Chongqing noodle queens Charlene Liu and Liu Qian have opened the third branch of their cult brand Liu Xiaomian, inside new Czech-beer specialist pub The Stranded, opposite Charing Cross station. The duo have attracted a devoted fan base for their good-value wheat noodles (xiaomian), glass noodles and wontons served with ultra-spicy meat or vegan toppings […]
The former Launceston Place head chef has returned to the London dining scene with the opening of 74 Charlotte Street by Ben Murphy, on the site previously occupied by Monica Galetti’s Mere in Fitzrovia. Ben said he had “waited my whole career” to announce the first restaurant with his name over the door. “We’ve built […]
La Cage Imaginaire, a cute Hampstead Village bistro that featured in the latest Bridget Jones film, is closing down after 50 years at the end of this month. The 26-seat venue in Flask Walk serves homely French and Mediterranean food. Antonia Macone, who has owned and run it for the past two decades, says it […]
In one of the autumn’s most ambitious new openings, chef Matt Abé this week launched his first solo restaurant – Bonheur by Matt Abé – in the former premises of the iconic Le Gavroche in Upper Brook Street, Mayfair. Sydney-born Matt has spent almost 20 years working for Gordon Ramsay, most recently as chef-patron at his […]
Leading Lancashire pub/restaurant the Freemasons in Wiswell reopened this week following a short closure to prepare for the arrival of its highly experienced new chef-patron, Mike Shaw. Mike’s task will be to restore the pub to the culinary eminence it achieved under chef Steve Smith, who left last year after 15 years in which the […]
Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 2nd November 2025 The Guardian Franc, Canterbury Grace Dent enjoyed some “just great, great cooking” at a new venture from Dave Hart and Polly Pleasence, formerly of the Folkestone Wine Company, in a timber-framed gatehouse to Tudor-era almshouses – which, unusually, serves its fancier […]
The opening of two new neighbourhood French bistros in quick succession confirms the enduring popularity of classic Gallic cuisine in the British capital. Earlier this month, La Bouffe (pictured) launched in Wandsworth Bridge Road, Fulham, from husband-and-wife team Lawrence and Emily Hartley, who own the Provence-inspired Le Petit Citron in Brook Green. They say the […]
Romanian-born chef Alex Craciun, who made his name at Jason Atherton’s Sosharu, has returned to London after nine years to open a Japanese-inspired restaurant called Aces Foodcraft in Fitzrovia. The restaurant, which opens tomorrow (1 November), operates on two levels: during the daytime it is relatively casual, with a seasonal à la carte menu, daily […]
Amy Poon will revive one of the most famous names in British Chinese cooking with the opening of her first permanent restaurant – called Poon’s – in Somerset House on Bonfire Night. Amy’s parents Bill and Cecilia opened the original Poon’s in Chinatown in 1973, which ran alongside a second venue in Covent Garden until they […]
Tickets go on sale today for Obsession26, the latest edition of the annual culinary festival that brings together a constellation of top national and international chefs at Northcote, the gastronomic boutique hotel in Lancashire’s Ribble Valley. The festival dinners take place on 17 consecutive nights from Friday 23 January to Sunday 8 February. Host chef-director […]
