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, […]
Handmade pasta specialist Padella will next week open its first West End branch – and third overall – in Soho, almost exactly 10 years after founders Jordan Frieda and Tim Siadatan (pictured) unveiled the original venue in Borough Market. The pair say, “We have always felt the energy of Soho was a perfect fit for Padella, and […]
Former Kiln chef Tom Geoffrey has popped up to replace Khao Bird in the upstairs residency at the The Globe Tavern in Borough Market, where he is presenting Barang – his take on Cambodian cooking. Khao Bird decamped this month to permanent digs in Soho, and Borough regulars now have the opportunity to compare Cambodian […]
With Greek cuisine all the rage in London and cooking over fire here to stay, the arrival of two separate restaurants named after the Greek word for fire may be not be altogether surprising. This week saw the opening of Pyra in Queen’s Park, billed as a ‘love letter to the Mediterranean’ and featuring Greek […]
Brindisa Tapas bars have just celebrated their 25th anniversary. Harden’s caught up with founder Monika Linton HARDEN’S: Monika, many congratulations on the first quarter century of Brindisa Tapas – but the bars are just the tip of the iceberg, the most visible aspect of the import company you set up in 1988 to import Spanish food. […]
A northern Thai barbecue specialist inspired by the night markets of Chiang Mai launches in Borough Market next week. Khao Bird is the latest residency upstairs at the Globe Tavern, and is an offshoot of Brighton restaurant Lucky Khao. Khao Bird will use produce from suppliers close to the market including Kernel Beer, Ice Cream […]
A new French deli, bakery and ‘canteen’, Café François, is to open next week in Borough Yards, taking over the two-storey former Paul Smith shop on the edge of Borough Market. It is a spinoff from Maison François in St James’s, founded four years ago by François O’Neill and already established as a West End […]
Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 16th June 2024 Evening Standard Paulette, Maida Vale David Ellis had never given a five-star review before his visit to this neighbourhood bistro in the heart of Maida Vale, “on the grounds that nothing is perfect”. And neither was […]
Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 26th May 2024 The Guardian Brett, Glasgow Grace Dent found “comfort food with the chef’s foot fully on the gas” at this modest-seeming wine bar – the younger sibling of feted Cal Bruich nearby – which “holds a fig leaf […]
