2022 has been a banner year for eating. Gourmand Gunno certainly benefited from a post-COVID restaurant rebound. Meals out became the norm again. Venues are in the business of providing not just top food and drink, but also atmosphere. That’s why diners such as your reviewer end up going out again, and again.
Just over 50 new reviews were added to the website through over the year. Furthermore, your reviewer managed to visit 17 different countries in 2022 and so the number of additions to the Global Gunno page of the website has also expanded. Below follow the key highlights –
Best meal of 2022: Lalique in Bordeaux is the winner, ticking all boxes – vive la France! That said, Clare Smyth’s Core in London’s Notting Hill ran it very, very close.
Favourite London new openings: Lisboeta, Manteca and Plaza Khao Gaeng. Serving up Portuguese, Italian and Thai respectively, these choices demonstrate the culinary vibrancy and vitality of the city.
Top curry: Always a highly contested category, given your reviewer’s love of Indian food, Mayfair’s Manthan claims the prize. Go for the masala prawns.
Lovely local: The most serendipitous discovery of the year would be Briciole, an Italian nestled just off the Edgware Road which you can visit at any time of the day and linger for as long as you want.
Perennial winners: Gourmand Gunno revisited three of his all-time top-five venues during 2022. He is pleased to report that Bocca di Lupo, Hakkasan and La Petite Maison (Italian, Chinese and French, respectively) remain in fine form – although no new reviews added.
Honourable mentions: (1) Sarap – a modern Filipino venue where you can (and we did) eat a whole suckling pig (2) Master Wei – for a superb taste of Xi’an food in central London.
Foreign forays: Saltie Girl in Boston was one of the year’s coolest restaurant visits. A London branch has just opened. Beyond Boston, Bilbao, Madrid, Paris, Sao Paulo and San Francisco served up especially memorable meals. Check the best venues on Global Gunno.
Here’s to more great meals in 2023!