Our mission is remarkably simple. To tell it how it is!
Veteran Leeds Japanese restaurant Fuji Hiro has been given a new lease of life, and will reopen next week following its closure earlier this year after almost three decades. James Douglas, co-founder of the Red’s True Barbecue chain, stepped in to acquire the lease and renovate the Merrion Centre venue. He said: “Fuji Hiro has […]
The couple behind Cambridge’s high-flying Restaurant Twenty-Two are to open a more relaxed modern British bistro called Margaret’s nearby next week. Co-founders Alex Olivier and Sam Carter say the new venue will offer “uncomplicated dining with a casual yet considered menu that will move with the seasons”, using high-quality from the same local suppliers as […]
A new African restaurant opens in Sevenoaks, Kent today with a focus on the cuisine of Sierra Leone, from chef and food writer Maria Bradford. Shwen Shwen – which means ‘fancy’ in the Krio language of Sierra Leone – will showcase traditional Sierra Leonean dishes as well as fusion cooking from across West Africa. Maria learned to […]
A former Fortnum & Mason chef opens his debut restaurant in west London next week – Walter’s Bistro near Hammersmith Bridge, a tiny 12-seater where he will serve his personal take on British and Italian food. Born and brought up in Rome, Walter Cannavacciuolo has worked in London for 10 years, including a stint as a […]
Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 1st June 2025 The Guardian Town, Covent Garden Given its Drury Lane address, Stevie Parle’s new restaurant might be considered suitable for pre-theatre dining. Wrong, according to Grace Dent: “the food is far too good to rush through in […]
A new casual sushi and sake bar called Noren opens in Mayfair this week, introducing the mini hand-roll ‘makezu’ sushi (pictured) to London, alongside a range of sakes, shochus, wines and beers. From the group behind Chisou, Noren has taken over the premises on South Molton Street vacated earlier this year by another Japanese venture, […]
Internet chef Thomas Straker has opened a deli and casual restaurant called Acre, a few doors from his flagship Straker’s on Golborne Road in Notting Hill. Straker’s is temporarily closed following a fire in its ventilation system, but is popping up for three weeks at nearby Brasseria on Westbourne Grove. Thomas is pitching Acre as […]
Belfast-based chef Lottie Noren has opened her first restaurant as founder, a European small-plates specialist called Beau in the city’s Cathedral Quarter, following her success as head chef at Edo. Lottie represented Northern Ireland in TV’s Great British Menu last year. Originally from the Lake District, she was inspired to become a chef by a […]
Bellamy’s in Bruton Place, Mayfair, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Harden’s sat down with its founder, Gavin Rankin, to find out what makes it tick Tucked away in a mews off Berkeley Square, Bellamy’s is famous for its ‘club with no sub’ atmosphere. It’s a calm and welcoming place, “civilised” is the word its founder […]
Paco Tapas in Bristol and the Angel in Dartmouth are among the prominent restaurants to announce their closure this week, with Tom Kerridge’s Butcher’s Tap & Grill in Chelsea and the two Chick’n’Sours sites in London also shutting up shop. The loss of Paco Tapas means Peter Sanchez-Iglesias (pictured) and his family no longer have […]
