Our weekly round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 18th May 2025 London Standard Josephine, Marylebone The first reviews have been published for Claude Bosi’s highly anticipated follow-up to last year’s smash hit Josephine Bouchon – and so far, it’s a split decision. David Ellis was unconvinced by […]

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Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 11th May 2025 London Standard The Lavery, South Kensington Stepping in as guest reviewer, fashion designer Jasper Conran welcomed the opening of this venue of “restrained glamour” in an area that has been a “gastronomic wasteland” since the demise […]

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Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 4th May 2025 London Standard Chuck’s, Brixton  David Ellis reckons “success is around the corner” for a “rotisserie restaurant that almost everyone can afford” operating out of a small and plain room in Brixton Market. Chicken, pork belly and […]

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Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 20th April 2025 London Standard Tom Brown at The Capital, Knightsbridge David Ellis gave a qualified thumbs-up to the latest seafood offering from ex-Cornerstone chef Tom Brown, a 28-seater boutique hotel restaurant where Brian Turner, Gary Rhodes, Éric Chavot […]

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Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 13th April 2025 London Standard Ikeda, Mayfair David Ellis claimed to be the first newspaper critic to review this veteran Berkeley Square Japanese (est. 1973), despite its being favoured by entertainment royalty (thank-you notes are on display from George Clooney, […]

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Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 6th April 2025 London Standard 27 Old Compton Street, Soho David Ellis welcomed the opening of Nima Safaei’s third restaurant in Soho – a “spiritual successor” to the inexpensive old-school Italian restaurants that made the district famous. David’s party of […]

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Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 30th March 2025 London Standard Tasca at Câv, Bethnal Green David Ellis hailed the “beautiful food and fair prices” at a new arrival in a “cool” neighbourhood, which landed in the very week that chancellor Rachel Reeves’s “thuggish budget […]

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Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 23rd March 2025 London Standard Senza Fondo!, Shoreditch David Ellis was primed to castigate this cod-Italian for its childish promise of “bottomless lasagna” (misspelt, he snootily corrected: it should be the plural form, lasagne), for the exclamation mark in […]

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Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 16th March 2025 London Standard Calong, Stoke Newington David Ellis was puzzled at this pop-up-gone-permanent restaurant from Joo Won, the Korean-born former head chef at the Galvin Brothers’ Windows. If his ambition was to produce London’s best Korean food, […]

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Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 9th March 2025 London Standard La Polombe, Kensington David Ellis was won over by a two-year-old restaurant from James Chiavarini, owner of the long-running Il Portico nearby, which he has relaunched after bringing in a new head chef and […]

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