⦿ Jay Rayner of The Observer reviewed The Holy Birds in Shoreditch, which serves duck, goose and guinea fowl, “but mostly, to be honest, chicken“. The quality of the poultry was not to be questioned, but he was far from impressed by the cooking. “Sure, the skin is dark, but only in places. Elsewhere it’s soft and floppy. […]
The Real Junk Food Project has launched a fundraising campaign to open a full-time pay-as-you-feel restaurant in Manchester next year, using only food destined to be thrown out. The project needs to raise £20,000 by January 13 in order to go ahead, with pledges being sought through Crowdfunder. Chef Mary-Ellen McTague, formerly of the Fat Duck and Manchester’s Aumbry, […]
⦿ Jay Rayner of The Observer reviewed Veneta, just off Piccadilly, which, while “not an actively bad restaurant”, brought his culinary year to a disappointing end. “I long ago stopped taking notes in restaurants, figuring that if I couldn’t recall what I’d had for dinner that spoke volumes. With this one I had to dig out the […]
Sam and Eddie Hart, the brothers behind the soaring Barrafina group, opened their latest venture this week, the Mexican-inspired El Pastor taqueria near Borough Market. “Al pastor“, or shepherd-style, is where the taco meets the kebab – a Mexico City staple with its origins in the Arab shawarma. Sam Hart acquired a taste for the style while […]
Tom Kerridge, the Marlow-based maestro of pub food, has revealed his next move – a restaurant in a five-star Belgravia hotel. His first restaurant – and his first professional foray into London – will open next year at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower, a luxury hotel overlooking Hyde Park and aimed squarely at the international market. The […]
⦿ The Observer’s Jay Rayner found himself in heaven at Temper, barbecue specialist Neil Rankin’s “shot at the big time in Soho, with big London money, and bravado and punch“. “Temper is brilliant. I love the fact that you can smell the wood smoke and the rendering meat from the door. I love the way that smell […]
A rule-breaking pizzeria bringing the values of the Slow Food movement to the ultimate Italian fast food opened in Hoxton Square this week. Radio Alice, named after an underground Bologna radio station shut down by the carabiniere in the 1970s, cooks the pizza base separately from the topping – apparently to “avoid incinerating the feisty […]
⦿ The Observer’s Jay Rayner reviewed Sambal Shiok, Mandy Yin’s Malaysian evenings-only pop-up at Blend café in Harringay, where he was impressed by the Singapore-style laksa. “Boy, is it good. The broth is thick, making it more a stew than a soup. It is the Fisher-Price Activity Centre of food, with just so much to see and do and […]
Leeds chef Michael O’Hare has released further details of the three restaurants he is opening in Manchester with former footballers Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville – including their typically extravagant names. The Man Who Fell to Earth, a “formal Parisian ballroom-style” venue, and the more casual Are Friends Electric will be housed in the boutique […]
The humble chop – or should that be the mighty chop? – is having a moment, appearing in the name of two new London restaurants. The Tandoor Chop House in Covent Garden, which opens on November 28, is described as “the meeting of a North Indian communal eatery and a classic British chop house”. Its […]
