The dining room of Soho’s Sun and 13 Cantons doesn’t exactly scream the next star chef’s prime breeding ground. Pretty tightly crammed with banquettes, familiar green metro tiles and proximity to the pub’s clamorous post-work boozers, it appears to be pretty run of the mill. But this space has hosted nascent residencies from the likes … Continue reading Mamapen
Restaurants are all about staging, and Milk Beach ticks all the boxes on that front. Its second branch, after the highly popular Queen’s Park restaurant that hit north-west London in 2018 and quickly became known for its brunches, this Soho outpost more of the same formula. Think a breezy flutter through Mediterranean and south-east Asian … Continue reading Milk Beach
A review of another “Levantine” restaurant here and it’s no surprise. Often labelled as the “Ottolenghi effect”, London’s love affair with Middle Eastern food has transformed our relationship with vegetables. Boiling to eternity is thankfully out; (whole) roasting, charring and grilling has come to the forefront – not to mention dips, spices, tahini and all … Continue reading Bubala, Soho
Capturing the souls of cities across the world (Tel Aviv, Paris, New York, Melbourne, Singapore, Boston), cult-classic Miznon has landed on Soho’s buzzy Broadwick Street. Founded by celebrity chef Eyal Shani and renowned for its fresh, vibrant Israeli bites – notably fluffy pitta – this smash-hit restaurant celebrates the flavours of the Mediterranean. And it … Continue reading Miznon
Ducksoup is one of those properly romantic “low-key” Soho restaurant / wine bar hybrids. With just a few small tables along the wall and a tightly knit bar that acts as a dining counter, it’s difficult to get a reservation but worth the wait. Despite being in buzzy Soho, Ducksoup feels relaxed and intimate, lit … Continue reading Ducksoup
Sri Lankan food seems to be enjoying a resurgence in London at the moment. Following the launch of Hoppers and Kolamba (on which see my reviews here and here), the most recent addition to this eclectic party is contemporary Sri Lankan restaurant Paradise. I say eclectic as all look to celebrate the country’s truly vibrant … Continue reading Paradise
The best restaurants have a story behind them and Imad’s Syrian Kitchen is all about the narrative. And a gripping one it is. Imad Alarnab was once (and continues to be!) a successful chef and restaurateur but in Damascus, where he ran three restaurants alongside cafés and juice bars. All that was destroyed in just … Continue reading Imad’s Syrian Kitchen
Finally, London seems to have clocked on to the joys of Sri Lankan cooking. Though rustled up in restaurants across Tooting, Wembley and Ealing for decades, “trendy” spots have now sprung up across the capital: Weligama supper clubs @ Italo, Paradise on Rupert Street, Hoppers (of course) and Kolamba on Kingly Street. Named after the … Continue reading Kolamba
I seem to be eating Indian food out a lot of late. Take Jikoni, for example, on which see my thoughts here. I’m not quite sure how this has happened. Perhaps my intrigue of novel takes on age-old recipes and dates (both of the tamarind chutney kind and the other kind – which is why … Continue reading Kricket
Though “Bocca Di Lupo” translates as “mouth of the wolf” – for you should come here when you’re as hungry as an animal – it creates food worthy of the gods. Since its opening in November 2008, this place has been something of an Italian institution on London’s restaurants scene. The quality of its food, … Continue reading Bocca Di Lupo
Yumtini 