Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 21st April 2024 The Evening Standard Crispin at Studio Voltaire, Clapham Jimi Famurewa was impressed by the latest expansion of the East London-based Crispin brand, which “cements founding restaurateur Dom Hamdy’s HAM group as one of the capital’s most […]
A West London arts space has opened a chic new Italian restaurant under the direction of highly rated chef Emanuele Pollini. The venture shares Ladbroke Hall, a former car factory from the early motoring era, with contemporary art and design operation Carpenters Workshop Gallery. Pollini at Ladbroke Hall occupies the vaulted lobby of the grand […]
Possibly London’s smallest restaurant opens in Notting Hill next week – an omakase with just six seats per sitting called Juno, upstairs at Markus Thesleff’s Mexican-Japanese mashup Los Mochis. Juno will serve a 15-course meal costing £180 in two evening sittings – at 6 and 8.30pm, Tuesday to Saturday – overseen by Los Mochis’ executive chef […]
Prominent Notting Hill pub the Walmer Castle is to reopen on November 1 under new ownership – its third in quick succession after a turbulent few years. The new owners are Jack and Poppy Greenall, who also own The Surprise in Chelsea – another handsome mid-Victorian tavern – and are working to resurrect it as a “traditional community […]
Veteran chef Rowley Leigh is making a comeback at the age of 73 with a three-month pop-up bistro called Chez Rowley, which opens next month in Notting Hill. He describes the venture as “a bistro with nostalgic dishes and classic technique at its heart designed to be enjoyed family style. The true show stopper, poulet […]
Singaporean restaurateur Michael Lim has opened a second branch of his popular restaurant Uli – 26 years after launching the Notting Hill original. The new branch is in Marylebone’s Seymour Village, and opened this month after being announced last year. The original Uli opened in All Saints Road in 1997, and moved to new stripped-wood […]
Empire Empire, a double tribute to the Indian disco scene of the 70s and the traditional cuisine of the Old Punjab, has opened in Notting Hill ahead of a formal launch next Thursday, 15 June. The restaurant, in All Saints’ Road, is a follow-up to the successful Gunpowder trio from Harneet Baweja (pictured), and features a […]
Kibako, billed as a ‘modern Japanese restaurant’ featuring presentation boxes of exquisite small dishes, opened this week in Windmill Street, Fitzrovia. Taking over the site formerly occupied by Rai, Kibako is from the team behind Hot Stone in Islington’s Chapel Market, highly praised in the 2023 Harden’s Guide for its “high-quality Kobe beef, sushi and […]
Two of London’s most interesting young restaurants – Fiend in Notting Hill and Black Radish in Wimbledon Village – have confirmed their permanent closure, while Barletta in Margate is also folding after falling victim to a £50,000 fraud. Fiend only opened in summer 2021, and marked the return of chef Chris Denney (pictured), who had previously made […]
A “rock star” line-up of professionals from some of London’s top restaurants have banded together for the launch of a new British bistro in Notting Hill. Dorian is scheduled to open October in the former premises of Raoul in Talbot Road. Founder Chris D’Sylva, the owner of two high-profile local food shops, Notting Hill Fish […]