Harden’s weekly update of where the critics are eating, recommending and avoiding, for the week ending 27 October 2019. Marmo, Bristol Jay Rayner for The Observer was in the South West this week, in one of the “small, perfectly formed” restaurants that Bristol seems to specialise in. They are in no way “Identikit”, but share […]

Continue reading


Harden’s regular round-up of the restaurant critics’ musings, from the week ending 20 October 2019. Pilgrim, Liverpool For Grace Dent of The Guardian, “2019 has been a year of loitering confusedly in food halls, gob ajar, trying to decipher where one eats, sits, orders and pays”. Her latest (but less confused) visit was to Duke […]

Continue reading


Harden’s weekly update of where the critics are eating, recommending and avoiding, for the week ending 13 October 2019. Sons + Daughters, London N1 “Sometimes, a truly great, home-made sandwich can be quite a profound thing.” Jimi Famurewa for The Evening Standard isn’t always most thrilled by the “enlivening excursions to hypey food courts, dazzling […]

Continue reading


Harden’s weekly update of where the critics are eating, recommending and avoiding, for the week ending 6 October 2019. Mao Chow, London E8 Jimi Famurewa from The Evening Standard sometimes feel like “a well-meaning wrecking ball” (“the walking scourge of overrun kitchens and treasured local secrets”) when he reviews small restaurants. “Can that already-mobbed neighbourhood […]

Continue reading


Harden’s weekly update of where the critics are eating, recommending or avoiding, for the week ending 15 September 2019. It’s slightly shorter than usual this week – we’re busy finalising Harden’s London Restaurants 2020 and sending it off to the printer; available soon in all good bookshops! OKN1, London N1 40 Hoxton Street might not […]

Continue reading


Harden’s regular round-up of the restaurant critics’ meals, from the week ending 8 September 2019. Wun’s, London W1 For this week’s review, Jay Rayner for The Observer was tempted “to shove just five words at you and leave it at that: sugar skin Iberico char siu”. “The expansion of the Chinese food experience in the […]

Continue reading


Harden’s weekly update of where the critics are eating, recommending and avoiding, for the week ending 1 September 2019. Kala, Manchester Jay Rayner for The Observer headed to Manchester to try out the latest jewel in Gary Usher’s crown. He wasn’t welcome, of course – when Usher opened his very first restaurant, Sticky Walnut in […]

Continue reading


Harden’s weekly update of where the critics are eating, recommending and avoiding, for the week ending 25 August 2019. The Yan, Lake District Grace Dent for The Guardian loves the Lake District, and visits a lot, but is constantly “in search of a big, reasonably priced and, above all, welcoming place to take normal folk” […]

Continue reading


Harden’s regular round-up of the restaurant critics’ meals, from the week ending 18 August 2019.  Flor, London SE1 Jimi Famurewa for The Evening Standard found Southwark newcomer Flor to be “lightly challenging” and “utterly astonishing”, with food that “hits a sweet spot between the unexpected and the familiar… between thoughtful, modern refinement and messy, chin-dripping joy”. […]

Continue reading


Harden’s regular round-up of the restaurant critics’ meals, from the week ending 11 August 2019.  Pilgrim, Liverpool Marina O’Loughlin for The Sunday Times had very little time for the marketing “tripe” surrounding the new Duke Street Market flagship restaurant she visited in Liverpool – one of the many new additions to the UK’s food scene, […]

Continue reading