Fusion

Archipelago: From alpaca to zebra, and more

Archipelago: From alpaca to zebra, and more

Much (if not all) of the fun of being a restaurant reviewer is having novel experiences. It was therefore quite anomalous that Gourmand Gunno had never paid a visit to Archipelago until earlier this week. The venue has been a fixture in Fitzrovia for over twenty years and has a very clear mandate: to “explore the exotic.” From alpaca to zebra, Archipelago dishes up options that are far from mainstream, but perhaps ought to be more so.

SOLA: Soul fusion

SOLA: Soul fusion

How often do diners – especially seasoned sceptics such as your reviewer – come out of restaurants truly wowed by a novel experience? It’s interesting that SOLA shares much in common with KOL . Beyond both having short and memorable names – in the case of this venue’s, it is an abbreviated portmanteau of Soho and Los Angeles – each marries successfully high-end dining in an informal setting. Whereas KOL brings proper Mexican food to London for arguably the first time, SOLA does similar with Californian cuisine.

StreetXO: And ‘xo’ what? (February 2017)

Chef David Muñoz apparently runs one of the best restaurants in Madrid. Like so many others before him, having conquered his home territory, it is now time to take on London. Against this background, Muñoz is clearly going for something very different at his Mayfair venue. Whether it is good, however, remains to be seen