Restaurants

Sitting among the cobblestone streets and hidden mews of West London CHAKRA boasts a chic, continental charm that when combined with the aroma of warm Indian spices draws you in like a moth to a flame. Recently refurbished the restaurant is looking to position itself as an accessible neighbourhood eatery with a loyal clientele who will return time and again. And it has a strong proposition. Located in the hubbub of Kensington and with a cosy pub on its doorstep...

Originally opened on nearby All Saints Road during the late 1990s, ULI became a local favourite before closing a few years ago. Quickly following the closure, however, the restaurant has since been resurrected – taking over a space on Ladbroke Road, close to Notting Hill Gate tube. Fronted by a large, partially enclosed terrace area with comfortable seating and a hanging garden of foliage and lights, the restaurant is modestly decorated: bright with contemporary art and soft blue touches against...

At a ceremony hosted at the BFI IMAX Cinema in Waterloo this afternoon, the Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2019 was launched, with 24 restaurants having been newly-appointed Michelin stars. Following the news of four London restaurants (Sorella, Farang, Kudu and Petit Pois) having received Bib Gourmands, this year’s list of London restaurants to receive Michelin stars includes Ikoyi, Brat, Sabor, HIDE Above, Leroy and Roganic. Outside London, one star has also been awarded to the likes of Rogan...

With plenty of exciting restaurant launches constantly taking place across the Capital, we pick London’s best new restaurant openings taking place over the coming month. Kym’s by Andrew Wong – City One of the year’s most exciting new restaurant openings, Andrew Wong is set to open Kym’s in the Bloomberg Arcade. Following the huge success of his eponymous restaurant near Victoria, Kym’s will be a modern ‘premium casual’ Chinese restaurant, named after Andrew’s parents’ restaurant opened in 1985 – reopened as A.Wong in 2012....

Beneath The Dorchester – one of London’s most unanimously luxurious hotels – China Tang is not a modern Chinese restaurant; nor does it attempt to be. Opened by the late Sir David Tang in 2005, the grand basement restaurant’s a la carte menu is embedded in Cantonese standards: deeply comforting and shrouded with warm familiarity, yet ultimately expensive. Accessible via a separate entrance on Park Lane, or through the hotel’s opulent lobby (try to avoid losing your shoes in the...

When Adam Handling opened The Frog in the grounds of the Old Truman Brewery, the chef’s menu was ambitious to say the least. At the chef’s first restaurant proper – following a stint at Caxton - Handling demolished the rule book, demonstrating skilled fine dining technique with dishes to be enjoyed in an intentionally casual, comfortable space. Street art adorned the walls while 1990s hip-hop sound-tracked the gastro parade of powders, smears and intense fermentations. Although the restaurant’s initial critical...

Summer, provided it isn’t a total washout, is one of my favourite times of year in London. It’s these long warm days that encourage us to explore the city: its various parks, terraces, rooftops and beer gardens. Considering the unusually hot weather we’ve had this year (that’s us done for the foreseeable, I imagine), I wouldn’t blame you if you hadn’t felt the usual urge to escape for a week in the Mediterranean, as many of the inhabitants of our...

Contemporary Latin American cuisine meets Mayfair chic in Mark Morrans’ latest venture MNKY HSE. The stylish restaurant is hidden behind a discreet entrance on Dover Street rubbing shoulders with Aston Martin, contemporary art shops and a plethora of other late night venues competing for the celebrity dollar on a street that plays like an A to Z of the rich and famous on most evenings. An elegant lounge is decked out with a pristine wooden DJ booth as a focal...

Launching on Friday 7th September, Tom Griffiths’ Flank will host a series of Friday evening pop-ups, taking place until the end of October. Operating from Old Spitalfields Market, Flank was one of the most exciting new openings of 2017 and received a rare five-star review from TLE soon after opening. Initially launched as a pop-up in Brighton, the restaurant opened in London as part of the new development of kitchens around the market, overseen by Ten Ten – a creative organisation headed up by Nuno...