Any pub that employs a chef with credible restaurant CV now feels it has the right to append the prefix ‘gastro’ to its name. Many have installed josper grills or wood fires to buttress their claims. Renovate on old boozer may earn extra points. The Baring doesn’t try too hard. It doesn't need to either. This neighbourhood venue lets its quality speak for itself.
Your reviewer’s only previous visit to a Georgian restaurant was a disappointment. The passing of time and a desire to be open-minded provoked a recent visit to a new venue purveying Georgian cooking. It was well-conceived, but ultimately underwhelming.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that Oxford students will take every opportunity to show off their erudition. With this maxim in mind, when your reviewer and eight of his chums returned recently to their Alma Mater for a reunion weekend, he was reminded of the famous line of Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr: “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” In simple terms, the places where we dined some thirty years ago have stood the test of time.
Harrow is famous for its school, perhaps its eponymous hill, but little else. Although it is located less than ten miles from where this reviewer grew up, he was not aware of its dining options – until recently. Step forward Jay Rayner. I have long been a fan of the restaurant critic of The Guardian and have enjoyed several of his books, including My Dining Hell. This is a summary of his most damning reviews. 19 of the 20 places subsequently have shut. Fortunately, his recent piece on the incongruously named Panda’s Kitchen was praiseworthy – and rightly so.
People love to make lists, however arbitrary they may be. KOL is one of only two UK restaurants to rank in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, placing at number 17. It must, therefore, being doing something very good. Your reviewer had written two highly praiseworthy pieces about KOL in the past (see here and here), but a recent visit to the venue demonstrated to our group of four – all of whom were previously familiar with KOL – just how much it had raised its already strong game.
Any business that has been operating for almost 200 years and in the same location for over a century must be doing something right. John Sweetings opened the original “very superior oyster rooms” in 1830. Your reviewer can report from his first visit in well more than a decade that Sweetings is still going strong. The oysters were indeed very superior, but the whole experience merits another visit before not too long.
When you’re still salivating over a dish three days after you ate it, then you know it’s been a great dining experience. Luca was always likely to be a success given it is the second venture from Isaac McHale of Clove Club fame. The story here is about classy contemporary food, paying clear homage to Italy but using primarily British ingredients.
My last visit to The Bleeding Heart was around a decade ago. Much has changed in London in the ensuing period. However, at this venue, it is almost like being in a time warp. Wind the clock back to 2012, or even 2002/ 1992 and I doubt the experience would have been much different. Maybe there is something reassuring about old school French cooking in times of turbulence. Think of dining here as a rebuff to the modern zeitgeist. We loved the service and the wine, although the food left something to be desired.
Rarely has the City been a destination for diners. Sure, it’s convenient for workers whose offices are nearby, but to make a journey there specifically for lunch or dinner and the venue would have to be pretty special. Ekte is not. It’s meant to be a showcase for Nordic food and has credibility in being backed by the owners of nearby stalwart 1 Lombard, but much like Scandinavia in general, your reviewer was left feeling cold by the whole experience.
It has become almost de rigeur for every tall building in the City of London to provide a dining experience on one of its higher floors. The claim of 14 Hills, that it offers “unapparelled” views of London, is perhaps hyperbole. Fortuitously, there is more to enjoy at this venue than just the views. 14 Hills delivers very solid if not quite ground-breaking cuisine at a reasonable price point.
That Anne-Sophie Pic’s London outpost has just received its second Michelin star speaks volumes. A visit here is undoubtedly an elevated dining experience which delivered across the board. It would be easy to feel awed – given the grand location (inside the Four Seasons Hotel, which itself is housed in the former London Port Authority building), much-garlanded chef and already mentioned stars – but, the prevailing impression is one of genuine welcome….
What to make of Brigadiers? To many, the notion of a restaurant modelled on the army mess bars of India and located in the heart of the City might seem like a thoroughly off-putting prospect. Sure, much of the clientele is male and suited, and therefore not to everyone’s taste, but forget this and come for the food – you won’t be disappointed…
Where better to host an evening of tasting wines from the iconic yet cult vineyard Chateau Musar than at Cabotte? Named after the small huts that Burgundian winegrowers have within their vineyards, Cabotte is a sophisticated venue based almost opposite the City’s Guildhall. Its culinary emphasis is on modern French food with some knowingly British influences, while the wine bias is, unsurprisingly, distinctly Burgundian.
When is Japanese food not Japanese food? This isn’t a question from a specialist philosophy paper, but more an observation about how much of the Japanese dining scene in London has seemingly morphed into what has been dictated as ‘cool’ and instantly Instagram-able by many trend-setters. If, however, you’re looking for authenticity (and the antithesis of a venue such as Sushi Samba), then consider Kurumaya. Located on one of the oldest streets in the City of London, Kurumaya has a long pedigree and a head chef who has been making sushi for over 25 years. Pass the take-away pit-stop on the top floor and descend to the basement for an experience which may not seem out of place in Tokyo. Beyond the stark and austere decoration, the wood and lacquer finishes and the prominent sushi counter, there is even a room replete with tatami mats, for those who want to go the whole hog here. Onto the food, and it is broadly what one might expect: a raw fish range (sushi and sashimi) followed by an offering of more substantial mains. The emphasis is on locally sourced produce, prepared to the highest standards. Both our sushi platter and our chirashi (meaning ‘scattered around’) bowl of fish on a bed of rice had that amazing sense of freshness, so much so that one could almost taste the sea. The presentation showed the fish off to its best effect, a vividly hewed rainbow spectrum. Meanwhile, a beef teriyaki main was comparable to similar offerings sampled in Japan, with pungent beef paired against bean sprouts. Pricing was not cheap, but then it is rarely is for Japanese food. Perhaps the best indicator of the success of the venue was simply how busy it was. This is a well-kept secret worth seeking out.
Times have changed. Twenty years ago, when I was first in London, in this venue men in pinstripes drank champagne while overlooking an ice rink. Now, the clientele is more diverse, the food multiple notches better, although the views more depressing. Hopefully the scaffolding surrounding much of the Broadgate complex will be gone once Crossrail is complete and then diners can get to appreciate better this outpost of Alan Yau’s ever-expanding empire. The impressive thing about Yauatcha is that its quality remains undiminished and remarkably consistent across branches
I lasted visited Miyama around a decade ago. It was very good then and it was pretty much as I remembered when recently making a return visit. Almost nothing had changed. This is not an exaggeration or under-statement. Part of the charm of Miyama is that it remains steadfast, stuck in time and relentlessly unchanging
Broadgate Circle, just to the west of Liverpool Street station, has reinvented itself as a culinary hub. Gone is the late 80’s/ early 90’s feel of swanky City elitism (and the horrible concrete ice rink that used to be here) and in its stead, is a much more egalitarian crescent of on-trend restaurants, where diners can indulge in most cuisines from around the world.
Tall buildings seem all the rage in London these days and, if you have an iconic landmark, then why not put a restaurant in there too? Too often, however, the complaint can be levelled at such venues that customers just end up paying for the view or the ‘experience’ and the food becomes an after-thought.
