A disappointing second branch of the Japanese skewer chain, far inferior to the South Bank original. When we reviewed the original Bincho Yakitori, almost a year ago, we noted the obvious point that features which can make a good restaurant, apart from good food, include an interesting location, and a cool design. The original BY […]
An elegantly ambitious newcomer, near the Barbican, which deserves to transcend the obvious description of ‘City Italian’; on the basis of our early-days visit, it appeared to be one of the best restaurants to have opened in London in recent times. This new Italian – in the City, of all places – is one of […]
Inspired by the grand hotel grill restaurants of yore, a decidedly English re-launch of the long-established Soho restaurant; the straightforwardness of the formula arguably risks tipping into a general lack of excitement, but it’s a plush and welcoming place, with quality, no-nonsense fare. With only two very long-established obvious exceptions (Wiltons SW1 and Rules WC2), […]
Just off Carnaby Street, the latest venture from the capital’s leading oriental restaurateur, Alan Yau; it’s as smart and elegant a budget venue as you could ever wish for, and – at least in the early days – offers astonishing value. Some people think it’s vulgar to think about the cost of a meal, but […]
From Gary Yau, a path-breaking restaurant, bringing high-quality Japanese fare (including top-quality sushi) and striking design values to Soho; it’s no bargain, but standards on our early-days visit were uniformly very high. It’s rare for a major new central restaurant to steal up on the world the way this new establishment has, and all the […]
An elegantly-conceived bar/brasserie, on a corner of a square which is a byword for fashionability; the latest product from the Martin (‘Gun’) brothers, it offers ‘high street’ fare at boutique prices. Starting off at The Well EC1, the Martin brothers have made quite a name for their gastropubs. Arguably the best was their second establishment, […]
An airy, clean-lined and spacious Kensington parlour, serving top-class burgers at reasonable prices; service is friendly but sometimes inattentive. A rave review elsewhere drew us to this new burger parlour, which has stealthily opened in the heart of Kensington (by the entrance to Holland Park). It’s an impressively airy and capacious space, decorated in cool […]
In Soho, the second member of a new Gallic bistro chain (brought to you by many of the people who created Strada); it’s a useful enough place, in a chain sort of way, and friendly too, but our visit found the cooking uninspired. We are getting more and more preoccupied by the bistro question. Why, […]
A laid-back but high quality gastropub that’s all the more welcome in the gastronomically deprived environs of Muswell Hill. Typical Conversations We Have with our Customers: No 14. Reader: ‘You don’t have many places in North London… that’s where I live.’ Us: ‘No. True. We don’t. We always struggle to find good places.’ Reader: ‘That’s […]
A basic Balham bistro, aiming to offer a true Gallic experience at reasonable prices; on our visit, however, the food was very up-and-down, and service was shocking. The first Gazette is hidden-away in Battersea, near the river. When we ventured there last year, we found a straightforward Gallic bistro with real potential, but also noted […]
