Chinese, Soho, Middle Eastern, Marble Arch/ Paddington
Alex Gunz
Freed from reviewing – almost

It started with a faint twitch, or nervous restlessness. There was an almost involuntary desire to pull out the phone and snap away. Your author even managed to resist the temptation to quiz the servers about what made their dishes special. As an (unintentional) experiment, Gourmand Gunno spent two consecutive nights in restaurants without a plan to review either.

Freed from reviewing – almost
Spanish, Catalonia
Alex Gunz
Stairway to heaven: dining in Priorat

Carthusian monks were onto a good thing 900 years ago when they settled in Priorat. Located in the foothills of Catalonia, this remote region was the source of a monastery called Scala Dei. Translate the Latin to English and you get ‘stairway to heaven’, an apt metaphor for the dining delights of the area. A burgeoning boutique food and wine scene is underway in the region, as your reviewer and his comrades discovered on a recent trip.

Stairway to heaven: dining in Priorat
Italian, East london
Alex Gunz
Satyrio: Hidden gem, needs polishing

In a world where first impressions count, many diners might naturally be put off Satyrio. Not only could the exterior do with a face lift, but to get there, visitors must navigate liminal London. Located on Aldgate High Street, Satyrio feels like it neither quite swanky City nor trendy Shoreditch. Step inside, however, and there is a lot – even if not everything – to like about this venue.

Satyrio: Hidden gem, needs polishing
Spanish, Shoreditch
Alex Gunz
Sagardi: Wasted potential

Your reviewer really wanted to like Sagardi. He has been visiting the Basque region for over 20 years, had one of his best meals of 2024 there and fell in love with Ibai when it opened in London last June. Fronted by a chef from the region and with other successful Sagardi branches around the world, there was so much to like on paper. Walk into the Shoreditch venue and you will be wowed on first impressions. We were let down though by both food and service.

Sagardi: Wasted potential
Indian, West Hampstead
Alex Gunz
Colaba: Well-sated, but poorly served

Every neighbourhood should have a good Indian restaurant. Colaba ought to be West Hampstead’s. Named after a district of Mumbai, its quality of cooking would put it close Dishoom. However, our quartet left Colaba feeling severely underwhelmed by its service. Improve this and the venue could be a local star.

Colaba: Well-sated, but poorly served
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Imad’s Syrian Kitchen: Top story, top food

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Imad’s Syrian Kitchen: Top story, top food

The eponymous Imad greeted us smiling on our arrival at his restaurant. He has every right to be happy. Not only is his restaurant a true success, but it also marks the culmination of a journey from Syria. Previously a restaurateur in Damascus, its capital, he was forced to leave during the recent war and eventually relocated to London where he was granted asylum. The opening of his restaurant was delayed owing to the pandemic, but with just over six months its belt now, the Syrian Kitchen is ticking along nicely

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Phoenix Palace: Best London dim sum yet

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Phoenix Palace: Best London dim sum yet

Many London venues serving Chinese food seem to be missing a trick. Nowhere does it say that dim sum should be all about just meat and fish. Even omnivores like vegetable-only offerings too. Fortunately, Phoenix Palace got the message. Plaudits to the venue for not just its food, but also the décor and overall experience.

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Zayna: Pure Punjabi pleasure

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Zayna: Pure Punjabi pleasure

Walk into Zayna and the first thing that hits you is the smell: roasted spice – cumin, cardamom, coriander, black pepper and more. It’s the sort of welcome you want, time and again. The venue opened in 2009 and your reviewer stepped through its doors very soon after. Over the years, he has been back with a fairly high degree of regularity, although a visit earlier this week marked the first time in a while. The good news is that even with a slight revamp to the décor, the quality of the experience remains undiminished.

2021 in review

2021 in review

Restaurants in the UK were shut for the first 102 days of the year. As soon as the rules were lifted, Gourmand Gunno was back on his culinary quest, visiting a local pub on day 105. He subsequently went on to make up for lost time by visiting over 50 restaurants both at home and abroad in the remainder of the year. 35 reviews were added to my website, 29 of which were places visited for the first time. Eating out remains a truly joyful experience. Restaurants are not in the business of just selling food and drink, but atmosphere too. We are all social animals and need settings such as these in which to thrive. Below follow some of my dining highlights of the past year -

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Isabel: Muy bella

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Isabel: Muy bella

My mother always told me that you should just a venue by its toilets and in this respect – as in many others – it is hard not to be wowed by Isabel. Each is lavish in its size and decoration, with wallpaper, gilt and multiple mirrors. Take these as a microcosm of the broader restaurant. It’s all about opulence, but done in a classy and tasteful fashion. Of course, this being Mayfair, the prices are correspondingly elevated – but the experience is certainly worth it, especially if someone else is paying.

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L’Oscar: No prizes

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L’Oscar: No prizes

If the website of L’Oscar is to be believed, it is “a food lover’s lair.” On reading this, I reached for my dictionary and was reminded that lair means “a place where a wild animal, especially a fierce or dangerous one, lives” and alternatively, in Scotland, “a burial plot in a graveyard.” Neither is perhaps naturally associated with a dining venue. Sure, there was wild animal – in cooked form – to be consumed. Meanwhile, the combination of a low ceiling with oppressively dark lighting did bear some resemblance to a mausoleum. It’s hardly an enticement to dine.

