What a wonderful year for eating! 2023 has been the first since 2019 when there were no travel or eating restrictions anywhere in the world. Your reviewer made the most of it, visiting 14 different countries (several, on numerous occasions) and adding close on 50 new reviews to his website. The actual total of meals eaten in restaurants over the past 12 months would probably be double this number. Below follows some of the dining highlights from the period.
Best new openings: The Devonshire, a classy Soho pub with a superb upstairs grill room; Socca, for a touch of Cote d’Azur glamour in Mayfair; and Maresco, a genius pairing of Spanish tapas with Scottish ingredients.
Best surprises: Crab House Café in Weymouth, top seafood in Dorset, where you could almost kid yourself you were in the Mediterranean; Supawan, for the best Thai meal enjoyed in a very long time; and Luca, for amazing Italian food whose taste memories lingered for days after.
Best high-end in London: Alex Dilling at the Café Royale does a stunning job, as does Tom Sellars at Dovetale. 20 Berkeley also impressed. Looking forward to returning to Core again – still your reviewer’s favourite – in February.
Best international experiences: Probably the hardest category from which to choose, but Mielcke and Hurtigkarl in Copenhagen, La Tasqueria in Madrid and Orfali Brothers in Dubai would top the tree. If you’re an offal fan, then you have to visit the Madrid venue.
Best local venues: Caveat, your reviewer lives in London’s W9 district, but close by, the Three Falcons (Indian gastropub) and Carmel (eastern Mediterranean) were delightful new discoveries. Most visited, without doubt, is Le Cochonnet, for consistently good pizza.