We always want what we can’t have. As kids, we wanted to be allowed in with the grown-ups. As grown-ups, we want to make it into the VIP lounge. And so on. It’s a mindset that’s well understood by the owners of the Theatreland’s latest hot ticket, Christopher Corbin and Jeremy King. It may be […]
You would expect the food at this new converted pub in Chelsea to be good. The ‘Tom’ concerned (Aikens) was after all the youngest ever Briton to win two Michelin stars. Naturally, though, he’s not really doing the cooking at this new backstreet spin-off (around the corner from his foodie temple). That rôle falls to […]
For many years, Simone Green ran this Primrose Hill institution with great verve and hospitality. Under subsequent owners, it lost its way, and has recently been re-launched by Vince Power. This ‘Godfather of Gigs’ (his words) made a mint out of his Mean Fiddler group, and has now re-invented himself in the hospitality ‘space’, with […]
Jamie Barber has made his name as a fashionable restaurateur. In spite of mediocre food, his first operation, Hush – with its large bar operation, and its tie-up with Roger Moore’s son, Geoffrey – has become a major hang-out for younger Mayfair money. Not everything he has touched has turned to gold, however. An effort […]
Back in the dark days of the early-’90s, the restaurant at this address – Sri Siam City – blew a breath of fresh air into a dull local dining scene. It offered quality Thai cuisine at good-value prices, and in a handy location too. Ultimately, it formed part of a successful group, Oriental Restaurants. In […]
Lord Foster of Thames Bank, no less, is responsible for the Shoreditch building now occupied by the latest outpost of one of London’s best-known pâtisserie chains. Quite a step from the group’s humble Soho origins in 1926, when Madame Valerie, a Belgian, first began to educate the English in the delights of le croissant. It’s […]
What are hotel restaurants for? It’s a question that many hotels struggle with, especially in cities with vibrant restaurant scenes. A haven of gastronomy is one obvious answer, so recruiting a ‘name’ chef is step one. For many years, Theo Randall headed up the kitchen at the River Café, so putting his name up in […]
Funny place Sloane Square. Shoppers and the local residents sashay by, resplendent in the choicest fabrics and beautiful shoes and immaculate hair-dos. And that’s just the men. It all makes for good people-watching, which helps explain the perennial success of the Square’s lacklustre Oriel brasserie. Seeing as it calls itself a brasserie, this newcomer opposite […]
This new restaurant and private member’s bar has been likened to “a gothic Claridges”. But aside from a quirky line in animal skulls (which make up a chandelier, wall lights, and just sit around on the bar), its airy décor fits firmly into the vaguely Manhattanite style that’s so familiar in the area. With its […]
