Your reviewer really wanted to like Sagardi. He has been visiting the Basque region for over 20 years, had one of his best meals of 2024 there and fell in love with Ibai when it opened in London last June. Fronted by a chef from the region and with other successful Sagardi branches around the world, there was so much to like on paper. Walk into the Shoreditch venue and you will be wowed on first impressions. We were let down though by both food and service.

Every neighbourhood should have a good Indian restaurant. Colaba ought to be West Hampstead’s. Named after a district of Mumbai, its quality of cooking would put it close Dishoom. However, our quartet left Colaba feeling severely underwhelmed by its service. Improve this and the venue could be a local star.

“Because it’s cooked with love” was the answer given by our garrulous host when asked what made Barrafina’s tortilla better than those of its rivals. Such a response may sound trite or flippant. However, it serves as a perfect expression for Barrafina’s cooking. 18 years’ on from when the first branch opened and now up to 5 outlets, it was abundantly evident to both your reviewer and his dining comrade on a recent visit to the Covent Garden site that this love story remains very much alive.

Colour is the first thing you notice when flying into Cork in Ireland’s south and then driving west. It’s like seeing forty shades of green, as our host for the weekend put it. Beyond the stunning countryside, there’s the coastline; the blue of the Atlantic that stretches from here across to America. The locals are rightly proud of the scenery. Working with and respecting both land and sea informs the approach to cooking in County Cork. The holy trinity of local, seasonable and sustainable features strongly. Almost all we ate was delicious too.

There is oodles of potential at this luxury hotel close to the border between Scotland and England. Like many similarly styled venues, the somewhat pretentiously named Schloss (German for castle, if you were not aware – despite the venue’s lack of connections with the country) suffers in comparison with fine dining options in London. Its cuisine will also never show at its best when catering for large groups. But have no doubt, the setting is stunning and the recently installed Head Chef has grand plans.