Restaurants

Following an extensive, six-year refurbishment, L’Oscar opened last year, taking over the former Baptist Church Headquarters. Built in 1903, the Grade II-listed venue closed its doors to parishioners during the 1960s after its congregation dwindled. The building has since been returned to its former glory, however, re-opened as a boutique hotel last year, designed by French architect and interior designer Jacques Garcia, also behind the likes of Hôtel Costes in Paris and La Mamounia in Marrakesh. Set over seven floors,...

High-end Indian restaurants are a particular specialty of London’s electrifying restaurant scene, with so many noteworthy venues and chefs showcasing their own interpretation of Indian fine dining. When badgered for recommendations on the subject I’m constantly spoiled for choice, with such an extensive list of must-visits: Benares, Gymkhana, Kutir, Indian Accent, Jamavar, and most recently – Tamarind of Mayfair.  First opened in 1995, Tamarind was the joint-first Indian restaurant in the UK to gain a Michelin star back in 2001,...

By Jay Williams My dinner companion fancies himself something of an interiors aficionado and insists on categorising any space as soon as he’s in it.  Within seconds of being shown to our booth, he’s off.  “It’s sort of Noughties Vegas Retro,” he decided.  “Um, is that a thing?”  I asked.  “Well,” he considered.  “It’s the sort of place you’d go to have it large when Floyd Mayweather was fighting.  Proper fights, I mean.”  Indeed. STK London opened about six years...

Home SW15 in Putney has been named the best Best Local Restaurant in London at the Good Food Guide’s prestigious awards – just a year after the South West London restaurant launched. The accolade is particularly noteworthy for Home SW15’s owners, Craig Gordon and Head Chef Freddie Fallon, since London’s vibrant restaurant marketplace is especially competitive. Craig and Freddie attribute this early success to their focus on hospitality, friendliness and great food and drink. Along with Bar Supremo Fredi Viaud...

Rewind 10 years ago and London was a barren land for vegan food. It was nigh on impossible to satiate the taste-buds of plant-powered diners, with options lacking any sort of imagination or flavour. Fast forward to 2019 and things have take a rapid turn; the capital has spawned a mind-boggling number of plant-based restaurants and street food outlets. Veganism has become overwhelmingly accessible: it’s gone from lacklustre bowls of pasta to innovative meat-free products. And the lifestyle change is...

With plenty of exciting launches constantly taking place across the Capital, we pick London’s best new restaurant openings taking place over the coming month. Bun House – Chinatown  Following the success of its Soho restaurant, Bun House will open a new, larger space in the heart of London’s Chinatown. The new 72-cover restaurant will have a continued focus on Cantonese steamed buns, with two brand new menu additions: beef brisket, and a brioche-style pineapple bun. Revered menu highlights from the...

Paddington is not a dining destination. Despite some regeneration, the station and its immediate surroundings is still best known for a clutch of hostile pubs and an anthropomorphised bear with a hankering for marmalade, as far as gastronomic prowess is concerned. Nearby Bayswater, on the other hand, has always been a reliable alternative with its platoon of Chinese restaurants. Over the past decade, a number of commendable restaurants have opened near Paddington station, with The Cleveland Arms perhaps the most...

At the tail-end of last year, Joshua Owens-Baigler – having previously worked at The River Café - announced plans to open Angelina in Dalston. With Roman chef Daniele Celforo heading up the kitchen, the restaurant serves a regularly changing tasting menu which fuses Italian and Japanese influences. Angelina is not a fusion restaurant, however. The ‘F’ word suggests the gastronomic equivalent of a Jack of all trades, combining outlandish flavours without any feasible reason; often with little respect (if any)...

2017 was an exceptional year for restaurant openings in London: Claude Bosi took the helm at Bibendum, Gordon Ramsay’s alumni Clare Smyth decided to go it alone with her first solo venture Core, and husband and wife team, Monica and David Galetti, opened their first restaurant together, Mere. After earning her stripes working in Le Gavroche for 12 years, rising to senior sous chef, then head chef at Le Gavroche des tropiques in Mauritius, coupled with her recurring stint as a...