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.
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.
It’s been a stellar year for eating out. Gourmand Gunno chalked up his century of restaurants visited in 2025 on 5 December, with several more bookings still in the diary. He had the privilege to visit 10 countries across 3 continents in the past 12 months. These trips provided many wonderful dining opportunities. Just over 40 new reviews were posted to the website.
In the eight years that Kudu operated in Peckham, the restaurant developed a much-loved cult following, serving up cool cocktails and braai-based meats in an edgy part of town. Bigger ambitions (and presumably the lure of more money) saw Kudu relocate across the Thames to Marylebone. The trick has worked insofar as the venue was packed, but to this reviewer it felt like just another trendy restaurant, lacking a distinct identity.
In the culinary desert that is Paddington Basin, Ayllu offers a rare bright spot. Even if not quite yet the finished product, the venue is on the right track. The premise of ‘affordable fine dining’ – the restaurant’s self-defined pitch – is a laudable one. Go, if not for the food and service, then certainly for the atmosphere
A visit to La Rei Natura was one of the most memorable your author has experienced anywhere recently. Sure, truffle was in abundance, but chef Michelangelo Mammoliti showcased a master class in daring to be different. His restaurant’s two Michelin stars were richly deserved. At the age of 40, he may not be at the peak of his culinary excellence yet – and a third star could be imminent.
Anyone who eats out regularly will know that after a while all meals begin to merge into one. It takes something truly astonishing to be memorable. The suckling pig cooked by Nieves Barragán at Sabor is one of those dishes. Your reviewer still dreams of it regularly. It was therefore with excitement that he visited the chef’s second restaurant. However, if Legado is intended as Barragán’s ‘legacy’ (the word translated from Spanish), then it is a disappointing one.
In a world where dining is so often about the next hot trend, experiments with fusion and Insta-friendliness, it’s a reassuring thing of beauty to find a classic French brasserie. Located in a leafy Oxford suburb, Pompette is the sort of place where you could happily go for lunch and never leave. This is perhaps the aim of the owners, since translated, the name means ‘tipsy.’ Crack on with the wine and leave happy.
Even three years after opening, it is still very hard to get a table at the Tamil Prince. And rightly so. The restaurant may be off the beaten track, located in a restored pub in Barnsbury, but perseverance pays off. Get lucky with a booking (they can only be made 28 days in advance for a venue that has just 40 covers) and make the visit. Diners won’t be disappointed.
Pubs were pretty grim places to eat forty years ago, when Tina Turner sang “we don’t need another hero.” Fortunately, a lot has changed for the better in the world since. To witness the pub in 2025, diners should check out the Hart in Marylebone. Brought to London by the same team behind the Hero (and the Fat Badger), we need more pubs like this.
There is something wonderfully comforting about a roaring log fire, particularly on a blustery day. The one at Hartwell House, a Jacobean pile now owned by the National Trust on the edge of the Chilterns, was a particularly good and warming one. It was also, arguably, the highlight of our recent visit. Food was forgettable and service left quite a bit to be desired.
If Soho’s Kingly Court dining complex is an incubator for restaurants, then Goldies is destined for bigger things. Perhaps we should not be surprised, since it is backed by the team behind the now sadly closed Blanchette. The angle at Goldies is comfort food in a casual dining format. Guests might not want to leave.
If you wanted to create “the most accomplished and ambitious project devoted to Spanish gastronomy in Europe,” then the City of London with its staid suited bankers might not be the first location that springs to mind. Regardless, Hispania – whose website is the source for this quote – is a gem of a venue. Décor, food and ambience all provide a reason to visit.
“But why do you always choose new restaurants?” The question was put to your reviewer by a long-standing friend and sometime dining comrade recently. He continued, “surely if you rated them previously, then they must still be good.” We’re all fascinated by the novel, and there is a certain imperative as a reviewer to check out hot new openings. However, return visits to a pair of old favourites – coincidentally days apart – confirmed that sometimes it is best to stick to the tried and tested.
