All about the Bao… Baby Bao started life in The Pond pub in Brighton 3 years ago and has now ‘popped up’ on Haymarket in the heart of London’s West End. Its management is testing the waters to see if Taiwanese street food appeals as much to Londoners as it does to Brightonians. If the […]
The Balcon at Sofitel London St James – Wine Days
Celebrating the Wine Harvest in France at the Balcon: There are ideas which just seem so intuitively good as to be unquestionable. In my humble opinion, a menu to celebrate the wine harvest at the Balcon at Sofitel London St James is a great example. Without lapsing into ‘traditional French Brasserie’ territory, the Balcon always seems […]
Game On! – Plate Restaurant presents its new seasonal menu
Autumn – season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. And game. Just a short walk north of Silicon Roundabout and Old St tube, a hipster’s throw from Shoreditch and a slicker’s from the City, Plate Restaurant at the strikingly modern M by Montcalm hotel has just come out with its new seasonal menu, highlighting some delicious […]
Le Café du Marché – Charterhouse Square
Evolution not a Revolution at Le Café du Marché: In the days when I did a normal office job, Le Café du Marché just happened to be the closest good restaurant to one of my favourite suppliers. It’s an old haunt as a result, but one which, tucked away on the corner of Charterhouse Square, I haven’t been back […]
The Montagu Kitchen review
The Montagu Kitchen at Hyatt Regency London, The Churchill: The challenge of the hotel restaurant. Unless you have the luxury of multiple venues, the average London hotel restaurant has to cater just as well for a jet-lagged business traveller as for a couple celebrating a wedding or anniversary with a trip to London. The Churchill, […]
Giggling Squid Tunbridge Wells
Thai in Tunbridge Wells at the Giggling Squid: I’m a big fan of Thai food and have travelled to the country several times. I had heard of the award-winning Giggling Squid Group – the first national Thai restaurant group – who now have 29 outlets around the country, and was interested to see what their […]
Chakra Indian Restaurant, Kensington – Review
Chakra – a hidden delight in Kensington: Earlier in the year we were pleased to be invited to the re-launch party for Chakra and to sample their food and drinks, but these events can only ever give a glimpse of what the restaurant is capable of, so we were more than happy to be invited […]
Ali Ocakbasi – Review
Turkish Food in London’s West End – Ali Ocakbasi: It’s always been an ambition of mine to travel to Turkey, the country that more than any other bridges the East to the West. I love the immediacy and vibrancy of Turkish food, marrying the cuisine of the southern Mediterranean with ingredients such as walnuts and pomegranates […]
Galvin at Windows – brunch with the best views in London
The Michelin-starred restaurant atop the London Hilton on Park Lane impresses with its new Saturday brunch menu You might be thinking brunch is an American thing, but it was actually invented back in 1895 when British writer Guy Beringer pleaded for a new meal, a mixture of breakfast and lunch. The brunch idea caught on […]
Patron Restaurant, Kentish Town – Review
A Taste of Paris at Patron Restaurant in Kentish Town I’m a sucker for all those Parisian romantic clichés and if I haven’t had a recent Paris fix the chance to live those out in London is difficult to resist. So I was very happy to be invited to review Patron Restaurant, a bijou Parisian-style brasserie […]