Kricket Soho review: this former pop-up is so good it will make you question your life February 1, 2017 I’m ambivalent about pop-ups. I want to like them, to buy into the democratisation of the food business, to support the little guy who isn’t propped up by hedge-funds or millionaire parents. But my god, they can be terrible places to eat. I’m haunted by memories of burgers that seemed destined to never arrive at [...]
Som Saa review: Very likely to be the best Thai food in London January 31, 2017 A plucky Peckham-pop-up turned permanent E1 resident, Som Saa is a Thai restaurant specialising in creative regional dishes from the country’s north-eastern province. Enjoy sweet and sour comfort food from the grill or masterful curries so hot you’ll walk away feeling like you’ve just been punched in the face. In a nice way. WHERE? 43A [...]
Want more excitement in your food? Here are London’s most fun desserts January 27, 2017 Fire baked cookie at Temper Temper is Soho's basement playground dedicated to meat, smoke and tacos with plenty of global flavours and few boundaries. It's pretty impossible not to have a good time here, particularly if you end your meal with a dish of 'baked cookie' which doesn't give a huge amount away, so let [...]
Best Burns Night suppers in London: from the City to Mayfair, we find the best haggis, neeps and tatties January 25, 2017 Seven of the best Burns Night suppers: Don’t miss out on the most Scottish night of the year, with haggis and whisky aplenty at these top restaurants. 1 Lombard Street You can celebrate the life and times of Rabbie Burns right in the heart of the city with an extra special night at 1 Lombard [...]
Black Roe review: A masterclass in Hawaiian poke January 24, 2017 Hey, have you heard about the cool new thing? It’s poke, man, Hawaiian raw fish cubes in a spicy salsa marinade atop a sticky short-grain rice clod. Think ceviche meets sushi by way of bibimbap. You can hardly move for people eating the stuff, elbows jutted out, a bowl in each hand, frantically scooping it [...]
Time to reconsider lunch? Experts have found chips can give you cancer January 23, 2017 First it was toast, now health experts have said well-cooked chips and other starchy foods could put you at risk of developing cancer. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued a warning against a chemical called acrylamide, which is often created when foods such as potatoes, bread and root vegetables are cooked for too long [...]
Restaurant review: Luca is the Italian nobody expected from The Clove Club’s Isaac McHale January 18, 2017 Isaac McHale was such a rebellious Young Turk that while he was still cheffing at the Ledbury, he ran a series of pop-ups under the name The Young Turks. He and James Lowe – then the head chef at St John Bread and Wine – would serve up whatever they damn-well pleased, in venues not [...]
Working Lunch review: Gunpowder, E1: This humble Indian cubby-hole in Spitalfields is sure to gain a cult following January 17, 2017 Gunpowder 11 White’s Row, E1 WHAT? A home-style Indian restaurant packing a cubby-hole on the cusp of the City out with big, bold, colourful flavours. WHERE? Squeezed next to a building site between Spitalfields and Brick Lane. The name refers to the area’s former use as an Old Artillery Ground. Expect stripped walls and nudey [...]
Our resident chef Mark Hix on why it’s about time rhubarb overcame the bad reputation your mother left it with January 17, 2017 Some consider rhubarb the devil’s fruit. Well, allow me to correct you: it’s actually a vegetable, and the only reason you don’t like it is because your mother doesn’t know how to cook. We grew up in a lost generation of terrible rhubarb crumbles that never used enough sugar to balance the sharpness. I’ve grown [...]
Look away now – these are dirtiest places to eat in the City January 13, 2017 A boozy lunch (or a quick coffee) is a time-worn City tradition – but if you want to end up back at work afterwards, read on… Data from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) reveals the dirtiest places to eat in the City – and for some regular lunch spots, it doesn’t look good. Using the [...]