Last Updated on March 24, 2026
Parklife from Jeremy King – Restaurant of the Month
Our March Restaurant of the Month was Arlington, Jeremy King’s renamed recreation of his old gaffe Le Caprice. King and his erstwhile business partner Chris Corbin had lost control of their group (The Ivy, J Sheekey, The Wolseley, The Delaunay, Brasserie Zédel, Colbert and Fischer’s) post lockdown to their investors. King, one of the most liked and respected figures on the London restaurant scene, then opened Arlington, his first opening as a solo act, on the site of Le Caprice which is where in the early 1980s he made his name creating a star-studded scene. But with Richard Caring owning the Le Caprice name and planning to relaunch the restaurant on a different site, the Arlington launch felt more a spiking of Caring’s guns than creating a restaurant relevant for the 21st century. This brings me to The Park, which is the subject of this review. Having not enjoyed the Arlington, which felt dated and uninspired, I must say that I had some concerns. Had Jeremy King lost his touch?
As soon as I saw the exterior of The Park, I sensed that all would be well. Placed immediately opposite Hyde Park at the top end of Queensway the whole place exudes confidence. The name must be a nod to the Big Apple’s Park Avenue, home to the New York advertising industry. The trilby-wearing doorman let us into the buzzing ‘New World Grand Café’ full of well-heeled denizens of Notting Hill, Bayswater, Paddington and Marble Arch.
Designed by Brady Williams – who amongst other places designed Bob Bob Ricard City and King and Corbyn’s Fischer’s – The Park’s two dining areas and bar have a New York 60s feel, with swirly light wood parquet flooring, extremely comfortable caramel leather banquettes, light Limber pine wood panelling. A hint of Art Deco creeps in with Torpedo lights and the walls are covered with well-chosen contemporary art with a floral theme.
There is some gorgeous glassware and a cool cruet set. If you’re a certain age (which I am) it’s sexy, urbane and very, very Mad Men.
The Grand Café offer is King’s comfort zone but this time he has bypassed Europe and created an American take. Hot dogs and lobster rolls feature as well as more substantial savoury dishes, often with an Italian-American theme; for dessert, there are ice-cream sundaes – with a cute design-your-own sundae menu, -and you can even order a caramelised banana split.
Cocktails were excellent. A Habanero Margarita, made with Siete Misterios mezcal, habanero chilli, lime juice, kumquat and agave, was subtle and smooth with a salty mild spice and the mezcal’s smokiness balanced by the sweetness of the kumquat. The non-alcoholic Crodino Cocktail was a blend of Everleaf Mountain non-alcoholic aperitif, with Crodino – the fizzy Italian aperitif, grapefruit juice and Tabasco. It was delicious with an orangey tang, a citrus zing and a Tabasco bite. It was one of the best non-alcoholic cocktails I’ve had.
From the salad menu, a starter of a mixed pea and pistachio salad had buckets of crunch, with wild rocket, pickled shallots and a mix of other super crisp leaves gussied up by a lovely dressing.
A Gotham shrimp cocktail was a modernist delight. There were no ephemeral leaves, just a row of shrimp on ice, with a bowl of the classic tomato and horseradish cocktail sauce creating a much more exciting experience than the bland Marie-Rose sauce we are used to.
A carafe of Grillo Bianco, Pauline, Sicilia 2022 with herbal, peach and citrus notes had plenty of body to match our main dishes. Looking like something from Little Women, a rustic Ham Hock Pie, with peas, fava beans and fingerling potatoes had a gnarly glazed pastry top and meaty chunks of tender, flaky ham hock. The vegetables added texture and the mixture of meat and veg had a deliciously salty creaminess.
A whole roast sea bream was a glorious beast, cooked to within an inch of its life, and then served with a fennel, radicchio, dill and orange salad that cut through the sweet flesh of the fish. A side of classic American fries were crisp and hot.
The Amalfi lemon tart had a rich, eggy lemon filling, a seductively sugared top, sweet pastry and a dollop of cream for good measure. It was exceptional.
Could anything be improved? The menu could be a little more adventurous and it would be great to see a spicy New Orleans gumbo, Po’ Boys or Shrimp’n Grits on offer, but the King is very much back on form with this new power dining room. Later this year he relaunches another classic room, Simpson’s in the Strand, a project he has described as being ‘the apotheosis of his career’. I can’t wait!
The Park
Queensway,
London W2 3RX
Other new restaurants that have caught our eye this month include
Dez Amore
Italian street food specialists Dez Amore have launched their first restaurant in Chelsea, promising ‘to bring the warmth and flavours of an authentic Italian kitchen, reminiscent of Nonna’s home’. With an open kitchen, a suitably 1970s atmosphere, and a menu that features Italian-style burgers as well as Tuscan classics, we are looking forward to reviewing sometime soon.
273 Fulham Road, London SW10 9PZ
The Barbary
Zoë and Layo Paskin, the team behind Michelin-starred Evelyn’s Table, The Palomar and The Barbary in Covent Garden, are opening a second iteration of their Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant The Barbary, in a Grade II-listed building in Notting Hill this September. The food will be influenced by ‘the vast landscape of the cuisines and countries of the Barbary Coast, from Southern Europe to Northern Africa’, with dishes including house-made merguez, seasonal flatbreads, crispy pork belly skewers, aubergine ajo blanco and fried fish collar; desserts will feature The Barbary’s famed hashcake!
The Barbary, Notting Hill
112 Westbourne Grove, London, W2 5RU.
The Hound
Housed in the walls of a historic Victorian police station, The Hound – a self-styled modern-day coaching inn – is upping the ante for pub grub in bouji Chiswick. A sibling to The George and The Cadogan Arms, The Hound has a covered outdoor courtyard and a south-facing front terrace. With James Knappett of two Michelin-star Kitchen Table in Fitzrovia as Culinary Director, The Hound menu features dishes including Black Pudding Scotch Egg with Oxford Sauce, Buttermilk Fried Chicken with Blue Cheese Sauce and Bubbledogs Hot Sauce, and Ham, Egg and Chips with Spiced Pineapple Ketchup.
210 Chiswick High Road, Chiswick, London W4 1PD
Kanpai Classic
The Kanpai Group numbers nine original restaurant brands across Taiwan and China that feature Yakiniku, a Japanese style of cooking bite-size wagyu beef slices over a charcoal flame. Their Shanghai Bund Store restaurant has become the first yakiniku restaurant to win a Michelin star. In their new 86-cover, two-floor Soho opening they are offering a selection of up to 10 different cuts of aged wagyu beef, a 14-course Omakase Menu and ten exclusive sakes from Japan’s multi-award winning Masuizumi Brewery.
147-149 Wardour Street, London W1F 8WD
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