The death was announced this week of Bradford ‘Curry King’ Shabir Hussain, the founder of Akbar’s, at the age of 56. His 10 restaurants across the North, the Midlands and Scotland closed to marked his passing, and will reopen today (Friday 18 October). Known as ‘Bash’, the charismatic restaurateur launched Akbar’s as a 28-seater in […]
A new retro-bohemian lunch-only spot called The Yellow Bittern opens in Islington on Monday (21 October) – appropriately from the team behind Luncheon, a biannual cultural magazine devoted to art, fashion and food. Sharing the Caledonian Road premises with Luncheon’s office and bookshop, the restaurant has just 18 seats and will host two daily sittings – at […]
Glynn Purnell has announced the shock closure of his high-achieving Birmingham restaurant Purnells – number two in the Harden’s 100 list of Britain’s best restaurants as recently as 2022. Known as ‘the Yummy Brummie’, Glynn pitched his flagship in the business quarter very much as a culinary expression of his native city. He had given no […]
Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant reviewers were writing about in the week up to 13th October 2024 The Guardian Café François, Borough Market Grace Dent hailed “a new London landmark” that “could well turn into Borough Market’s most useful rendezvous point”, given the quality of its food, the number of seats (has taken […]
Tel Aviv-based restaurant Claro makes its European debut with tomorrow’s opening of a branch at St James’s market, off Piccadilly Circus. It has taken over an ex-Villandry site with an outdoor terrace in what was once a bank building in Waterloo Place. Featuring ‘contemporary, sophisticated Eastern Mediterranean cuisine’, Claro was founded in Tel Aviv 10 […]
A new Italian restaurant called Canteen opened quietly this week in Notting Hill from the team behind The Hero in Maida Vale, which launched to rave reviews earlier this summer. Canteen has taken over the former Pizza East site on the corner of Portobello and Golborne Roads, with a kitchen run by two ex-River Café […]
Chef Steven Smith, who left the acclaimed Ribble Valley gastropub Freemasons in Wiswell in June, has announced his next move – to head up futuristic Japanese restaurant MUSU in Manchester. Steven transformed Freemasons over 15 years into one of the most commented-on venues in the annual Harden’s survey, which described it this year as ‘a fine-dining […]
Two former pop-ups which combine hifi sounds with tasty food (and serious drinks) have opened in South London – Hausu in Peckham and Jazu in Deptford. Hausu, which has taken over the former Coal Rooms premises in the old booking hall at Peckham Rye station, describes its approach as ‘vintage high-fidelity sound & modern cuisine’. This […]
Highly rated Glasgow small-plates specialist Ox and Finch is closing tomorrow night for a six-month overhaul, allowing the team behind it – Jonathan MacDonald’s Scoop – to launch two separate restaurants at the same address in the city centre. First up will be Margo, described as a “bigger and bolder” version of Ox and Finch, […]
Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant reviewers were writing about in the week up to 6th October 2024 The Observer In a footnote to Jay Rayner’s damning review last week of restaurant 18 at Rusacks hotel in St Andrew’s, 18’s executive chef Billy Boyter this week announced his departure after just eight months – with […]
