In the heart of Bloomsbury student-land, a jolly Anglo-Italian bistro that makes a pleasant destination for an informal meal. Perhaps it really is the arrival of the Eurostar. Bloomsbury seems to be becoming the home of odd culinary fusions, or – more particularly – an odd Anglo-Italian mix (as also recently observed at the somewhat […]
A grand brasserie broadly similar in scale (170 seats) to the Wolseley; on our early-days visit, the food and service of this Bayswater newcomer were rather superior to that you would expect in Piccadilly – the location, however, is obviously convenient only for Bayswater shoppers and residents. November 2007 – the month in which in […]
A true neighbourhood restaurant, hidden away near the Thames in Battersea, offering simple Gallic fare; we found the cuisine generous, but rather lacking in finesse. When you see menu of this notably unpretentious all-day joint, which opened up near the Battersea riverside early in 2007, you may feel that you have stumbled into some sort […]
Stylishly (but not too stylish) revamped by leading designer David Collins, the buttery of F&M is one of the most genuinely ‘London’ of all institutions; the key points of its traditional appeal – straightforward dishes, solid cooking, and friendly service – have survived the relaunch surprisingly well; it anything, it now seems more popular as […]
On the former site of the Page in Pimlico (RIP), the first gastropub at the ‘wrong’ (Eastern) end of the area; its cuisine is not ambitious, but this is a notably friendly place which has found an instant following in a part of town that’s remarkably under-served. Pimlico – especially the Victoria, rather than the […]
A couple of minutes walk from Borough Market, a very welcoming Indian restaurant, offering fairly standard fare consistently realised to a high standard; the only real downside is that it is rather noisy. A business meeting took us – late in the day, in restaurant-reviewing terms, as it opened in the spring of 2007 – […]
A Marylebone offshoot of Pied àTerre, offering high-quality Gallic dishes and friendly service in a stripped-down contemporary bistro setting. A glass half full, or a glass half empty? That’s the critical dilemma in trying to assess the new Marylebone offshoot of the celebrated Pied A Terre. Take the staff issue. We know that it […]
Near the Old Bailey, an externally somewhat unprepossesing Italian restaurant, with friendly and efficient service, and offering cooking that’s above the norm. Never over-estimate the power of the reviewers. Two days before we lunched at this City Italian, it had been favourably (if not ravingly) appraised by Marina O’Loughlin – a writer highly regarded by […]
A former Bayswater boozer, impressively – and surprisingly convincingly – made over as a smart Art Nouveau restaurant; our overall impression was pretty favourable, but we found the Gallic cooking enjoyable rather than anything more. Thierry Thomasin – formerly manager of Aubergine in Chelsea – has made quite a splash with Angelus. And in Bayswater […]
From Claude Bosi – a chef who gained a reputation as among the UK’s best when his restaurant was in Ludlow – a charming and understated Mayfair dining room, if one perhaps rather lacking in electricity; in these early days, it is not clear whether the occasional wackiness of the menu will be perceived as […]
