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
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Jikoni: Pushing at the boundaries (November 2016)

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The appetite for the new and the slightly different seems almost insatiable when it comes to restaurant openings. And so onto the scene comes Jikoni, which could arguably claim to be London’s first restaurant that is Swahili-influenced. Indeed, the restaurant takes its name from the local word used in the Great Lakes area of Africa for ‘kitchen.’

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Clipstone: It’s all about choice (September 2016)

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It is possible to feel slightly dizzy from the constant rush of new restaurants opening their doors to the public in London. Tyranny of choice sometimes spring to mind. However, based on the success of Portland, which I thoroughly loved when it opened last year (and won a deserved Michelin star), Clipstone definitely merited a visit.

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Chotto Mate: Classy – but, wait a minute, check the prices (October 2016)

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Chotto Mate ticks many boxes – it is cool, serves excellent food and wines and has enthusiastic and engaging staff. The catch, however, is the cost. The menu is somewhat bewildering in its complexity, the dishes are small and the bill can therefore rack up quickly.

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The Barbary: Great expectations comfortably met (September 2016)

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I was lucky enough to be one of the early visitors to the Palomar and loved it the first time I went and also on every subsequent visit. Day or night, counter or table, it never failed to impress. Indeed, getting a booking there now is notoriously difficult.

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Casita Andina: My kind of house (August 2016)

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I first visited Peru 16 years’ ago and fell in love with the country, the culture, the food and the people then. Back in London everything seemed so grey in contrast to the visual hues of the Andes. Even the now-shut Fina Estampa on Tooley Street was scant compensation for the culinary delights that Peru had to offer.

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Morada Brindisa: Spat-out (July 2016)

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Eating out is generally considered to be a joyful experience. Doing so regularly, I clearly subscribe to such a view. I also recognise that popular restaurants – understandably – want to turn their tables, to draw in as many visitors as possible and also to make a fatter profit.