An outfit called “Superbrands South Africa” is behind this would-be glamorous newcomer, recently arrived – with little fanfare – in what’s effectively a newly-created space, discreetly located between Savile Row and Regent Street. Its wicked wheeze is to offer a menu of “Asian tapas”, which you might suppose to mean: “Chinese dim sum, wok and […]
Paddington Basin. The Final Frontier. Well, perhaps not quite. But you do feel as though you are boldly going where no one has been before, when you enter central(ish) London’s last major bit of in-fill development. It’s hard to find: the easiest way is to start at Paddington station’s Heathrow platform, and to follow the […]
Fickle beasts restaurants. Well, that’s what many people think. But actually, if you ask thousands of people what they think of the establishments they visit – which we do at this time of year – you find that views on restaurants are not, for the most part, random. Most places generate pretty consistent feedback. In […]
Nobu – established in 1994 by Nobuyuki Matsuhisa and New York restaurateur Drew Nieporent – is perhaps the most successful upmarket international dining concept ever. There are now three Nobus in the Big Apple, three here (the first of which opened in 1997), and various others dotted around the globe. It is difficult to exaggerate […]
No. Please. Do read on. Just in case you think you know it all about Benugo – the smart sandwich chain whose main problem is having too few branches – you almost certainly don’t. Well, not about the Bar & Kitchen anyway. The BB&K is a new concept, in the British Film Institute – an […]
The sheer amount of graphic design evident on the menu at this Smithfield newcomer immediately tells you it’s part of a chain. As it turns out, it’s the latest concept from Tragus Holdings. Tragus may hardly be a household name, but its brands Café Rouge and Bella Italia certainly are. They make up quite a […]
It’s not just in the world of hedge funds that Mayfair is hot right now. Perhaps not entirely coincidentally, it’s also where everyone in the restaurant world wants to be. Just consider the names poised to open there. Claude Bosi, who’s moving one of England’s most celebrated restaurants – Hibiscus – from Ludlow. Second, Anthony […]
The Lamb Tavern – re-built some 125 years ago – occupies a prominent Leadenhall Market site with quite a history as a gathering place. The pub’s website claims that, in AD50, this was home to London’s Roman basilica (said to be the largest outside Rome itself). To this day, it is a rendezvous for a […]
Jewelbox’ is an overworked critical cliché, but it’s hard to find any other term that aptly describes this dinky little outfit, near Carnaby Street. As you first go in, what strikes you is how absolutely tiny it is. Then you notice that someone has lavished a level of care on the intricate decor and lighting […]
Two earlier impromptu visits to this new(ish) East Ender, had found it impossible to find a table. Still, the wasted trips proved the place to be popular: sufficient incentive to plod back one last time down the grungy highway, north of Spitalfields Market. On a rainy Tuesday night, the place was impressively lively, but at […]
