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Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 7th December 2025 London Standard Bonheur by Matt Abé, Mayfair David Ellis was the first critic to issue judgement on the heralded reboot of Le Gavroche by chef Matt Abé, backed by his old boss, Gordon Ramsay. It is, he […]
Ambitious French seafood restaurant Mazarine opened this week in Hanover Square, Mayfair, under former Le Gavroche head chef Thierry Laborde. Mazarine is from restaurateurs Khaled Dandachi and Fred Srouchi, the duo behind nearby Italian Sparrow Italia, who say the new venture is “conceived and curated with the discerning guest in mind”. Khaled added: “Mazarine in […]
A glossy new Cantonese restaurant called Dim Sum Library opens in Covent Garden next week, from the Hong Kong-based Aqua group, the people behind Aqua Shard and Hutong. Dim Sum Library has taken over the Long Acre address of the group’s former Italian restaurant Luci. Browsers will be able to watch the chefs in action […]
Margate’s development as a restaurant hotspot on the Kent coast continues apace, with the opening of two new restaurants in quick succession. The Wellington opens today in the Old Town from chef Billy Stock and his partner Ellie Topham (pictured) in a mid-Victorian former coaching inn, originally the Duke of Wellington. The couple say they […]
MasterChef: The Professionals winner Alex Webb opens his first restaurant as patron next week – seafood-focused Orion in Wimbledon Village. Classically trained Alex worked in top London kitchens including Hélène Darroze at the Connaught, Dinner by Heston and the Savoy before his 2020 MasterChef win, followed by a residency under his own name at the Intercontinental […]
Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 30th November 2025, when reviews were thin on the ground as newspapers turned their focus towards seasonal features and end-of-year compilations London Standard Crisp Pizza at The Marlborough, Mayfair David Ellis nabbed a reservation directly from founder Carl McCluskey […]
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 […]
Restaurateur Martin Kuczmarski is launching two new retro-inspired Italian venues in quick succession – Martino’s in Sloane Square, Chelsea and Dover Street Counter, a few doors down from his flagship off Piccadilly. In both cases Martin has followed the low-profile but high-impact process that proved such a success last year with Dover Street, one of the […]
Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 23rd November 2025 The Guardian The Shaston Arms, Soho Grace Dent was resolutely unimpressed by a pub that failed to bridge the gap between being an “old-school boozer” and “a cool restaurant that serves food at premium prices” – a […]
A 100-year-old landmark Birmingham hotel abandoned for the past decade will reopen tomorrow as a Nigerian restaurant called Empress. The former Dogpool Hotel in Stirchley has been revived by husband-and-wife team Olusegun Akande and Oyetola Isla, who aim to showcase the richness of their national cuisine. Olusegun says: “We saw potential in this historic site […]
