Chinese, Soho
Alex Gunz
Real Beijing Food House: The real deal

How to choose when you’re in the midst of Chinatown? This is a subject upon which your author has mused previously. Fortunately, other more esteemed reviewers had favourably endorsed the Real Beijing Food House. Despite its incongruous name, our trio of diners were impressed by a recent visit.

Real Beijing Food House: The real deal
Alex Gunz
2025 in review

It’s been a stellar year for eating out. Gourmand Gunno chalked up his century of restaurants visited in 2025 on 5 December, with several more bookings still in the diary. He had the privilege to visit 10 countries across 3 continents in the past 12 months. These trips provided many wonderful dining opportunities. Just over 40 new reviews were posted to the website. 

2025 in review
South African, Marylebone
Alex Gunz
Kudu: Growing up can be hard

In the eight years that Kudu operated in Peckham, the restaurant developed a much-loved cult following, serving up cool cocktails and braai-based meats in an edgy part of town. Bigger ambitions (and presumably the lure of more money) saw Kudu relocate across the Thames to Marylebone. The trick has worked insofar as the venue was packed, but to this reviewer it felt like just another trendy restaurant, lacking a distinct identity.

Kudu: Growing up can be hard
British, Cardiff
Alex Gunz
Gorse: Cardiff’s star

It is very rare for any restaurant to gain a Michelin star within less than a year of opening. It’s even rarer in Cardiff. Tom Waters and his team have, however, done so – at Gorse. The Welsh capital now has its first starred venue. The recognition is deserved, as a recent visit confirmed.

Gorse: Cardiff’s star
Fusion, Japanese-influenced, Mexican, Peruvian, Paddington
Alex Gunz
Ayllu: On the right track

In the culinary desert that is Paddington Basin, Ayllu offers a rare bright spot. Even if not quite yet the finished product, the venue is on the right track. The premise of ‘affordable fine dining’ – the restaurant’s self-defined pitch – is a laudable one. Go, if not for the food and service, then certainly for the atmosphere

Ayllu: On the right track

Marylebone

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Maroush V (November 2012)

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Go here for the food, not the atmosphere. Maroush (and indeed many of its peers) on the Edgware Road work superbly well not just because of the food but also because of the atmosphere. I (and I would imagine many other ‘western’ diners) go here because of its authenticity: the clientele is predominantly Middle Eastern, the conversation lively, the pace frenetic and the whole experience somewhat akin to being thrust into a much more local environ.