Restaurants

It’s something I’ve written about before, but even so, I adore Japanese food. Over the past ten years, the UK has become far more accustomed to the land of the rising sun’s national cuisine. And with so many specialist restaurants constantly opening across London, I couldn’t be happier. There’s just something so heart warming about giant bowls of ramen noodles in silky bone broth, demanding to be slurped; slivers of fresh raw fish; dominoes of sticky rice laced with sugar...

It’s generally accepted that the best Turkish food in London can be found north of the river. Over the past two years, three “authentic Turkish restaurants” have opened contiguously in Greenwich, just around the corner from my house. As well as promising to be authentically Turkish, another thing these venues hold in common is the inane ability to cook astoundingly bad food yet manage to entice herds of customers. When I think of great Turkish food in London, I think...

By Terry Siddall The Cubana has had a presence in Sheffield for some fifteen years and gained a good reputation for its authentic Spanish/Latin tapas menu. Leopold Square where the Cubana restaurant and bar is situated is in the heart of Sheffield city centre where Leopold Street meets the end of West Street. The square is fairly close to the two main theatres in Sheffield, that of the Crucible and the Lyceum and has easy access to bus, tram stops and...

Brian May is an undoubtedly accomplished guitarist, but he’s hardly renowned for good taste. Yet according to their website, Mayfair tapas restaurant El Pirata (‘The Pirate’, in English) are very proud that the Queen guitarist once visited and said, “El Pirata rocks”. There’s also a testimonial from Johnny Depp, who apparently loves it here, and may or may not have visited in his Captain Jack Sparrow costume. Having been around for just under a quarter of a century, El Pirata...

On a humid afternoon last summer, I met with Jay Rayner in order to interview the esteemed restaurant critic over lunch. Jay chose for us to meet at Dumplings Legend on Gerrard Street, the beating heart of London’s China Town, and alongside talking about his new book and stage show, we spoke in quite some depth about Jay’s love of Chinese food - dim sum in particular. I, too, have always been fond of dim sum, but since eating at...

As a man who eats meat, and always has, I’ve never been in the position to take the moral high ground as far as dinner table ethics are concerned. I do, however, respect peoples’ choice to follow vegetarian diets, and understand that vegetarian food is not necessarily boring food. Alas, it is only within the past five years that so many British restaurants have begun to understand the true, delicious potential of vegetables. Until recently, most token vegetarian dishes would...

With plenty of exciting restaurant openings constantly taking place across the Capital, here’s our pick of the best new restaurants arriving in London over the coming month. Aster – Victoria The latest restaurant from D&D London, Aster has opened at Nova Food next to Victoria station. Set across two floors, the space comprises a 161-cover café and deli, plus an upstairs 122-cover restaurant and cocktail bar. As for the food, the kitchen will be overseen by Executive Chef Helena Puolakka, having previously held the...

Though all restaurant experiences revolve heavily around eating, so many restaurateurs fail to understand that there's more to a great restaurant than just good food. From service and general ambience down to the smallest, most pernickety details, the overall experience - from walking through the door to picking up the bill - is everything. Some of the best food I ate last year, for instance, was at a restaurant I actively despised. The culinary skill displayed was exceptional, though the...

In celebration of Scottish poet and writer Robert Burns’s Birthday (25th January), Burns Night takes place this week. Falling on Wednesday, a great number of Burns Night events are taking place across the week to celebrate. From Scottish-inspired set menus to whisky tastings and the occasional deep-fried Mars bar, here’s our pick of the best food and drink events to celebrate Burns Night in London. Mac & Wild One of London’s best Scottish restaurants, Mac & Wild will host a whole...