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BiBi: Curry’s coming home

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BiBi: Curry’s coming home

As soon as your reviewer learned that the JKS Group was opening a new venue in Mayfair, he was excited. For those unaware, the venture has been responsible for hits such as Trishna, Gymkahana and Bridgadiers (plus many more). What’s the winning formula? Employ an A-grade chef , have amazing design and serve up top-quality food.

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Lucky Cat: Lucky for some

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A decade or so ago, Gordon Ramsay was, arguably, one of the most famous chefs in the UK. He has certainly been responsible for a subsequent generation of culinary luminaries such as Clare Smyth and Jason Atherton. Current consensus, however, veers to the critical for Ramsay – maybe he has lost his touch? – and when Lucky Cat opened in late 2019 (unfortunately just pre-pandemic), critics seemingly rushed to be sceptical. Sure, maybe London does not need another slightly edgy yet still very commercial pan-Asian venture (think Roka, Zuma et al), but my comrade and I were recently impressed by a lunchtime visit to Lucky Cat.

Henrock: Rockin’ the Lakes

Henrock: Rockin’ the Lakes

Most visitors are drawn to the Lake District for its hiking paths and bucolic views. Don’t shout it too loudly though, but there is also an exciting gastronomic scene afoot in the region. Cumbria boasts seven restaurants with Michelin stars. Among them, Simon Rogan’s L’Enclume (in Cartmel) is arguably the most famous. While we were not quite lucky enough to pay it a visit, we did the next best thing and spent a highly enjoyable recent evening at Henrock, the chef’s latest restaurant venture in the region.

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Elliot’s: On-trend done well

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Elliot’s: On-trend done well

Say foodie to many Londoners and they may respond ‘Borough Market.’ Say on-trend districts to the same audience and many might reply ‘Hackney.’ Surprise, surprise then that the two venues operating as Elliot’s appear within the confines of… Borough Market and Hackney. Food is all sourced from the former with a strong emphasis on the fashions du jour: local and seasonal. Visit the Borough venue (as we did) and you will be confronted with exposed brickwork, mismatched fittings and a sassy kind of New York vibe. There’s natural wine too. It’s almost all too achingly cool.

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Sketch: Celestial

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Sketch: Celestial

Dining experiences do not come much better than Sketch. One almost struggles for sufficient superlatives. My dining comrade and I spent over four hours in the beautiful Grade II* Georgian townhouse which houses the venue on a recent Saturday night and felt wowed throughout. Since our previous visit in February 2019, Sketch’s fine dining room (where we spent the majority of our time) has gained a third Michelin star, making it one of only seven restaurants in the UK to hold such an honour. Success certainly hasn’t gone to its head, however. There remains the same winning combination of panache, exuberance and class.

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The Seafood Bar: Plenty of Fish

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The Seafood Bar: Plenty of Fish

The London restaurant scene is a big sea in which to fish. Similar to the real world, only the fittest survive. The Seafood Bar is a laudable concept, but whether it will endure remains to be seen. The original venture opened nine years ago in Amsterdam when a local fishmonger turned restaurateur. Now, the chain is five strong, with the London outpost opening last month. There is certainly something very Dutch (or Scandinavian) about the venue…

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Gaucho: Proper steak

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Gaucho: Proper steak

If you can look beyond the slightly garish and tacky cowhide furnishings, and steak is your thing, then Gaucho is a very decent option. Despite the Gaucho enterprise spanning a dozen outlets in London and four around the rest of the UK, it was a first for Gourmand Gunno to visit the Leeds branch and pen a review.

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Parlour: My space

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Parlour: My space

Look up the word parlour in the dictionary and you will get two definitions: first, as a sitting room in a private house; next, as a room in a public building for receiving guests. It is perhaps not accidental then that Parlour, an on-trend British restaurant in central north west London, fulfils both these terms. Diners are made to feel very welcome; spending time at this venue is a bit like being in a good friend’s house.

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The Oak Room at Barnett Hill: No sun, no stars

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The Oak Room at Barnett Hill: No sun, no stars

A weekend break in August to a luxury hotel in the Surrey Hills ought to be the stuff of dreams. Barnett Hill, an impressive Queen Anne-style property near Wonersh, is a beautiful building with lovely grounds and excellent walking options nearby. While it was not the fault of the property that the British weather impeded full enjoyment of the outdoor facilities, blame certainly must lie with the hotel for the underwhelming dining experiences that characterised our stay.

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Rum Kitchen: Cue commercialised Caribbean cooking

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Rum Kitchen: Cue commercialised Caribbean cooking

Everyone likes a party, right? Few come bigger than Carnival, a celebration of all things West Indian in London’s Notting Hill every August. It’s a great vibe and your reviewer, who lives locally, has been going on an off for the last two decades. What the Rum Kitchen offers is not a homage to Carnival – as their website might seem to suggest – but a commercialisation of the Caribbean experience. If it’s an informal party vibe you’re after at a competitive price, then Rum Kitchen is for you. However, diners hoping for authentic Caribbean food will be sorely disappointed.