⦿ Jay Rayner of The Observer reviewed Claude Bosi at Bibendum, welcoming the former Hibiscus head honcho’s arrival at Sir Terence Conran’s light-filled 1987 classic. “What emerges is Bibendum redux, a restaurant with a profound understanding of the simple virtues; of a classical repertoire which is robust enough to take a little refinement.” “The starters list is full […]
Summer has arrived on Oxford Street, with the seventh opening this month of the Roof Deck Restaurant on Selfridges’ roof – this year with a Californian theme. The open-air deck is lined by timber beams and tropical palms – and, with all due respect to London weather, there is a retractable roof to protect diners from rain […]
MEATliquor, the rock’n’roll burger chain, is opening its 12th site inside the revamped Queens ice rink in Queensway on May 5. Queens Skate Bowl is the only ice rink in central London, and also has 12 bowling lanes. MEATliquor is moving in after a nine-month refurb, and includes a diner seating 80 and a large bar area […]
Chef-entrepreneur Atul Kocchar will open his first UK restaurant under the Not Real Indian (NRI) brand in Birmingham this September, serving cuisine developed by Indian cooks living abroad. Born in India and trained with the Oberoi group, Kocchar made him name at Tamarind in London and in 2003 opened his Mayfair flagship Benares. He launched NRI in Mumbai last year, and […]
A pair of chefs with impressive kitchen credentials have teamed up to open a tiny venture in Mayfair inspired by the new wave of bistros in Paris. Launching in May, Neo Bistro will accommodate just 25 diners, with banquette tables that can be reserved and counter seats for walk-ins. Following the Parisian lead, it will offer a daily changing […]
One of London’s leading Japanese restaurants since it opened in Marylebone in 2006, Dinings is to launch a sister venue in Knightsbridge next month. Dinings SW3 aims to fuse Japanese tradition with European seafood bar culture, offering plateaux de fruits de mer fresh from Cornish dayboats, plus robata-style cuisine using a Josper grill, with a seasonal sake list […]
The Duck & Waffle 24-hour high-rise restaurant in the City is launching a more casual spin-off, Duck & Waffle Local, in the new St James’s Market development behind Piccadilly Circus on May 3. The new branch is designed to be “fast and accessible”, with customers ordering at a counter overlooking the kitchen before being shown […]
Mobile gourmet chip specialist Saucy Chip is moving into a permanent home at the Jerusalem Bar and Kitchen in Fitzrovia on April 24. For the past three years, it has operated as a posh chip van from the back of a classic red, white and blue Citroen at music festivals around the country. Founded by former O2 […]
⦿ Jay Rayner of the Observer reviewed Box-E, an 18-seater set inside a shipping container on Bristol’s Wapping Wharf, by Elliott Lidstone, former head chef of L’Ortolan and then of the Empress pub in Hackney. “I’d go so far as to say there’s a defined Bristolian style. It’s rooted in the love of the small bistros of France, championed by the late […]
⦿ Marina O’Loughlin of The Guardian reviewed Lorne 7/10 in Victoria, which lived up to the impressive CV of its founding partners, Katie Exton (sommelier and front of house) and Peter Hall (chef), who have worked at the Square, the River Cafe, Chez Bruce, Brawn and San Francisco’s celebrated Benu. “It’s the beef short rib that would make me a […]
