Chinese, London Bridge
Alex Gunz
Banquet 88: Lucky dip

The clue is in the name: banquet meaning lots of food, and the number eight being an auspicious one in China. This big and bold venture located in the semi no-man’s land of St Katherine’s Dock has large ambitions. The venue delivered, but it did not wow.

Banquet 88: Lucky dip
British, Steak, King's Cross
Alex Gunz
Hawksmoor St Pancras: Beef, liberty and a bit ...

‘Beef and liberty’ is a very English idea (see William Hogarth’s painterly interpretation). It appears too in the logo of Hawksmoor, the successful steak chain that seems to go from strength to strength. The latest outpost of its London empire – the group has also started to conquer the rest of the country plus America and Ireland too – opened recently in the Renaissance Hotel at St Pancras. It’s very good.

Hawksmoor St Pancras: Beef, liberty and a bit more
Italian, Deptford
Alex Gunz
Marcella: Neighbourhood gem

Everyone needs a Marcella in their lives. Or, at least a good local restaurant. Keep it simple yet do it well is the mantra applied successfully at Marcella, which combines the best of Italian and British seasonal produce.

Marcella: Neighbourhood gem
Italian, Maida Vale
Alex Gunz
The Little Red Pepper: Take two

For almost thirty years, the denizens of Little Venice had enjoyed eating at The Red Pepper, a classic Italian restaurant. While the venue had seen its ups and downs over this time, it remained a local institution, and nearly always busy. Many lamented (if not your reviewer, entirely) its closure last year, and so it was with some excitement that its successor, the Little Red Pepper, recently opened on the same site. It has the potential to become another favourite.

The Little Red Pepper: Take two
Turkish, Istanbul
Alex Gunz
Neolokal: Timeless

Istanbul has just nine restaurants with Michelin Stars, despite a population of almost 16m (the comparable stats for London are 84, for just over 9m people). Neolokal is one of this haloed group and could easily hold its own in any capital city around the world. Its success derives not just from its location, but the ability of chef Maskut Askar and his team to successfully meld the old with the new.

Neolokal: Timeless

Maida Vale

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Kateh: Disorganised, rather than charming (April 2014)

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Kateh is a restaurant specialising in Persian food, located in Little Venice down a quaint side-street, on a site formerly occupied by the Green Olive. My dining comrade and I had been meaning to go for some time, it being local and also having being recommended by a Persian friend.

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The Red Pepper: A Little Venice institution (November 2013)

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A Little Venice institution, the Red Pepper has been delivering consistently good food in the fifteen years I have been visiting the restaurant. While there have been several changes in both management (the current team, led by the charismatic Lara, is a definite success) and décor, the basic formula has remained unaltered.