From its name onwards, there is knowing coolness, a certain intentionality to what COR is seeking to achieve. It’s a place to watch in an upcoming district of Bristol. And if COR is seeking to ape what is arguably the best restaurant in England (Clare Smyth’s Core in plush Kensington, London), then why not? The team at Michelin have already awarded COR a Bib Gourmand; stars may beckon.
Just moments from Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, central train station and main shopping street, diners can imagine themselves transported to Spain. Parador 44 is a wonderfully conceived venture, set up by an enterprising couple of brothers. Visitors can sip sherry, eat top Basque-influenced nosh and then sleep upstairs in a handful of boutique hotel rooms. There is every reason to do all three.
It was not the most auspicious of starts. When my dining comrade and I descended on Bellazul it was pouring with rain. We arrived soaked. Welcome to England in April. It’s about as far from the Mediterranean as one could imagine. Open only for two months, Bellazul has the laudable intention of transporting diners to the sunnier climes of southern Europe. The venture is well-intentioned but does not totally succeed.
If New Quebec Street in Marylebone were my local high street, then I would be delighted. Luckily it is close to where your reviewer both lives and works. Zayna has been a long-standing favourite for curry. There’s also a great wine shop, a fishmonger and more. In addition, Boxcar is located on this street. Open since 2017, Gourmand Gunno corrected a long-standing anomaly by visiting it recently. Billed as a ‘neighbourhood restaurant’, it certainly constitutes a wonderful addition to the street, for both food and vibe.
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.
The Frescobaldi’s have a long and glorious history, stretching back over 700 years. Throughout wars, changes in government and more, the family has continued to thrive, growing food and making wine in Tuscany. Their first restaurant offering opened in London in 2014. That it has survived 4 years is an achievement…
Any restaurant that adorns its windows and website with the caption ‘#gyozadreams’ risks setting itself up for disappointment. The bar is set high, with an implied suggestion that the chef has the temerity to be able not only to interpret, but also to fulfil, my dreams. The message is also a somewhat misleading one: the gyoza served at Titu did fortuitously live up to their billing, but the restaurant is about much more than this - overall Titu shows how good modern Japanese cooking can be
It seemed only fitting that even as a non-American I should at least mark the 242nd anniversary of US Independence by sampling a range of wines from one of the country’s most exciting winemakers. Although the occasion was enjoyed on British soil, the location was still auspicious, since CUT hosts the biggest range of American wines in London. No surprises then that the team at CUT have embraced the mercurial talents of Orin Swift.
No guesses either for the street number or for what formerly occupied this site. Yet its reinvention as a restaurant is undoubtedly a good thing. The legacy is all there – one only needs to look at the exposed brickwork and concrete floor – but the main reason for coming is, undoubtedly, the cooking.
Dining at Les 110 is an experience for grown-ups. The London sibling of the two Michelin-starred Paris original is housed in a fine yet somewhat austere Georgian building on Cavendish Square. The venue imbues a sense of expectation, but also one of reverence. Full marks for the food and its pricing; less praise for the service and overall ambience…
My initial visit to this venue in February was characterised by a mix of positive and negatives: design, views and cocktails in the former camp, but a poor menu concept and disappointing service distinctly in the latter. However, full plaudits to Sea Containers for mostly delivering on this occasion…
L P Hartley’s famous line seems an appropriate way in which to describe The Red Pepper. Time does funny things to one’s memory and, of course, we all grow up, but put simply, a recent visit to this restaurant showed demonstrably that in the past, “they do [did] things differently.” We left feeling underwhelmed …
Long-established as a fixture on the King’s Road in Chelsea, the Bluebird has now spread its wings. A second venture bearing the same logo and concept has just opened in White City. More are apparently planned too. However, the Bluebird is not the Ivy: there is nowhere near as much general affection for the former as the latter. Whereas the Ivy has flourished in its multiple locations, showing that traditional British values (and cooking) can travel/endure, the Bluebird evokes Chelsea decadence, and found its apogee over a decade ago …
Let’s first get one thing clear: the accent on the ‘a’ of the restaurant’s name is deliberate and renders pronunciation of the word ‘hame.’ For the unaware, it is old English, for home and a very appropriate choice for this restaurant. Coming here is like coming home/hām, a friendly and welcoming local venue, which cooks a small number of dishes playing strongly to England’s heritage – and does them very well.
Times have changed. Twenty years ago, when I was first in London, in this venue men in pinstripes drank champagne while overlooking an ice rink. Now, the clientele is more diverse, the food multiple notches better, although the views more depressing. Hopefully the scaffolding surrounding much of the Broadgate complex will be gone once Crossrail is complete and then diners can get to appreciate better this outpost of Alan Yau’s ever-expanding empire. The impressive thing about Yauatcha is that its quality remains undiminished and remarkably consistent across branches
A trip to Peru was one of the most memorable holidays I ever undertook. On returning, I lamented for many years how there was a dearth of Peruvian dining options in London. In the last five, however, the city has gone mad for all things culinary from South America. While thoroughly enjoyable, a recent visit to Pachamama yielded nothing new in terms of discovery...
Why call a restaurant avenue? Are diners being taken on a journey? If so, to where? Plaudits to Avenue for having survived for over twenty years – no mean feat in the cut-throat restaurant market of London. Some of its success must be down to constant reinvention, attempting to stay relevant and draw in as broad a range of punters as possible...
For a mid-market restaurant looking to tick all the right boxes, look no further than Delamina. Like many of the eateries of Tel Aviv from where the team behind this venture hail, the atmosphere is distinctly informal, but buzzing with life. Food-wise, the emphasis is on healthy and nutritious, combining the freshness of produce from the Mediterranean with the spiciness and cooking techniques (especially grilling and roasting) of the Middle East. If the Palomar and the Barbary led the way in this respect, then Delamina represents a natural evolution...
Amidst its jungle of skyscrapers, Canary Wharf has many dining options, but few high-end ones. Plateau is therefore a welcome relief, even if the formula is a familiar one. This is perhaps unsurprising given it is part of the D&D restaurant group. Even if the food pleased and service could not be faulted, it still did not take away from the fact that places sorely lacks atmosphere, or even a sense of joyfulness
