From a modest café that opened over a hundred years ago, to a Michelin-starred celebrity hang-out, the history of the Ivy has been both varied and colourful. The brand remains an enduring one in the culinary world despite having opened Ivy spin-offs across the country, in towns such as Guildford. Its most recent venture has been to create an Asian sub-brand. Trading partly on its name, the ethos at Ivy Asia is full-on decadence with decent enough food to match.
A visit to Horma Ondo is an experience. Take in the views, enjoy the food and wine. This is the sort of place where one could comfortably spend a whole day. It’s located in the hills outside Bilbao and easy to miss if one does not know the way. Fortunately my host was a local to the area and successfully navigated the winding road up to the venue. Once there, we relaxed and enjoyed the restaurant to the full.
Reviewers that see any restaurant describe itself as “eclectic” have good reason – often through bitter prior experience – to be sceptical. When your venue has an absurdly pretentious name and is located on an expensive street in Mayfair, then the trepidation should mount further. MiMi, named with yet more absurdity in homage to a fictional empress who travels across China, is however worth a visit. There is substance behind the show.
Kapara is big and bold, full of joy and exuberance. It serves as a wonderful reminder of the many good things about Israeli culture and constitutes a welcome addition to the London restaurant scene.
Legend, simply, would be the word to describe Dominque Crenn, the eponym behind this venue and its neighbouring Atelier Crenn. For those unfamiliar, she was the first female chef in the US to gain three Michelin Stars and currently commands a total of four. For those without the reservation skills or budget for her main restaurant, Bar Crenn – the one Star holder – is far from shabby.
Any business that has been operating for almost 200 years and in the same location for over a century must be doing something right. John Sweetings opened the original “very superior oyster rooms” in 1830. Your reviewer can report from his first visit in well more than a decade that Sweetings is still going strong. The oysters were indeed very superior, but the whole experience merits another visit before not too long.
There were several moments during our recent lunch at the Crab House Café that your reviewer and his comrade had to pinch ourselves and remember that we were dining close to Weymouth on the UK’s south coast rather than somewhere more glamorous in the Mediterranean. Sure, beautiful weather helped, but the joy of the Crab House Café lies in the fact that it confidently punches above its weight. This is place where visitors can enjoy both a fine meal and a wonderful ambience.
Brighton has a burgeoning dining scene. Sea views, wealthy locals and proximity to London all help. Gourmand Gunno paid his annual visit to the south coast city to check out Murmur. Despite its curious name, the visit was a success. Not all was perfect, but with good sunshine, company and alcohol, this is a pleasant venue to while away part of the day.
One of your reviewer’s fondest culinary experiences of last year was sitting in the Spring sunshine in Boston’s Back Bay district and eating a wonderful composition of charred octopus served with spicy nduja and fledgling potatoes. The venue in question was cult seafood outlet, Saltie Girl. Good news for Londoners: the group’s third venue (number two is in LA) opened in London late last year. Your reviewer liked it so much, he visited twice in a week.
The London restaurant scene is a big sea in which to fish. Similar to the real world, only the fittest survive. The Seafood Bar is a laudable concept, but whether it will endure remains to be seen. The original venture opened nine years ago in Amsterdam when a local fishmonger turned restaurateur. Now, the chain is five strong, with the London outpost opening last month. There is certainly something very Dutch (or Scandinavian) about the venue…
What could be more quintessentially English than fish and chips by the seaside? A recent work jaunt saw Gourmand Gunno make the one-hour train journey down from London to see seafood done properly in one of the oldest restaurants in Brighton. There’s far more to English’s though than just the humble battered plaice…
Tradition and heritage are all well and good, but just because something worked in 1851 doesn’t mean it still will in 2020. It is therefore highly reassuring to see Scott’s continuing to deliver. It may have come a long way from its roots as an oyster warehouse, while the restaurant proper has migrated upwards from Haymarket to Mayfair, but the title of this review says it all: Scott’s, arguably, does the best fish in London.
For any restaurant to have endured in London for more than 100 years, it must be doing something right. Bentley’s track record dates to 1916. A recent visit served as a reminder that the venue is still going strong, having arguably been reinvigorated since Richard Corrigan has been at the helm. Consider a visit here an experience, as much for the people-watching as for the food.
The Summerhouse has become a much-loved Little Venice/Maida Vale institution, busy all year despite its name, and an undoubted improvement on its predecessor, The Boat House. The main attraction here is the bucolic view of the Grand Union, its passing barges and waterfowl. On a sunny summer’s evening, it was a perfect place to wind down and relax
I knew I had heard the name Wright Brothers (beyond clearly the famous aviation pair) somewhere and it was an unexpected pleasure to lunch recently at their Soho restaurant. Their original success stems from the siblings’ iconic establishment in Borough Market and the enterprise now comprises not only this venture and the one in Soho, but also a pub in Cornwall and a catering business.
