Hong Kong-based restaurateur David Yeo is adding two Italian venues to his growing Aqua London portfolio this year – the informal Luci, which opened in Covent Garden last month, followed by Azzurra, a more upscale seafood specialist in Chelsea. Aqua already has six restaurants in London, covering cuisines from East Asia to Spain – Hutong and […]

Continue reading


Veteran chef Rowley Leigh is making a comeback at the age of 73 with a three-month pop-up bistro called Chez Rowley, which opens next month in Notting Hill. He describes the venture as “a bistro with nostalgic dishes and classic technique at its heart designed to be enjoyed family style. The true show stopper, poulet […]

Continue reading


Bob Bob Ricard, the decadently fun Soho restaurant famous for its ‘press for Champagne’ buttons on each table, is to open a spin-off rotisserie chicken specialist next month. Bébé Bob, in Golden Square, will offer ‘affordable’ wines and Champagnes, although a £75 mark-up limit indicates that some prices will be pretty high, while the chickens […]

Continue reading


Southern US fried chicken gets a Tokyo makeover at a new street-food stall that has opened in Vinegar Yard near London Bridge. Lani Lam’s Japanese Chicken Shop combines Nashville-style hot chicken with Japanese ingredients, in a sandwich of classic soft milk bread. Sandos on offer include the Tokyo Hot Chicken (pineapple jam, Kewpie mayo, dark soy caramel, […]

Continue reading