Bang opposite the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, a former pub that’s now a offshoot – in what’s essentially a high-quality bistro format – of the Salt Yard/Dehesa tapas empire; its attractions for Covent Garden lunchers and theatre-goers are self-evident. Until recently, the rule was pretty simple: Covent Garden restaurants were for dumb tourists and theatre-goers. […]
Hidden-away in Knightsbridge, a small and genuine new Gallic bistro, of particular interest as a lunchtime destination. A small, Gallic bistro where the prices seem very reasonable? In Knightsbridge? In the very shadow of the Candy brothers’ ‘One Hyde Park’ colossus? The marketing messages that drew us to this little newcomer, hidden-away in a pedestrian […]
Heston Blumenthal’s historically-themed Knightsbridge newcomer – it’s undoubtedly a good restaurant, but is it good enough to stand up to the hype? Has any restaurant in recent years been a more hotly anticipated media event than Heston Blumenthal’s Knightsbridge newcomer? By the third day of official opening – on the lunch service of which we […]
A tiny but very smart Baltic-tinged newcomer, in Marylebone; the cooking is pretty straightforward, but the set lunch menu, in particular, offers excellent value. There’s something not entirely English about this cute little Marylebone newcomer. Even though it is very compact indeed, having just 26 seats, and these divided between two rooms, it is nonetheless […]
From the same backers as the celebrated Terroirs bistro in central London, a (more informal) East End offshoot of similar quality; it has much laid-back charm, and is already very busy. Terroirs goes East. Yes, that’s really is pretty much everything you need to know about this new bistro, recently opened in the East End. […]
A notably ‘useful’ relaunch of this handily-located Art Deco dining room, offering good (and very straightforward) English food at prices which are surprisingly reasonable, considering. It’s an ill wind’ Snow clouds lowering over the capital allowed us to bag a last-minute table at one of the sell-out of the pre-Christmas season – the recently relaunched […]
Inspired by Terroirs, a good-all-round bistro specialising in small plates; somewhat unfortunate theming notwithstanding, it is a mid-price Chelsea destination offering overall good value, rather in the same way as its predecessor Gilmours (RIP) did in the early days. The opening of Terroirs, near Charing Cross, a couple of years ago is beginning to look […]
Perfect for Carnaby Street shoppers and oyster-lovers, the first offshoot of the mega-popular Borough fish and seafood bar. The only real problem with the Wright Brothers oyster bar at Borough Market has always been that it’s too cramped and busy. We suspect that its new offshoot, near Carnaby Street, will soon be very busy too, […]
A new meat-led restaurant, right by St Paul’s (of which some tables offer impressive views), which seems to owe its existence entirely to Jamie Oliver’s PR profile; the food on our visit was decent enough, but – especially given its simplicity – the delay is serving it was ridiculous. You’ve seen the faces, now taste […]
A handy refuge in the bleak purlieus of the Museum of London, a welcoming former Slug & Lettuce that now offers a British menu of surprisingly high standard. What can you do with a former Slug & Lettuce? They’re often such vast sites that it’s very difficult to see how, without enormous expenditure, they can […]
