Mediterranean, Marylebone
Alex Gunz
Mour: Left wanting

One key rule in marketing is that if you name something with a homophone then be prepared for the obvious jokes. Mour, a new Mediterranean restaurant, is not a homage to Moorish cuisine but an abbreviation of the street (Seymour) on which it is based. If its website is to be believed, “life is better with more.” Your reviewer agrees with this sentiment and did enjoy Mour but was left wanting – cue the inevitable punchline – more.

Mour: Left wanting
British, Kensal Green
Alex Gunz
Paradise by way of Kensal Green: Few fine things

If restaurants were judged on names alone, then Paradise ought to win prizes. Located minutes from one of the most famous Victorian cemeteries, the resting place was immortalised in a 1927 GK Chesterton poem. In The Rolling Road, he declaimed “for there is good news yet to hear and fine things to be seen, before we go to Paradise by way of Kensal Green.” Your reviewer was disappointed that there were not more fine things on offer at a recent visit to this W10 restaurant.

Paradise by way of Kensal Green: Few fine things
British, King's Cross
Alex Gunz
Island: Stranded

Not that your reviewer knew it at the time, but it seemed kind of fitting that DJ Seinfeld’s club classic “These Things Will Come To Be” was playing when he walked into Island on a recent evening. There is a lot to like Island, but there are also some major flaws. Island feels kind of stranded at present, in need of a more coherent gameplan.

Island: Stranded
Italian, Queen's Park
Alex Gunz
Ida: Pasta’s coming home

Italy may not be in this summer’s football World Cup, but were there a similar competition for food, then the country would be a sure-fire championship contender. For everything that is great about Italian food, diners should visit Ida, a neighbourhood gem in northwest London. A trip to this venue is like stepping into a bona fide trattoria.

Ida: Pasta’s coming home
Italian, Rome
Alex Gunz
Ristorante Sibilla: Where dining meets history

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.

Ristorante Sibilla: Where dining meets history

British

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Bluebird Café White City: Mixed signals

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Long-established as a fixture on the King’s Road in Chelsea, the Bluebird has now spread its wings. A second venture bearing the same logo and concept has just opened in White City. More are apparently planned too. However, the Bluebird is not the Ivy: there is nowhere near as much general affection for the former as the latter. Whereas the Ivy has flourished in its multiple locations, showing that traditional British values (and cooking) can travel/endure, the Bluebird evokes Chelsea decadence, and found its apogee over a decade ago …

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Hām: Coming hām

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Hām: Coming hām

Let’s first get one thing clear: the accent on the ‘a’ of the restaurant’s name is deliberate and renders pronunciation of the word ‘hame.’ For the unaware, it is old English, for home and a very appropriate choice for this restaurant. Coming here is like coming home/hām, a friendly and welcoming local venue, which cooks a small number of dishes playing strongly to England’s heritage – and does them very well.

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Brown’s at the Quay: Pigs and lipstick (October 2017)

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Worcester, although picturesque with its cathedral and the majestic River Severn, does not offer a lot of fine dining options. To describe Brown’s (no relation to the chain, despite some disarming similarities) as such is perhaps over-generous. It certainly punches above its weight, and represents generally poor value for money.

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Hawksmoor Borough: High standards maintained (July 2017)

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The wonderful thing about Hawksmoor is its consistency – you know you are going to get a damned fine piece of steak. Borough is the fourth of the eight-branch chain I have visited (after Air Street, Gulidhall and Seven Dials) and the standards set on previous visits were more than adequately maintained here.

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Blueprint Café: Room with a view (June 2017)

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Walk five minutes east from the tourists and Tower Bridge and you will find yourself in Shad Thames. Even to many a Londoner, there is a certain other-worldliness to this place; it speaks of history and the past, a place of secrets and undiscovered potential. Yet, it is well worth a visit. Indeed, on a sunny day in London when outside space is at a premium, a trip to the Blue Print Café (located in the London Design Museum) is a worthwhile excursion

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Hereford Road: Uninspiring (February 2017)

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I had had high hopes visiting Hereford Road, but found them mostly disappointed. Located on the site of a former butcher’s and with offal as its USP, I have been led to believe that Hereford Road might have the potential to be as west London equivalent of the ever-popular St. John

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Portland: Modern British at its best (May 2015)

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The Great Portland Street area of central London is becoming an increasingly attractive destination for lovers of good food. In addition to the successful openings of the nearby Riding House Cafe and Picture restaurants in the last couple of years, along comes (the unoriginally named) Portland.