There is no shortage of high-end Italian restaurants in London, but Belgravia's Olivomare has never disappointed on the multiple times when I have visited. Last week, on a Friday lunchtime was no different.
Blueprint Café: Room with a view (June 2017)
Walk five minutes east from the tourists and Tower Bridge and you will find yourself in Shad Thames. Even to many a Londoner, there is a certain other-worldliness to this place; it speaks of history and the past, a place of secrets and undiscovered potential. Yet, it is well worth a visit. Indeed, on a sunny day in London when outside space is at a premium, a trip to the Blue Print Café (located in the London Design Museum) is a worthwhile excursion
Flour & Ash: Pizza perfection plus (June 2017)
Brumus: Great venue; pity about the food (May 2017)
The Haymarket Hotel (part of the Firmdale Group) has a lovely vibe to it. Post a relatively recent refurbishment, it feels distinctly cool. There is a boldness to the place in terms of its bright colours, quirky décor and statement modern art adorning the walls. So far, so good. Logically enough, therefore, you would expect the hotel’s restaurant also to be pretty decent. Three of us visited on a recent weekday evening and came away generally underwhelmed. In summary, it was lot of money spent on a mostly forgettable culinary experience
Comptoir Café & Wine: French culture comes to Mayfair (May 2017)
The French do it so well. Unlike the Brits, across the Channel, the idea of the casual all-day establishment where customers can be as at home with their coffee and croissant in the mornings as with their glass of wine later is already well-established. The good news is that Comptoir, the latest offering from Xavier Rousset’s expanding empire, brings the concept to Mayfair – and does it exceptionally well
Sheesh Mahal: Possibly the best curry in Leeds (May 2017)
The Sheesh is a Leeds institution, established for over 20 years and run by the Chaudhry family throughout. When the place had to shut for at the end of 2015 owing to the nearby river flooding its premises, there was a local outcry. Jubilation then greeted the recent re-opening of the Sheesh and my recent visit there found the standards to be as high as ever.
Miyama: Time-trap (May 2017)
I lasted visited Miyama around a decade ago. It was very good then and it was pretty much as I remembered when recently making a return visit. Almost nothing had changed. This is not an exaggeration or under-statement. Part of the charm of Miyama is that it remains steadfast, stuck in time and relentlessly unchanging
Señor Ceviche: Great food, pity about the name (May 2017)
Peruvian food remains distinctly on-trend in London – and so it should do, since the country offers a wide range of flavoursome dishes spanning meat, fish and veg. There isn’t a lot of gluten in the Peruvian diet and so this should also tick a box for many. Much as I love all things Peruvian (and I can highly recommend the country as a holiday destination), I was instinctively put off Señor Ceviche because of its name.
Sakagura: Show me something different (April 2017)
Sakagura constitutes a recent addition to the self-styled Heddon Street ‘restaurant quarter’, located one block to the west of Regent’s Street. Given its location and the fact that it is the only Japanese offering here, it will probably do well enough. However, a recent visit was profoundly uninspiring
Massis: No reason to go (April 2017)
Let’s be brutal and to the point: if you are in the Paddington area and want to eat Middle Eastern food, just hop on any bus or walk 15 minutes until you hit the Edgware Road, where a broad spectrum of excellent, authentic and well-priced options exists. In other words, don’t go to Massis – an over-priced and disappointing alternative located in the Paddington Basin development, offering a poor imitation of cuisine from the region.
Smoking Goat: Flavour explosion (March 2017)
Tucked down a side street in Soho best known for its guitar shops, Smoking Goat is paving the way for a new era of Thai cuisine. This is about as far removed from curry in a coconut milk sauce or a plate of stir-fried rice noodles as you can imagine. Instead, Smoking Goat is all about a profound explosion of flavours, mostly based around smoke, spice and soy
Jamavar: Among the best Indian experiences in London (March 2017)
After my somewhat disappointing recent visit to Vineet Bhatia, it was a decided relief to eat at Jamavar. It reminded me once again just how good Indian cooking can be, when in the right hands. The pedigree of head chef Rohit Ghai says it all – having previously worked at Gymkhana, Trishna and Benares, he clearly knows what he is doing.
Lobos Soho: Feast, like the wolves (March 2017)
Cecconi: Timeless (March 2017)
Like the cliché about buses, it had been nine months since I had last visited Cecconi and yet coincidence led to me making two visits within 72 hours. Both a lunch and a breakfast visit here confirmed to me why Cecconi remains one of the best restaurants in London: its coolness is effortless and so visiting here is always enjoyable; regardless of what else may be on-trend in London, Cecconi remains timeless.
Vineet Bhatia: Over the top (March 2017)
Go the restaurant’s website and you will be told that “the journey begins.” Diners at Vineet Bhatia will apparently experience “intrigue, surprise and adventure” on their visits to this restaurant. If I were asked for three adjectives to describe what I wanted to get out of a dining experience – and particularly one for which I was paying £175/head (admittedly with paired wines included) – then these would not initially be the first that would come to mind. Overall, our experience was very good, but by no means outstanding.
Hereford Road: Uninspiring (February 2017)
Zayna: Well worth a return visit (February 2017)
My visits to Zayna stretch back over almost ten years and I can think of no occasion when I have been disappointed by this restaurant. It is a small, intimate setting on a side-street near Marble Arch that cooks up some of the most interesting and flavour-intense cuisine from the Indian sub-continent that can be found in London
StreetXO: And ‘xo’ what? (February 2017)
Chef David Muñoz apparently runs one of the best restaurants in Madrid. Like so many others before him, having conquered his home territory, it is now time to take on London. Against this background, Muñoz is clearly going for something very different at his Mayfair venue. Whether it is good, however, remains to be seen
Locanda Locatelli: Still on top form (February 2017)
In the debate about what may be the best formal Italian restaurant in London, I have consistently made the case for Locanda Locatelli. It was therefore highly pleasing to revisit it for the first time in three years (during which time the décor has received a minor makeover) and find that the very high standards for which Locanda is duly renowned are showing no signs of slipping.
Pollen Street Social: No signs of standards slipping (January 2017)
Barely a month goes by without, it seems, an announcement concerning the expansion of Jason Atherton’s restaurant empire. Despite the proliferation of his restaurants across London, he is still intimately involved with his flagship venue and a recent visit here reinforced why Mr. Atherton is continuing to enjoy almost unbridled success