Restaurants

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Throughout the past five years or so, high-rise dining has become increasingly popular within the city. And it’s certainly unsurprising given the erection of so many monolithic new landmarks now piercing the sky, and towering over the iconic structures of yesteryear enticing with their Metropolis 21st century constructions, lifts (not elevators) that seem as though installed by NASA, and most of all: the sweeping panoramic views across our fair city. With many of these such...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food London is widely regarded as one of the world’s most exceptional cities for food, with just about everything any hungry foodie could ever crave all available within less than an hour’s tube ride, give or take. And, aside from British food, it’s no secret that some of the most popular international cuisines among city dwellers are Asian. Both Chinese and Indian are often named favourites, so here’s the question: with all the great Chinese...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Artisan bakeries, cake shops, and patisseries (mainly in gentrified East London) have certainly witnessed a boom in popularity in recent years. Something that’s peculiar given that now, more than ever, we’re constantly encouraged to limit our sugar intake, thus becoming more health conscious than ever. One establishment that has grown to receive particularly positive acclaim in recent years, however, is Cutter & Squidge – having opened their first permanent residence at the tail end...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food With plenty of exciting restaurant openings constantly taking place across the Capital, here’s our pick of the best new restaurants arriving in London over the coming month. Patty & Bun – Soho Since initially setting up as a pop-up restaurant, Patty & Bun have become renowned for producing some of London’s finest burgers. And with three permanent sites already open across London, as well as a popular street food van, the team are currently gearing up to open...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Just over a year ago, Martin Williams formerly of of Gaucho, opened his first solo venture ‘M’ within the heart of the city’s square mile on Threadneedle Street. Split into two concepts, both M Grill and M Raw, the single dining space offered two menus for diners to choose from, while a bar upstairs was on hand to provide drinks for the legions of city slickers that would pour into the restaurant after hours....

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food With each passing year, it’s always commonplace for the world of foodies, bloggers and critics to cast their presumptuous predictions for food and restaurant trends to bloom and flourish across the next 12 months. One of those trends that’s been prominent with forecasts for 2016 is the rising popularity of Middle-Eastern food in London. Throughout last year a number of restaurants with this particular focus opened their doors to wide acclaim, including The Palomar...

By Mark Turnbull  The Florence Gastropub in Herne Hill is a great place for diners and drinkers alike to visit. Owned by the well-regarded Metropolitan Pub Company, its website suggests that “The Flo” is great for its craft beers. It is, but tonight we were as interested in its food. Serving a wide range of classic and mouth-watering dishes with a modern twist, those with a passion for beautiful tasty food will find so many deliciously tempting plates to ruminate...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Thank God It’s Not Friday. As the sun sets on Friday evening, Leicester Square inevitably turns into the closest thing that the city has to hell. It’s certainly not helped by the fact that the local Wetherspoon’s is famously one of the very few places so close to the centre where a pint of lager can be bought for less than £5, thus inviting the world and his wife to descend upon the pub...

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food When Italian Chef Francesco Mazzei’s famous city restaurant L’Anima was at its initial peak, I was a young teenager, still in school. And like most Brits from a working class background, at that time I was shamefully unadventurous when it came to food, and thus did not – quite sadly – manage to experience the Chef’s cooking at the pinnacle of his acclaim. Eight years on, however, things have changed and Mazzei has recently...