How quickly Pimlico and Westminster – until recently, an almost totally overlooked zone of central London – is changing. This is never more apparent than on the ten-minute stroll from Victoria station to the newcomer we review today, during which time you are never very far from a building site. On arrival, you find an […]
We were mean-spiritedly looking forward to visiting this re-launched oriental (which was formerly called Sri Thai Soho). A press-scribbler of some note had used his Sunday column to proclaim it beyond dreadful, so we went armed with a full set of critical pencils, razor-sharp. This new establishment was even sibling to a City establishment (Hokkien […]
Why is it impossible to find those cheap mom-and-pop type places, like you might stumble across in an Italian backstreet, where the décor is plain but everything comes from the heart? Well – thanks to a reader – we have. There is a downside, naturally. You have to go to Brockley for it. That bit […]
Smart West End places where it’s ‘all about the food’ are all too rare. So it’s hard not to warm to this Barcelona-inspired newcomer. Hard-edged and marbled – in Continental-style – the dining room has space for just a single counter, and a row of stools. Its pedigree is encouraging. This is the latest venture […]
Nigel Platts-Martin has created a group of restaurants which inspire unequalled customer satisfaction. He has interests not only in ‘Londoners’ favourite restaurant’ – Wandsworth’s Chez Bruce – but also in such stand-outs as Notting Hill’s Ledbury, Chiswick’s Trompette and Kew’s Glasshouse. Apart from the super-swanky Square, in Mayfair, however, all his places are ‘out West’. […]
Claiming to be ‘London’s first Bollywood restaurant’, this Covent Garden newcomer occupies the ground floor above a glamorous pan-Asian basement called Tamarai (reviewed here a month or two ago). Sitaaray feels as if it has had to make do with what was left of the building’s floorplan after the other occupants – not least the […]
In this column almost exactly a year ago, we reviewed Les Coulisses, the predecessor of the restaurant we review today. In their old incarnation, these slightly gloomily-located premises at the foot of Broadgate Circle, seemed confused as to whether they were a St Tropez-style bar/nightclub or a restaurant. It was all a bit odd. The […]
Our expectations on entering this new establishment behind Debenhams were frankly not very high. Its setting – occupying a small block which is otherwise entirely a multi-story car park – is about as uninviting as you’ll find in the West End. The site’s history is not particularly encouraging either. For nearly half a century, it’s […]
It would be easy to dismiss this late-2006 newcomer as a fashion-driven lightweight. Well, for a start, it’s in Notting Hill. And, to make matters worse, it’s linked with the Ignite Group, owners of the Eclipse bar chain and Kate Middleton’s favourite nightclub, Boujis. Finally there the motto – “For city folk who like a […]
In London, your classic mid-range Gallic restaurant is something of a rarity. This may seem an odd thought in a city seemingly awash with cafés, bistros, brasseries – and even the occasional Gallic-run gastropub – but it’s true nonetheless. In London, French restaurants – particularly ‘modern French’ restaurants – remains largely a creature of the […]
