Three chef brothers from the foothills of Mount Vesuvius near Naples plan to erupt on the Glasgow dining scene with an ambitious Italian restaurant in the city’s Royal Exchange Building. Called appropriately Banca di Roma, the venue is set to open early this year and will reflect their upbringing on the family tomato farm. The […]
Master-chef Tong Chee Hwee, a pioneer of contemporary Chinese cooking in London as the culinary brains behind the rise of the Hakkasan group, is to launch his own restaurant in the city for the first time. Named Gouqui, it will occupy the former site of Garfunkel’s in Cockspur Street, off Trafalgar Square. Born in China, […]
D&D London is closing four of its restaurants, including Radici in Islington and Klosterhaus in Bristol (pictured), as part of a “strategic review” of its portfolio. The company, which parted ways with co-founder Des Gunewardena in September leaving his former partner David Loewi in charge, has 36 venues, including outposts in Paris and New York. […]
Happy New Year and welcome to the first ROTR of 2023! Here’s our summary of what the national and local restaurant critics were writing about in the final two weeks of 2022. ***** The Observer “It was a challenging year, but the best places led by shining example.” Jay Rayner “was privileged to eat stupidly […]
This week’s Review of the Reviews is the last one for 2022 – we’ll be back in the New Year with a two-week round-up. Here’s what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 18 December… it seems to be very Mayfair-focused; maybe our regular critics were treating themselves for Christmas. […]
A vast new pan-Asian restaurant and basement cocktail bar, Tabu, opens tonight in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter in the premises which previously housed The Vaults nightclub. Tabu is said to be inspired by 1920s-style New York speakeasies and accommodates up to 400 guests, with entertainment including DJ sets and live performers every Thursday to Sunday. The […]
Certain details in this article have been corrected. Rising star Harriet Mansell has announced her intention in the New Year to reformat her highly rated Lyme Regis restaurant Robin Wylde. She plans to reposition the business with the addition of a bakery to the existing restaurant space. The eight-course tasting menu celebrated in our soon-to-be-released […]
High-profile West London-based restaurateur Sam Harrison has said he might close his popular new restaurant, Sam’s Riverside, by Hammersmith Bridge, after being forced to remove a marquee for outdoor dining by the local council. He said the move was costing the business £15,000 in lost trade a week and had forced him to cancel 50 […]
Paul Kitching, chef-proprietor of Edinburgh restaurant 21212, has died suddenly at the age of 61. His passing was announced this week by his partner, Katie O’Brien, who said “I’ve lost my love“. Paul was born in Gateshead and worked in leading kitchens, including Gidleigh Park in Devon, before launching Juniper in Altrincham with Katie. In […]
Veteran Soho restaurant Quo Vadis is to double in size following a major refurb in January. Owners the Hart Brothers say the work will provide a “grander and more spacious restaurant” befitting the cooking of acclaimed chef-partner Jeremy Lee (pictured). Having opened in 1926, Quo Vadis is rare among older restaurants in that it trades […]
