Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 30th March 2025 London Standard Tasca at Câv, Bethnal Green David Ellis hailed the “beautiful food and fair prices” at a new arrival in a “cool” neighbourhood, which landed in the very week that chancellor Rachel Reeves’s “thuggish budget […]

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Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 23rd March 2025 London Standard Senza Fondo!, Shoreditch David Ellis was primed to castigate this cod-Italian for its childish promise of “bottomless lasagna” (misspelt, he snootily corrected: it should be the plural form, lasagne), for the exclamation mark in […]

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Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 16th March 2025 London Standard Calong, Stoke Newington David Ellis was puzzled at this pop-up-gone-permanent restaurant from Joo Won, the Korean-born former head chef at the Galvin Brothers’ Windows. If his ambition was to produce London’s best Korean food, […]

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Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 9th March 2025 London Standard La Polombe, Kensington David Ellis was won over by a two-year-old restaurant from James Chiavarini, owner of the long-running Il Portico nearby, which he has relaunched after bringing in a new head chef and […]

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Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to the 2nd March 2025 London Standard Paradise, Soho David Ellis went to a six-year-old Sri Lankan whose owner, Dom Fernandes, has “tarted-up” the interior and replaced the original menu with six-course tasting options (carnivore, pescatarian or vegetarian) at £65 […]

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Our weekly round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 23rd February 2025 London Standard Shakara, Marylebone David Ellis dined out at a new West African spot whose name apparently means ‘to pose or show off’ in Nigerian slang, and with a kitchen headed by former Talking Drum […]

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Our weekly roundup of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 16th February 2025 London Standard Bar Valette, Hoxton David Ellis was underwhelmed by the new venture from Isaac McHale of nearby heavyweight The Clove Club, this one a self-styled “European restaurant” with mostly Spanish and some French dishes […]

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Our weekly roundup of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 9th February 2025 London Standard The French House, Soho Theming his review around Valentine’s Day, David Ellis declared his passion for a restaurant he loves – upstairs at a veteran Soho watering-hole, where Scottish chef Neil Borthwick (“primary influences Michel Bras and […]

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Our weekly roundup of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 26th January 2025 London Standard Fantômas, Chelsea David Ellis welcomed the return of Chris Denney, formerly of Notting Hill’s 108 Garage – “a chef of endless imagination, uncommon talent and an explorative, expert palette”. Typical of his new menu […]

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