A smash hit in the making, this NYC-Downtown-chic Italian offers perfectly judged tapas/small-plate dishes in an atmosphere of old-style Soho conviviality. We keep reading that this much-lauded Soho newcomer – fronted by Russell Norman, once a bigwig at the Caprice group – is some sort of Venetian snack bar (or, to impress you with our […]
A large fifth-floor Spanish bar/restaurant (with terrace), between Oxford Circus and Carnaby Street, with the potential – if it gets the right crowd – to become quite a ‘scene’; it also offers a spacious and convenient setting for a business lunch. Here’s a profound thought: restaurants exist in space and time. Space is pretty obvious. […]
Neighbouring Fenchurch Street station, a bright new Turkish/Mediterranean brasserie; it is obviously handy for travellers, but makes a good place for an informal City lunch too. Right by Fenchurch Street station, this shiny new brasserie sells itself as a ‘Mediterranean Grill & Bar’, which is rather odd as its menu is essentially Turkish. Nothing wrong […]
On the main road just south of Tower Bridge, a jolly, informal and reasonably-priced new South American steakhouse that offers a useful stand-by in an area with few other options; we couldn’t, however, quite perceive the ‘destination’ charms at which some reviews elsewhere have hinted. [There is no full text review for this restaurant, as […]
An airy but oppressive City banking hall, now a seafood bar-cum-restaurant; the upstairs boasts impressive views of the Bank of England but our early-days visit suggested that it was only the proprietors’ wealth and Establishment connections that have made it of any real note. ‘Monumentally disappointing.’ That’s a phrase people usually use figuratively. You can, […]
Handy for Sloane Square, a useful modern café/bistro, with quite a nice gallery attached; the cooking has no great ambition, but standards overall are above the cultural-centre norm. Have no fear: you do not need to be in any sort of cultural mood to enjoy this convenient new café/bistro near Sloane Square. In fact, if […]
In St Paul’s crypt, an airy and relaxed English restaurant that realises its simple and unpretentious aims well. The undercroft of St Paul’s has recently received a major make-over. Part of the vast space is now given over to a relatively intimately-scaled but lofty two-level dining room. It turns out to be the first public-facing […]
A Chinatown newcomer, specialising in Taiwanese cuisine; by local standards, it’s a more than usually comfortable and welcoming all-rounder, and the food we sampled was of a good standard; the bizarrely complex menu presentation, however, leaves the nagging feeling of delights undiscovered. [Not professing any expertise in or even particular experience of the cuisine of […]
A re-launch of one of the most remarkable interiors in London, this grand Victorian – neo-Byzantine – dining room offers a comfortable sort of all-round experience, at prices that, except pre-theatre, will probably make it mainly a business venue. The most wonderful restaurant interior in London was created by Spiers & Pond, the great railway […]
Brilliantly located for business, a Fleet Street brasserie in the classic Conran mould; it serves all your favourite Gallic dishes, quite well done, in surroundings which are a touch grander than the menu really demands. It would be unfair to say that, when it comes to restaurants, Sir Terence Conran has only ever had one […]
