Restaurants

If 2016 was the year of single-item, no reservation restaurants; 2017 has been the year of the super hotel. First it was The Ned, Soho House’s landed cruise ship, taking over an old bank building in the city of London – featuring 252 bedrooms, nine restaurants and a rooftop bar, all of which have been filling our Instagram feeds since summer. Soon after, Robert Deniro and Nobu Matsuhisa brought one of their Nobu hotels to Shoreditch. Then The Mandrake Hotel opened...

“Are you with me, or are you with The Woolwich?” Otto Tepasse probes before insisting I become heavily involved in the ceremonial crushing of a duck carcass. The question has no real relevance, but it’s just one key example of the endearing eccentricity that environs dinner at Otto’s – a classic French restaurant named after its off-the-wall owner. Opened in 2011, between Chancery Lane tube and King’s Cross, the restaurant has such nostalgic charm, it seems as though it might...

2017 has been an outstanding year for London restaurant openings, with over 300 having launched since January. Some have been absolutely sensational, others considerably less brilliant. From nose-to-tail cooking to Mexican fine-dining; Michelin-approved international exports to home grown triumphs – we pick ten of the best restaurants to have opened in London this year. Frog by Adam Handling An extension of The Frog E1 (one of last year’s best restaurant openings), Frog by Adam Handling is a slightly more formal...

Pan-Asian cuisine has become so oversaturated in London, it’s often distinguish between the bad and the utterly atrocious. With the opening of so many restaurants serving a mix of Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Taiwanese and Laotian food, a great deal have roots far more British than the menus may suggest. Of these, though, chef Chris Denney’s experimental creations are some of London’s few wholly enjoyable examples. When 108 Garage opened last year, the restaurant was quickly met with rapturous critical...

“A good dinner and feasting reconciles everybody”, Samuel Pepys wrote in November 1665. Though best known for first-hand accounts of the Great Fire of London and the plague, kept within his diary, Samuel Pepys also wrote numerous passages on his favourite things to eat – perhaps most notably The Lampery Pye. Within the Apex Hotel City of London, a contemporary hotel on Seething Lane (one of Pepys’ former residences), The Lampery opened in September, serving a ‘Best of British’ menu...

When reporting on a brand new restaurant, the question of ethics is generally raised. Is it really fair to review a restaurant that’s brand new? And if not, how long should we wait – a few weeks, a few months, a year? There’s no set rule, but the issue has been raised quite frequently in recent months. Following a less than positive review of Temper City (brand new at the time), chef Neil Rankin responded with a passive-aggressive comment beneath...

Forget arid roast turkey, prosaic Christmas pudding and sprouts boiled to the point of complete submission. This year, so many of London’s incomparably diverse restaurants have created special, unique Christmas dinners. From classic German goose with dumplings to Indian spiced goose breast; Australasian-inspired fusion to South African Braai – we pick the best international Christmas dinners to eat in London this year. Hammer & Tongs Available until 23rd December, Farringdon restaurant Hammer & Tongs has launched a South African braai...

London definitely doesn’t suffer from a lack of Vietnamese cuisine offerings - and thanks to my previous living quarters in Hoxton, I’ve sampled a lion’s share. That said, London still hasn’t reached saturation, so far as Vietnamese food is concerned. A healthy walk from Kings Cross station, CoBa is the brainchild of Damon Bui and MJ Gadhavi. Built on the success of their supper club, Table for 10, and Damon’s Vietnamese-Australian upbringing, the restaurant offers a menu lifted directly from...

A delicacy synonymous with Japanese cuisine, fugu (pufferfish) is highly-prized, but potentially more deadly than cyanide. Each fish has enough tetrodotoxin (one of the world’s most powerful neutrotoxins) to kill 30 adults, so it’s hardly surprising it’s banned across the EU. In Japan, only rigorously trained chefs are licensed to prepare fugu, but the fish has still killed more than 20 Japanese diners since 2000. If improperly prepared, the fish’s tetrodotoxin begins to attack the central nervous system immediately after...