The founders of high-achieving Scandi-style restaurant Hjem in Northumberland are quitting the hospitality industry and have scuppered long-term plans to open a follow-up venue called Freyja. Swedish chef Alex Nietosvuori and his Northumberland-born wife Ally Thompson-Nietosvuori will bow out with a farewell barbecue on 16 August at the Farmhouse in the South Causey Inn, County […]
Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 6th July 2026 Financial Times Appalachia, Shoreditch Fresh from a critical mauling by Camilla Long in the Sunday Times last week, Appalachia bounced back with two rapturous reviews this week, Jay Rayner kicking off by hailing it as a […]
Chef Paul Ainsworth and his wife Emma are this month relaunching the St Enodoc Hotel at Rock, across the Camel estuary from their flagship restaurant No 6 in Padstow, as their Cornish mini-empire grows to Rick Stein-like proportions. The couple took over the 21-bedroom hotel – best known for hosting Nathan Outlaw’s superlative seafood restaurant in […]
The influential Chinese chef and restaurateur Bill Poon has died at the age of 81. His passing was announced this week by his daughter, fellow-restaurateur Amy Poon (pictured). Bill was a crucial figure in elevating the standards – and the standing – of Chinese cuisine in Britain, bringing new ambition and culinary knowhow to the scene in […]
Johnny Boy’s, an all-day neighbourhood restaurant serving comfort food inspired by the multicultural communities of Southern Californian, opens today in Stoke Newington. Founder Julian Dennis, known in east London for his Chinese restaurant Facing Heaven and dive bar Easy 8 in London Fields, was born in Los Angeles to a Portuguese mother and Puerto Rican […]
A modern French brasserie launches next week on Sloane Square in Chelsea after finding its feet with an extended soft opening. Brasserie Olivia has taken over the corner premises formerly occupied by the David Mellor cutlery shop, lavishly converted with retro-modern interiors incorporating a seafood bar, lobster tank and semi-open kitchen. Downstairs in the basement […]
Upscale Belgravia trattoria Zafferano has closed down after more than 30 years, with a ‘notice of forfeiture’ posted in its window. Zafferano was one of the capital’s hottest spots in its late-90s heyday under launch chef Giorgio Locatelli, setting a new standard for modern Italian cuisine. Despite losing some of its cachet after his departure […]
A new generation of chefs are creating culinary mashups that challenge traditional notions of authenticity – and transport diners from Austin, Texas to Afghanistan or from Mexico City to Malaysia through the magic of flavour Fusion food has attracted a lot of flak over the years. It’s been condemned as culinary vandalism, as cultural appropriation, as […]
The Sustainable Restaurant Association is proud to share the Sustainable Spaces Playbook in partnership with Reassemble, free to download now! “Your profitability will be set by the spaces you build, not just what you serve.” Hospitality fit-outs can have major environmental and financial impacts and carry long-term operational risk — yet, until now, the sector has lacked a […]
Your round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 28th June 2026 Financial Times Teal by Sally Abé, Hackney Jay Rayner was mightily impressed by the “earthy” English food filtered through the sensibility of classical French cuisine at this new spot from chef Sally Abé (ex-Savoy, Claridge’s and […]
