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Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 14th June 2026 The Guardian Oudh 1722, Borough Grace Dent tipped the London debut from Birmingham-based chef Aktar Islam as “one of the restaurant openings of 2026”, serving 300-year-old Awadhi cooking from the royal courts of Lucknow in a “charmingly […]
High-flying Indian restaurant brand Trèsind opens its first UK branch in Mayfair today (8 May), offering a take on the cuisine that earned chef Himanshu Saini (pictured) three Michelin stars in four years at its Dubai flagship. The launch follows hot on the heels of Oudh 1722 from Birmingham’s Aktar Islam in Borough and shortly […]
Birmingham-based chef Aktar Islam, whose stellar flagship Opheem has taken Indian cuisine to new heights in recent years, opens his first London venue today (May 1) – with another restaurant following later this month in Bristol. Oudh 1722, his London debut, has taken over the former site of Lupins in a listed Victorian building on the […]
Aktar Islam started cooking the age of 13 at his father’s restaurant in Birmingham, and his widely acclaimed flagship Opheem is the highest-ranked Indian venue in the Harden’s 100 list. We caught up with him ahead of his London debut with Oudh 1722, which launches on 1st May next door to Borough Market. Hardens: Aktar, […]
A major upgrade to The Stafford Collection’s Ribble Valley star has been announced at the same time as the property has released the 2024 line-up for its phenomenally successful Obsession festival. A new single-storey ‘Pavilion’ is to be built in the grounds, to create a 48-cover ‘signature’ destination for Lisa Goodwin-Allen who took over from […]
The annual Michelin awards on Monday night sprinkled stars liberally over some – led by the Brett Graham, whose Ledbury achieved a coveted third star in its 19th year – while disappointing others: most pointedy the tyre men’s host for the evening, Manchester’s Midland Hotel, which lost its star back in 1975 and has never regained it. […]
Gastronomic stars from Greece, Italy and Portugal will line up alongside a roster of Britain’s top chefs for the 2024 edition of Obsession, the annual festival of chefs hosted by Northcote fine-dining hotel near Blackburn in Lancashire. Michel Roux Jr will cook with his daughter Emily at the grand finale on Sunday 4 February in […]
Hit Devon restaurant Thomas Carr 1873 is closing permanently tonight as the ongoing staffing and financial crises cut a swathe through the hospitality industry. The Ilfracombe outfit has struggled to find front-of-house staff in recent months and chef-patron Thomas Carr (pictured, above) said he would have to double prices to reflect rising costs. A message […]
