If restaurants are experiences more than merely meals, then Sibilla plays in the premier league. The approach tells you everything you need to know: perched on a hillside above the river Aniene, guests know that they are set for a show. Combine a stunning location with top-notch local cooking plus a comprehensive wine list and you have a winning formula.
Keep it simple and do it well is a mantra that more restaurants should follow. If Barrafina were not enough for fans of all things Spanish, then Parillan, from the same team, takes things to another level. There are few better outdoor spots to eat and drink, sit back and relax anywhere in London.
Reader, rest assured, all the animals you may consume at Happy Lamb did enjoy good lives. The menu delightfully informs diners that not only the lambs, but the cows and the deer too, not forgetting the ducks, led initially happy lives. Many were ‘grass-fed’ too. It’s hard to fault the relentless optimism pervading the venue. The nosh is pretty good too.
There’s a certain skill attached to opening a restaurant less than three months ago, yet making it feel as if it’s been there forever. Osteria Vibrato does just that. It fits perfectly into the Soho zeitgeist and is a classic in the making.
It does exist: Michelin-quality Indian cuisine in the suburbs. Look no further than Surbiton’s Koyal. Chef Nand Kishor Semwal and his team have pedigree. If you can earn recognition at Trishna and Gymkhana, then running your own restaurant is the next logical step. Koyal makes it seem easy. Diners love it too, with every table occupied on a recent visit.
If restaurants are experiences more than merely meals, then Sibilla plays in the premier league. The approach tells you everything you need to know: perched on a hillside above the river Aniene, guests know that they are set for a show. Combine a stunning location with top-notch local cooking plus a comprehensive wine list and you have a winning formula.
Keep it simple and do it well is a mantra that more restaurants should follow. If Barrafina were not enough for fans of all things Spanish, then Parillan, from the same team, takes things to another level. There are few better outdoor spots to eat and drink, sit back and relax anywhere in London.
Reader, rest assured, all the animals you may consume at Happy Lamb did enjoy good lives. The menu delightfully informs diners that not only the lambs, but the cows and the deer too, not forgetting the ducks, led initially happy lives. Many were ‘grass-fed’ too. It’s hard to fault the relentless optimism pervading the venue. The nosh is pretty good too.
It does exist: Michelin-quality Indian cuisine in the suburbs. Look no further than Surbiton’s Koyal. Chef Nand Kishor Semwal and his team have pedigree. If you can earn recognition at Trishna and Gymkhana, then running your own restaurant is the next logical step. Koyal makes it seem easy. Diners love it too, with every table occupied on a recent visit.
There’s a certain magnetic magic about rooftop dining spots in London. Views, people-watching and the chance to get a tan are all ticks for this reviewer. Forza Wine is where the cool kids hang out, whether in Soho, on the South Bank or down in Peckham. At the venue perched atop the brutalist National Theatre, the vibe is less about the stage and more about the show.
JKS don’t do bad restaurants. Slowly but surely the group seem to be taking over the London dining scene. Not content with a swathe of successful Indian restaurants, their Persian franchise is seeking to hit the big time, with its third venue. Beyond the Soho original and a Borough market outlet, the newest opening sits right in the heart of swanky Mayfair. It has all the ingredients for an enduring success.
These three adjectives are the first thing diners see when they walk into Liu Xiaomian. They are projected in red neon on the back wall. No surprises then in terms of what to expect. The fiery sensations linger long after visiting and it will only be a matter of time before a return trip. We were told that Liu was addictive after all.
There’s something wonderfully quaint and yet quintessentially English about the ritual of afternoon tea. There are few better places to do it in London than at the Ritz Hotel. The experience is one of opulence and decadence. The additional benefit is that guests can feast heartily yet not leave bloated. Tea has a wonderful restorative effect.
Every self-respecting London gastrophile loves Dishoom. From the original Covent Garden branch that opened over 15 years ago, the group has now expanded to 11 outlets. Their cookbook adorns many a kitchen, your reviewer’s included. Sometimes he dreams about their black daal, and occasionally attempts to re-create it. If Dishoom made a bang at its inception (for that’s what the word means, per a popular Mumbai comic strip), then Permit Room is its worthy younger sibling.
Step into Motorino and the first thing you may experience is temporal dislocation. Have no doubt, this is an effortlessly cool venue, and one that is very self-conscious with it. Maybe the year is 1976, or perhaps it’s 2026 at Motorino. With a retro-chic décor and a menu that describes itself as ‘London Italian’, this restaurant hits the zeitgeist.
If you want some of the finest fresh fish in London, then look no further than Wright Brothers. The eponymous siblings began life in Cornwall. Their empire has expanded from fishermen to wholesalers to restrauters. Your reviewer lamented the closure of the group’s Soho branch, but it was a delight to visit the group’s original dining outlet in Borough Market recently. Everything is as it should be.
Your reviewer is blessed living in London, arguably the culinary capital of the world. If any other city were to go head-to-head with it, then New York would be the most likely candidate. England’s capital boasts more Michelin-starred outlets than its North American rival, although NYC wins on the metric of stars per square mile. It also boasts more restaurants in absolute terms. However, this is not a competition…
How many restaurants that have been open for over eight years can claim to have a queue of people waiting outside for them to open on a weekday lunchtime? Sabor is part of this elite club. Securing a booking at the venue is still difficult. And for good reason. Chef Nieves Barragán and her team make the best suckling pig in London.
Ask any gastrophile to list their favourite dishes and you may be some time. Although open for just three months in central Soho (the venue began life as a Borough Market pop-up), Khao Bird’s mutton fries could be one of those dishes. Diners will leave not only salivating but also dashing to return soon.
Have you ever had that feeling when everything was going swimmingly well and then, just when you least expected it, the rug was pulled abruptly and uncomfortably from under your feet? The experience of dining at Clare Smyth’s second London restaurant – open for only two months, as we were regularly reminded – felt unfortunately like this.
With a country that has over 75% of its perimeter bordered by water, you would hope the Spanish know a thing or two about fish. Travel to almost every seaside town in the country and you can expect to find some pretty decent cooking. But how to choose? When a restaurant is recommended by a top nearby winemaker whom you respect highly and features in the Michelin guide, then that’s a good starting point.
Everyone loves a bit of theatre when they’re out for a posh meal. Even better if it evokes a sense of comfortable nostalgia too. Rosi does both very well. The Beaumont Hotel’s main dining space has been revamped for the better. Out goes the Colony Grill and in comes Lisa Goodwin-Allen’s inimitable charm and take on British dining.
