The Capitalist: US tipping and doggy bags infest London restaurants Opinion The scourge of US tipping culture, a Pitbull lookalike competition and the world's longest tiramisu; catch up on the latest London shenanigans.
Old school glamour returns to The Langham with Sale e Pepe Mare Life&Style From champagne trolleys to tableside theatre, Sale e Pepe Mare at The Langham shows hotel restaurants can be fun and fabulous.
Victor Garvey’s mad new MATER1A concept is a Willy Wonka-esque theatre of gastronomy Life&Style MATER1A, 115 Westbourne Grove, W2 4UP | ★★★★★ | Cuisine: Japanese, fine dining, tasting menu A benefit of having written restaurant reviews for 15 years is that you begin to see the overarching warp and weft of the business, the trends that slowly emerge and dissipate, the way hospitality gradually evolves, holding up a mirror [...]
Khao Bird: Top Thai restaurant takes over Soho’s last dirty cinema February 10, 2026 What could be a greater sign of the times than a hip pop-up restaurant opening on the site of Soho’s last adult cinema? It’s over! Soho’s dead! First they closed the late night drinking dens and then they pushed out the brothels and now there’s nowhere to watch grubby movies. The final remnants of seedy [...]
£90 for breakfast? We review London’s first Michelin-starred breakfast tasting menu January 15, 2026 Pavyllon has unveiled London’s first Michelin-starred tasting breakfast. Is it a novelty, or a reflection of a changing fine dining market?
Turtle Bay: Founder criticises ‘unhelpful’ Reeves’ tax raid after huge loss January 13, 2026 Caribbean restaurant and bar chain Turtle Bay has hit out at the “unhelpful” Labour government whose tax “raid” contributed to it slumping into the red. The Bristol-headquartered business, which was set up in 2010 by Ajith Jaya-Wickrema and Stephen Entwistle, cited Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ increase in employers’ National Insurance as a reason for it falling to [...]
Loungers creates 900 jobs as major expansion plans continue January 12, 2026 Cafe-bar and restaurant chain Loungers created more than 900 jobs in the year it quit the London Stock Exchange’s AIM, it has been revealed. The Bristol-headquartered business delisted in February last year after being acquired by Fortress Investment Group for £338m. The Cosy Club and Brightside owner was founded in 2002 by Alex Reilley, David Reid [...]
Eating Dave’s Hot Chicken Reaper Tenders – the best of 2025 December 19, 2025 As Dave’s Hot Chicken opens its second branch in Croydon, we revisit this feature in which magazine editor Steve Dinneen attempts to break a UK record for eating the world’s hottest chicken tenders… It did not end well. I feel lightheaded, short of breath and the room has started to spin. Intense waves of heat radiate [...]
Where chefs eat: the best meals we had in 2025 December 17, 2025 Despite economic headwinds so strong you could forgive most chefs for simply packing up their kitchens and going home, 2025 has been another vintage year for London restaurants. But which ones have made the biggest impression? We asked some of the best chefs in the land which meal they enjoyed the most. Stevie Parle, chef-founder [...]
Jamie Oliver ‘cutting jobs’ ahead of restaurant chain’s return December 12, 2025 A part of Jamie Oliver’s business empire has cut a firth of its workforce, according to reports, as the celebrity chef plans a return to the high street next year. Jamie Oliver Group has shed 25 of its 126 employees through a redundancy round, Sky News has reported. City AM has contacted the group for [...]