Monty’s Deli, an east London market stall inspired by a grandfather’s love of traditional Jewish food, will move into a permanent site in a former Hoxton bakery in April following a successful crowdfunding campaign. The business will operate as a cross between a deli and a restaurant, serving deli classics such as bagels and Reuben sandwiches by […]

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⦿ Jay Rayner of The Observer reviewed The Holy Birds in Shoreditch, which serves duck, goose and guinea fowl, “but mostly, to be honest, chicken“. The quality of the poultry was not to be questioned, but he was far from impressed by the cooking. “Sure, the skin is dark, but only in places. Elsewhere it’s soft and floppy. […]

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Theatreland favourite Joe Allen is to celebrate its 40th anniversary with an appropriately star-studded line-up of alumni and guests on Sunday January 29. Rowley Leigh will return to the pass in the kitchen where he started out, flanked by food writers Gizzi Erskine and Lisa Markwell, with TV personality Christopher Biggins meeting and greeting on the door and […]

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Food-obsessed cousins Mark Kimber (left in photo) and Harry Smith are opening Plot, a bijou 15-seat restaurant, in a converted market stall inside historic Tooting Broadway Market on January 11. The pair both grew up in Tooting, and have hired chef Giles Estob to design a menu of small plates reflecting their interest in seasonal British produce. Meat will […]

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Chefs past and present at Le Gavroche are receiving a Christmas bonus this year following Michel Roux Jr’s announcement that he will make up the shortfall owed to underpaid staff members. The payments, thought to be worth tens of thousands of pounds, follow revelations of underpayment at the Mayfair temple of gastronomy that have rumbled on for a […]

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Following the success of the Cronut – a donut crossed with a croissant – here comes the sushi donut, the latest hybrid from the new Camden branch of Asian fusion mini-chain Inamo. In fact the sushi donut is much more palatable than the name suggests, mainly because it does not involve the deep fryer. Inamo is best known for […]

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The Real Junk Food Project has launched a fundraising campaign to open a full-time pay-as-you-feel restaurant in Manchester next year, using only food destined to be thrown out. The project needs to raise £20,000 by January 13 in order to go ahead, with pledges being sought through Crowdfunder. Chef Mary-Ellen McTague, formerly of the Fat Duck and Manchester’s Aumbry, […]

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⦿ Jay Rayner of The Observer reviewed Veneta, just off Piccadilly, which, while “not an actively bad restaurant”, brought his culinary year to a disappointing end. “I long ago stopped taking notes in restaurants, figuring that if I couldn’t recall what I’d had for dinner that spoke volumes. With this one I had to dig out the […]

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