Westminster, Fusion Restaurant Guide

Malaysia-born and Sydney-raised, Ramuel Scully’s “brilliant fusion cooking with surprising combinations” and much use of fermentation is on cracking form right now, according to all who report on his St James’s Market fixture. (“He is still innovating. He is still there regularly and it shows – had several spectacular dinners there this year”). “The funky menu is a puzzle – what does it all mean?! – but it all comes together on the plate so well. His blend of flavours really shines. Everything is so well thought-through”. The unit itself is potentially anodyne but enlivened by “really lovely” staff.

“Fun but fully priced” would be a fair overview of this funky fusion duo – outposts of a glossy US-based chain that started in NYC. The original is found at the top of one of West Europe’s fastest lifts, whisking you to the glamorous 38th floor of the Heron Tower (adjacent to Duck & Waffle, see also), complete with a stylish cocktail lounge and outside terrace. Its newer sibling opened in 2018: “it’s above the market in Covent Garden which is a great location/space (regardless of what currently occupies it!)”. In both spots, all reports agree its luxurious Latino-meets-Japanese bites are super-moreish and “consistently good”. Prices though are OTT, especially as “you can feel like you are in a machine, and they churn out huge numbers of covers so service feels rushed. And it’s big, it’s loud, feels like a bun fight!!” (“Sushi Samba was my 18-year-old daughter’s choice and was not as bad as I feared, but not particularly stand-out either”.)

This South Bank pan-Asian is, for many, a “go-to near the National Theatre” – and chef-patron Peter Lloyd doubled up three years ago by taking over the former Cantine del Porte downstream at Shad Thames, which offers “great views of Tower Bridge and the river”. Both sites benefit from their “enviable locations” and – on most accounts – “give rise to little to complain about”, with “pleasing food and reliable service”. But the “tasty” cooking doesn’t always stand up to scrutiny (“my Singaporean friend was disappointed that the menu was not more authentic”) and even advocates can feel, “it’s not otherwise a destination, but it suits us pre-show”.

Noisy izakayas in Fitzrovia and Covent Garden from the Bone Daddies group, “serving a good range from the stickier and more crowd-pleasing end of Japanese cuisine”, along with “tasty pan-Asian small plates including their signature bao buns”. Top Menu Tips – “great yakitori, lovely beef-fat chips”.

“Really interesting food, superbly prepared” won more consistent raves this year at Jeremy Chan’s (chef) and Iré Hassan-Odukale’s (MD) ground-breaking venture, which moved to this ‘Midtown’ location on Aldwych in 2022 having won renown for itself in St James’s Market. At the vanguard of transforming impressions of African cuisine, chef Jeremy takes the spices of sub-Saharan West Africa and combines them with British ingredients in a ‘micro-seasonal’ culinary mash-up that’s won it two Michelin stars and the UK’s highest position on the World’s 50 best (at No. 15 in 2025). It’s “exceptional food but with an exceptional and terrifying final bill” – the set menu is £350 per person before wine. And while “Jeremy’s personal attention is without parallel”, the atmosphere of this copper-hued chamber can seem “sterile”. Top Tip – at £150 per person, the shorter express lunch menu is a relative bargain.

2022 Review: Chef Krishna Negi (who first made his name when he launched Tangawizi in Richmond in 2004) opened this Fitzrovian basement spot in October 2019, with a menu featuring ‘nano plates’ (small plates and sharing bowls) inspired by 1947’s partition of India. Some initial reviews on its cuisine have been very upbeat.

Food writer Ravinder Bhogal this year celebrates the 10th anniversary of her “magical” Marylebone showcase, where her “fresh, light, aromatic Indian-fusion cooking” delivers “flavourful food in unique combinations”. “The delicious and original dishes are perfect for sharing (so we tasted almost everything on the menu!)”. “Attentive, intelligent and informal service” is also “greatly appreciated”.

“Magical Korean/French food delivered with precision and style that blows your mind with its brilliant combinations of flavours” continues to win acclaim for Woongchul Park & Bomee Ki’s “very likeable” passion project near The Shard (which was hailed as Top Newcomer of the Year by Harden’s after it opened in 2020). The cuisine is “reasonably unique for London with its fusion of European and Korean traditions” and the resulting dishes are a “delicate” and sophisticated combination of the two, with pastry (prepared by Bomee) a particular strength. Opinions on the room differ: to fans “beautifully decorated in quite a subtle style”, to others “comfortable if plain”.

