From Corbin and King, a swish, Midtown brasserie, which has the hallmarks of an instant in-crowd classic, even if its looks are less stunning than its stablemate, the Wolseley. What’s in a name? Restaurant-maesters, Corbin & King’s new Aldwych opening apparently follows in the footsteps of a turn-of-the century Gallic automobile marque (Delaunay-Belleville). But whereas […]
A prototype for the latest extension of the Jamie Oliver franchise, this Brit-themed bistro is more of a wow than you might expect. The world fall into two camps. The much larger camp is composed of those who rush to restaurants because they’ve seen the chef on TV. The much smaller – and, on the […]
Hidden-away inside Bond Street’s only hotel, a grand new dining room for an ex-Marcus Wareing chef of whom we suspect we’re going to be hearing a lot more; our lunchtime visit offered invariably high quality, and extraordinary overall value. Half way up our grandest shopping thoroughfare, this hotel dining room certainly has a handy location. […]
From the leading Muscovite restaurateur, a very large pan-Asian dining room that looks set to become a popular Mayfair destination, perhaps mainly for business; the smoothness of the operation on our early-days visit was impressive. If a success, this 400-seat Mayfair newcomer could quite possibly end up biggest-grossing restaurant in London. Comprising large dining rooms […]
From the S&P people, an upmarket shopping mall-style Thai; its spacious Covent Garden premises offer a pleasant respite from consumerism, even if the food is not consistent enough to make the place a destination in its own right. Situated in a newly created corner of Covent Garden, this shopping mall-style Thai is hidden away opposite […]
Near Gray’s Inn, a bit of an oxymoron from the Little Bay man (Peter Illic) – a ‘budget’ steak bistro; it offers a comfortably old-fashioned formula, at notably reasonably prices. Peter Ilic goes back a long way, so anyone who’d dined out – other than in the West End – over the past 20 years […]
Somewhat oddly located just north of Oxford Street, a loud and hip burger parlour that has opened with a cult following already in place; standards on our early-days visit were a touch up-and-down but, at their best, the burgers are of outstanding quality. Could it have been Ms Maschler’s four star review? There was a […]
In the heart of Soho, a bistro of rare – perhaps unique – decorative brutality, offering a short and ever-changing menu, realised to a high standard. Are you a ‘Bobo’? Do you combine a bourgeois love of fine food with a bohemian contempt for tablecloths and all the other traditional appurtenances of catered quality dining? […]
On a grand scale, an unnecessarily fussily-conceived Theatreland brasserie; it offers a long and unduly esoteric charcuterie-heavy menu, and an extensive wine selection, all at very high prices. Why did it upset me so much, I wondered? In the middle of this grandiosely decorated, almost Ruritanian, St James’s brasserie stands a candelabra with half a […]
With great discretion, one of London’s best Gallic chefs in London has opened up in Smithfield; of his undoubted abilities, however, there was not much hint on our flat early-days visit. Morgan Meunier is one of the best Gallic chefs in London. Year after year, our survey has shown his cooking to be better than […]
