French, Soho
Alex Gunz
Goldies: Keep it simple, do it well

If Soho’s Kingly Court dining complex is an incubator for restaurants, then Goldies is destined for bigger things. Perhaps we should not be surprised, since it is backed by the team behind the now sadly closed Blanchette. The angle at Goldies is comfort food in a casual dining format. Guests might not want to leave.

Goldies: Keep it simple, do it well
Spanish, City
Alex Gunz
Hispania: Mucho glamour

If you wanted to create “the most accomplished and ambitious project devoted to Spanish gastronomy in Europe,” then the City of London with its staid suited bankers might not be the first location that springs to mind. Regardless, Hispania – whose website is the source for this quote – is a gem of a venue. Décor, food and ambience all provide a reason to visit.

Hispania: Mucho glamour
Chinese, French, Mayfair
Alex Gunz
Revisiting old friends: Kai and LPM

“But why do you always choose new restaurants?” The question was put to your reviewer by a long-standing friend and sometime dining comrade recently. He continued, “surely if you rated them previously, then they must still be good.” We’re all fascinated by the novel, and there is a certain imperative as a reviewer to check out hot new openings. However, return visits to a pair of old favourites – coincidentally days apart – confirmed that sometimes it is best to stick to the tried and tested.

Revisiting old friends: Kai and LPM
Gastropub, Notting Hill
Alex Gunz
The Fat Badger: Magical mystery tour

A venue without either a formal entrance or a menu might not be everyone’s idea of a fun experience. But this is precisely the point. Create a mystery and you make things kind of cool. There’s a cachet value – you’re either in on it, or you’re not. Such is the zeitgeist of 2025 London. Overcome your prejudices and visit the Fat Badger. You will not be disappointed.

The Fat Badger: Magical mystery tour
Middle Eastern, Marylebone
Alex Gunz
Seymour Kitchen: Pure Persian pleasure

Every neighbourhood needs a venue like the Seymour Kitchen. Walk in and it’s hard not to fall in love. The place works as a grocery, a deli and a restaurant. It’s full of colour and charm and if you haven’t yet fallen for the flavours of the Middle East, then you will after visiting.

Seymour Kitchen: Pure Persian pleasure

Les Gourmets des Ternes: A tiny piece of France, transplanted to London (January 2015)

Maybe a few decades ago the French felt that they deservedly had the most bragging rights when it came to culinary superiority. Times have changed though. Japan can claim to have more three Michelin-starred restaurants than France and in London, ask many diners what style of cuisine they currently rate most highly, and – best guess – it won’t be French.

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The Sportsman: Good, but maybe not worth its star (December 2014)

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What does a restaurant or pub need to do in order to get a Michelin star? This was the question I mused as a group of five us set out for a recent lunch at the one-starred Sportsman near Whitstable. Since the Sportsman has had this accolade since 2008, it clearly must be doing something right.

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Zorita’s Kitchen: The trouble with tapas (December 2014)

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I love tapas; it is a wonderfully communal way of eating, where the food does not impinge of the conversation and diners can sample a range of dishes. Indeed the idea of sharing platters, long-favoured by the Spanish, has now become close to ubiquitous on the trendy London dining scene.