“A popular chain with an interesting and varied international menu” – “V.G. value too” – these Kiwi-run cafés are “still seeing off all of the competition” for their many fans. In particular, they do a “great brunch, and they’re right to boast about their filter coffee” – and given the volume of feedback they generate, there is remarkably little negative criticism. Depending on the venue and the time of day, they work equally well for a “working lunch meeting” or “families out for the day visiting the sights”. Top Menu Tip – “the cornbread is to die for”.

This “curious, cosy little restaurant in a backwater of Marylebone” “seems to be flying rather under the radar” and has a small but very enthusiastic fan club who vaunt the Spanish and Italian tapas-style menu whose “real star dishes are those from the Josper grill” – not least “some excellent meats that stand up against much more exalted places, and at not too bad a price either”.

“This longstanding Clapham stalwart with a nightclub vibe” from a trio of ex-Nobu chefs celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, with a “broader than Nobu” menu that “works well in the most part” – and it’s “good value, too”. There’s the occasional complaint that the “noirish decor lends a bleakness to the ambience”.

2022 Review: Hidden beneath Smith’s Bar & Grill in the Paddington Basin development – a spring 2020 Peruvian newcomer named for the Ayllu community of the Inca Empire, and serving Peruvian-Japanese fusion dishes and cocktails.

2024 Review: “An amazing variety of small, tasty and unusual combination dishes served in a very cool environment” continues to win a thumbs up – if from a tiny fan club – for this Israeli-Japanese one-year-old in the shiny new Islington Square development.

“With its eclectic Mexican/Japanese fusion fare”, this duo of funky bar-restaurants offer a “fun” time as a “great location for drinks and snacks with fabulous cocktails and tacos” and is “especially good if you’re dining with a few people so you can share dishes”. At least that’s what most folks feel about these surprisingly vibey and “buzzy” haunts in Notting Hill and by Liverpool Street station. On the downside, “it is easy to rack up a large bill and service can be erratic”. Where such criticisms are made, it’s mostly concerning the larger, newer EC2 branch (“had a rooftop meal in the City and although we knew it would not be ‘bargain basement’, we felt we were treated like cash-machines to be brought in and moved out again as quickly as possible”). See also Juno and Luna. Top Menu Tip – “nearly everything is gluten-free” and also nut-free.

“The new kitchen is a joy to watch in action” at Rafael Cagali’s genius venue in Bethnal Green’s “lovely old town hall”, which has lacked ambience in the past, but which emerged from a four-week closure and refurb in early 2025 on which early reports are very positive (the new layout includes a lounge for pre-dinner drinks and snacks). Rafael’s “brilliant” Brazilian- influenced tasting menu here is regularly one of the highest-rated in our annual diners’ poll and the “absolutely gorgeous and surprising dishes” offer “a fun experience whilst also wowing with flavours”. “Service is also a draw from the very knowledgeable staff” and there’s “an amazing wine list and such good advice to go with it”. Allow three hours for the tasting menu which is £245 per person. (“I always say that I cannot get this food anywhere else.....and I leave wanting to come back. That is very special, as is the team.”). Top Tips – there’s also a short tasting menu (Wed-Fri) for £185 per person and three-course set lunch for £110 per person.

“Remarkable food combinations”, “full of delicious surprises” win high ratings for this Italo-Japanese project in Dalston, whose “innovative dishes” are paired with “excellent wines” by “well-informed and thoughtful” staff. Meals are served kaiseki-style, with 13 courses on a menu that changes every five weeks. Success here has led to a follow-up venture, pasta and grill specialist Osteria Angelina, opening in Shoreditch last spring (see also).

“Innovative Asian dishes” are “excellently executed” at this Clapton High Street hangout from well-travelled chef Ellen Parr (ex-Rochelle Canteen and Moro), with drinks expert Pete Kelly handling the cocktails. There’s a “nice variety of options” featuring “unusual flavours and presentation” – although the occasional reporter can find it all “a little too hipster for its own good”.