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 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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Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 12th January 2025 London Standard Nipotina, Mayfair David Ellis found a lot to like about the latest opening from Mayfair powerhouse Samyukta Nair – an all-day Italian that “exists to assuage stresses that exist only outside its door”. What he meant […]

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Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 8th December 2024 London Standard Mondo Sando, Camberwell David Ellis trekked to an “incandescently brilliant” new sandwich shop from Jack Macrae and Viggo Blegvad, who were already “cultishly famous in South London” for their pub residencies in Camberwell and […]

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Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant reviewers were writing about in the week up to 6th October 2024 The Observer In a footnote to Jay Rayner’s damning review last week of restaurant 18 at Rusacks hotel in St Andrew’s, 18’s executive chef Billy Boyter this week announced his departure after just eight months – with […]

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Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 8th September 2024 The Evening Standard Ambassadors Club House, Mayfair Jimi Famurewa was the first critic to the latest opening from all-conquering JKS Restaurants – this one a “typically fine-drawn love letter to the princely flavours and riotous drinking traditions […]

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Our round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 14th July 2024 Evening Standard Tollington’s, Finsbury Park Jimi Famurewa hailed the Spanish-accented makeover of a derelict chippy, by Four Legs chef Ed McIroy (Plimsoll and the Compton Arms), as “both a justified candidate for opening of the year and […]

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Pucci, London W1 Jay Rayner for The Observer reviewed Mayfair newcomer Pucci, revived from its bygone King’s Road days by the founder’s son (the original closed in 2010). Decorated like “a wealthy person’s version of a humble farmhouse”, it’s the sort of room “in which you can have a very good time, though ideally with […]

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