling – the countryside. One sliver of Japan’s expansive rural … Continue reading
Eating my way around Japan, part 1 – Tokyo and Kyoto
This Japan-focussed article is a break from The Picky Glutton’s usual London-based coverage For a country on the far side of the world with a reputation for being expensive and inscrutable, Japan holds an outsized place in our collective culinary consciousness. Its quixotic and singular culture might be one reason, becoming the archetype of the … Continue reading
Benazuza review – Cancun hotel fine dining falls flat on its face
This review of a Cancun restaurant is a break from The Picky Glutton’s usual London-based coverage El Bulli, Ferran Adria’s famed modernist restaurant, must have employed half a continent’s worth of people given the number of chefs claiming some connection to that now closed Catalan institution. Benazuza is located half a world away in the basement … Continue reading
Yumi Izayaka review – small Japanese bar with big flavours
Shaftesbury Avenue yakitori that deserves your support Update 14/2/17 – this restaurant has now closed Location, location and location. It’s supposed to be one of the keys to a successful London restaurant, but a spot on the West End’s bustling Shaftesbury Avenue hasn’t helped Yumi Izakaya. Nestled in between the entrance to the Piccadilly West … Continue reading
Kurobuta Marble Arch review – modern Japanese izakaya falls flat
An Edgware Road restaurant that isn’t Lebanese Eating at Kurobuta has, if nothing else, confirmed that I’m slowly devolving into a cantankerous old fart. Kurobuta is a modern take on the izakaya, a Japanese food pub, situated on a residential street just off Edgware Road. Originally due to open last Autumn, it was so delayed … Continue reading
Peyote vs Breddo’s Tacos review – Mayfair Mexican miracle or middling muddle?
Mayfair poshos vs market stall wanderers Breddo’s Tacos was one of the very few Mexican eateries that I managed to miss during my recent round-up of London’s burrito and taco eateries. I finally got off my arse and tasted the market stall’s wares (also currently available at The Player), while also trying the Mexican food … Continue reading
You must be logged in to post a comment.