Seafood
This seafood restaurant has been a hit on Brewer Street in Soho for over 20 years. Perched at a stall in the candlelit dining room, kitted out in pie ‘n’ mash shop white tiles, below a disco ball, tapping our feet to tune after absolute tune, it’s easy to see why. I haven’t had this much fun in a restaurant in ages. The menu, 15 … Continue reading Randall & Aubin, Soho
Pop Brixton has been home to a good few restaurants now. It’s where Kricket rose to fame and Smoke & Salt has gone from strength to strength. A new edition to this shipping container village, just behind Brixton station, is Roe. Given its location, don’t expect hyper luxury. The long, narrow space is well utilised though with two communal tables and a kitchen at the … Continue reading Roe, Brixton
We first visited Prawn on the Lawn at their Padstow restaurant and fell a little bit in love with the place. But husband and wife team Rick and Katie first opened a fishmonger cum restaurant in Islington and they’ve since moved a few doors down the road to a bigger space – the old Le Coq site. One half is still dedicated to selling fresh … Continue reading Prawn on the Lawn, Islington
Prawn on the Lawn is a fishmonger cum restaurant by husband and wife Rick (chef) and Katie (front of house) Toogood. They first opened one in Islington then decided to move to Padstow in Cornwall and open another which is where they are based now. There’s a lovely relaxed vibe about the place during our visit. The seafood counter in the window attracts a lot … Continue reading Prawn on the Lawn, Padstow
Islington’s Upper Street is slowly starting to become more than just a giant stretch of chains. Thanks to Oldroyd and Corbin and King’s Bellanger, it’s actually difficult choosing where to eat. That choice is now likely to get trickier with the addition of Galley. It’s a beautifully kitted out space; the open kitchen with a counter (that’s the best place to sit) is reminiscent of … Continue reading Galley, Islington
There’s no getting away from the name Sexy Fish – it’s pretty garish. But then again, it’s the new restaurant from Richard Caring (The Ivy, Scott’s, J Sheekey et al) so a bit of opulent flamboyance is to be expected. The dining room is exactly that – times ten. A bar, top and tailed with Damien Hirst mermaids, a wall with cascading water, salmon banquettes, … Continue reading Sexy Fish, Berkeley Square
Des McDonald has been a busy chap – since opening Q Grill and the Holborn Dining Room he has now rebranded what was once the much loved Fish and Chip Shop to Vintage Salt (which might have something to do with a rather successful extended pop up on the roof of Selfridges). The dining room in their Liverpool Street outpost reminded me in charming way … Continue reading Vintage Salt, Liverpool Street
It’s an odd place to go for a bite to eat I’ll give you that; the thought of eating on a polluted roundabout in the middle of Old Street doesn’t exactly fill me with joy. But what is now known as the Magic Roundabout, accessed from the underground tube entrance, is a rather charming space filled with two bars, Burger Bear and Prawnography. It’s by … Continue reading Prawnography, Old Street Roundabout
Dinner at Beast is never going to be a particularly cheap outing; after all, this restaurant from the chap behind Burger&Lobster and Goodman specialises in Norwegian king crab. Having fallen in love with the place on my first visit I was pleased to see it was just as good when I returned – if not better. The basement dining room is like a cross between … Continue reading Beast, Chapel Place
I’ve not had much luck with Nathan Outlaw’s restaurants: even though I really want to love them, apart from an incredible meal at his two star eponymous restaurant in Cornwall, they never quite deliver. Outlaw’s at the Capital played it far too safe and Mariners at Rock was just a bit weird. Michelin-starred Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen is based in picturesque Port Isaac, which you might … Continue reading Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen, Port Isaac
Apart from my Dad’s bathroom shop, Winchester hasn’t got an awful lot going for it and it certainly isn’t known for its food (bar Michelin starred The Black Rat which is pretty decent). To hear that both Hugh Fearnley-Twittingstall and Rick Stein were both opening restaurants there, it sounded like only a positive thing. We thought we’d start by trying Rick Stein’s, which as you … Continue reading Rick Stein’s, Winchester
I’d never heard of Bubba Gump, a big American chain that specialises in shrimp, until it opened its first UK restaurant right in between DSTRKT nightclub and the Trocadero Centre – glamorous! Considering the place has only just opened it was absolutely rammed – which is quite impressive considering it can seat around 400 diners. I can’t understand why the hell anyone was in there … Continue reading Bubba Gump, Piccadilly
Beast is the latest venture from those clever chaps who created Goodman steakhouses and Burger & Lobster. The premise is simple; there’s only one menu with no choice and it’s £75 a head, which sounds like a lot of dollar but that gets you more food than you’re physically able to shove in your gob – trust me. The basement dining room felt raucous in … Continue reading Beast, 3 Chapel Place
We had a truly brilliant meal at Nathan Outlaw’s Michelin starred restaurant in Cornwall a few years back; the service was outstanding and it was the only time we’ve ever had a seafood tasting menu. I wasn’t entirely convinced the whole ethos of fresh and mostly local fish would transport well to his second restaurant (in the Capital Hotel, Knightsbridge) but it got a Michelin … Continue reading Outlaw’s at The Capital, Knightsbridge
We really enjoyed our visit to the original Big Easy in Chelsea so when I heard they were opening one in Covent Garden (opposite Rules), I was moist with anticipation. The new place has got the same ethos; lobsters, pulled pork, ribs and so on but they’ve brought in a new chef (a chap from America) to take things up a gear. It’s a seriously … Continue reading Big Easy, Covent Garden
