There’s an Ivy Café popping up all over England at the minute. St John’s Wood? Yup. Blackheath? You bet. Guildford? Naturally. Edinburgh? Och aye. I’ve been to quite a few of them now and they always offer decent food in beautifully kitted out surroundings. Like a fancy Côte. Their Tower Bridge outpost is their prettiest, helped along by the views of Tower Bridge from our … Continue reading The Ivy Tower Bridge
It was a real shocker when Santo Remedio closed its doors late last year. The cute taco restaurant near Old Street was loved from Jay to Giles to Tom, not to mention the paying public. The good news is it’s back, at a new location on Tooley Street, SE1, which they partly Crowdfunded. We visit in the first few days of opening so a smaller … Continue reading Santo Remedio, Tooley Street
I’m a fan of pie and mash it has to be said. I’ve had my fair share of them too, from Castle’s in Camden to F Cooke on Broadway Market to Goddards at Greenwich. The best in town? It has to be M. Manze on Tower Bridge Road, SE1. It’s old school through and through. The all-girl brigade spend as much time smoking two doors … Continue reading M.Manze, Bermondsey
Sitting pretty on the 33rd floor of the Shard, it’s not just the views from this Northern Chinese-inspired restaurant that get us going – the food is as pretty as the London skyline we look onto from our table. The rest of the dining room is equally as charming. The rectangular space has a glass fronted kitchen at one end with Peking ducks hanging for … Continue reading Hutong, The Shard
It’s a brave restaurant who steps into Kricket’s shoes let me tell you. I had one of the my best meal’s of 2016 in their Indian-small-plate-serving pop up in a shipping container in Pop Brixton. But then they went and got themselves a proper restaurant in Piccadilly. Sad times. So who’s in said shipping container now? Two chaps called Aaron and Remi with their small-plate-with-British-ingredients-using-ancient-techniques … Continue reading Smoke & Salt, Pop Brixton
Other than half a chicken (medium) at Nando’s and Nuno Mendez’ more exciting Taberna do Mercado in Spitalfields, Portuguese food isn’t one of the cuisines that has rocketed to fame in recent years. It goes under the radar. To open a small counter-only restaurant in Flat Iron Square, a newish food/booze/music space under some railway arches in SE1, is then a brave move. It’s paid … Continue reading Bar Douro, Flat Iron Square
Lupins, named after the flower, is a new restaurant within the arches of Flat Iron Square in Southwark. It’s the first venture from Lucy Pedder and Natasha Cooke, the pair having met and worked alongside each other while cooking at Medlar in Chelsea. If you’re unfamiliar with Flat Iron Square, it’s home to a load of street food vendors, small restaurants, bars, a music venue and … Continue reading Lupins, SE1
This is the second restaurant from the chaps behind Casse-Croûte on Bermondsey Street. It’s not far away from it either, just through the park opposite, right next to the tennis courts. It sits in an old shed; a dark and creepy part of the park no one savoury would ever hang about in. But what a transformation. They’ve kept the original wooden beams and structure … Continue reading Pique-Nique, Bermondsey
It’s become cool, of late, to bitch about anywhere in London that isn’t Zone 1. Camberwell Church St? Skuzz hole. The Walworth Road? Stabsville. But in reality, these are places which have provided me with some really decent meals recently. Lewisham is next on my out-of-central-travels – an intriguing area which seems to consist of a shopping centre, a canal which smells of stagnant water … Continue reading Sparrow, Lewisham
This is Hawkmsoor’s 6th restaurant in London (plus one in Manchester) and it’s by far their prettiest. Based right by Borough Market, next to Le Pain Quotidien, in a former hops warehouse, it’s full of character. It’s all parquet flooring and dark gloss walls. Service is the usual relaxed, wear your own clothes, “how’re you getting on buddy?”, style. We’re seated in the corner of … Continue reading Hawksmoor, Borough
I first heard about Louie Louie, a new cafe/bar/restaurant from the guys who own nearby Fowlds Café, from Jay Rayner’s review in the Guardian. He liked everything but the natural wine list – I can’t say I’m a fan either – but it’s certainly something that’s growing in popularity. The restaurant definitely stands out on the Walworth Road – mainly because it looks quite nice. … Continue reading Louie Louie, Walworth Road
Mr Bao specialises in, you guessed it, bao (that’s those little steamed buns, Mum). It’s the creation of friends Frank Yeung and Nick Burkett and it’s a pretty cool spot with its exposed brick and simple interior. We visit for dinner before seeing La La Land at the Peckham Multiplex. At just a fiver it’s something I thoroughly recommend you doing. The menu, much like … Continue reading Mr Bao, Peckham
We enjoyed our first visit to A. Wong back in 2014 – and things have been going strong for Andrew Wong and his modern Chinese restaurant in Pimlico ever since. My visit on this occasion however is for the Peking duck tasting menu. The restaurant isn’t much to look at which is quite nice really – there’s no pomp or pretension. Service is equally as … Continue reading A. Wong, Pimlico
London is going taco mad at the minute, which is no bad thing. I visited EL Pastor (from the Hart Brothers, who own Quo Vadis in Soho and Barrafina, and Crispin Somerville) the day after Breddos in Clerkenwell and I have to say I fell in love with both. El Pastor sits in a railway arch in the heart of Borough Market. The front half … Continue reading El Pastor, Borough Market
Bankside has fast become a foodie Mecca – who’d have thought it? Once, nothing more than an office ridden area between London Bridge and Southwark, it now has a Tonkotsu, ‘O Ver and a new street food cum bar cum music venue cum Sunday Flea market called Flat Iron Square. It’s all going on. Just next door to Hixter is Caravan’s third london restaurant – … Continue reading Caravan Bankside, SE1
