Restaurants

It seems, in the world of today, that every restaurant must have a concept. It can’t just be good food, either. It must be something more. I won’t be the first to tell you I’d be happier if all restaurants had at least that: good food. Leave your avocado at home, my friends, just focus on the quality of what you’re presenting your guests with. That said, I’m not quite as old timey as I sound. I do like a...

Sustainability is undoubtedly the buzz-word of the moment, it seems bars and restaurants are like crafty robbers working through the night, throwing away all the plastic and introducing vegan menus “showcasing” ingredients such as carrot sticks and broccoli rice. It would seem it is no longer sexy to destroy our planet, and as with anything that becomes trendy in a city like ours, we are left sifting through the shit to find the real deal. CUB is a collaborative project...

As part of the Morelands Building’s ongoing regeneration, Michael Sager and Marcis Dzelzainis – the team behind Sager + Wilde – opened Fare Bar + Canteen at the Clerkenwell end of Old Street last year. Set over two floors of a 1930s light-industrial complex, the restaurant occupies a gorgeous former warehouse space. Upstairs, a marble-topped horseshoe bar dominates the space with high wooden tables and stools. Downstairs, the main dining room is whitewashed and festooned with plants, vintage pendant lighting...

With plenty of exciting launches constantly taking place across the Capital, we pick London’s best new restaurant openings taking place over the coming month. Orasay – Notting Hill From the team behind Brunswick House and St Leonards – one of last year’s most feted new restaurant openings – Orasay will open in Notting Hill this month. Heavily inspired by the western isles of Scotland, where co-founder Jackson Boxer has spent every summer since he was a small child, the menu...

Originally exclusive to the country’s wealthiest, Chinese poetry and music sources suggest dim sum was first enjoyed over 2500 years ago. While dim sum is most commonly linked with Cantonese cuisine, the first dim sum is said to have been made in northern China, eventually served in tea houses along the famous Silk Road. On discovering that tea aids digestion, these tea houses began to serve bite-sized snacks to “touch the heart” (the most common translation of ‘dim sum’) rather...

Tying in with International Women’s Day (8th March), Ladies of Restaurants - a collective of women working in hospitality, launched to support women in the industry - will host a weekend of events in London, Liverpool and Manchester. Taking place between Thursday 7th to Sunday 10th March, Ladies of Restaurants’ first International Women’s Day Weekender will strive to celebrate and support women in the hospitality industry with four exciting events scheduled to take place. Beginning in Liverpool, a L.O.R.’s of...

Following the warm reception to his first solo venture on Bermondsey Street, Spanish chef José Pizarro has since opened two additional London restaurants and plans to takeover a pub in Esher, Surrey. Formerly occupied by Claude Bosi, the Swan Inn will re-launch as a ‘Spanish pub’ next month, with José intending to bring the best of his London restaurants while maintaining a British pub feel. Signature tapas dishes will feature on the menu alongside a selection of classic pub dishes...

With a long, colourful history, the hamburger has become one of the world’s favourite fast foods. While the exact roots are much-contested, the US has become synonymous with the dish, with more than 40 billion burgers consumed annually. On this side of the Atlantic, however, London also has its fair share of exciting burger restaurants, with Burger & Beyond having recently joined the proverbial pile, opening a permanent site on Shoreditch High Street. While minced beef has been enjoyed for...

Food waste is a pressing global issue with no sign of slowing down. At least one third of the world’s food produce is discarded: that’s enough to feed 870 million people (a figure greater than the entire population of Europe). Here in the UK, 40 per cent of all fruit and vegetables are rejected before reaching shelves, considered ugly, misshapen, too big or too small; yet they remain absolutely edible. Former Head Chef of Petersham Nurseries, Skye Gyngell aims to...