Tag Archives: reviews

The Bell & Brisket Kitchen Takeover at The Barley Mow, Shoreditch

I’ve known Bel Shapiro – owner of The Bell & Brisket – for a number of years now and have been a fan of her “seriously pimped up salt beef bagels” all the while. I’ve also very much admired how she’s resisted any trendy urges to “go burger” along with the hipster tide and rather has looked to more local gourmand traditions to come up with something yummy that’s no less “street” and certainly just as zeitgeist-y as any other London grub you’re apt to sink your teeth into. Continue reading

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Good Stuff #46

Good stuff and lots of it! Here’s the low down on some fine things to see, sip or savour – all of which I’ve recently come across and thought were worth sharing with you. Enjoy. Lazy Arm With its 700mm … Continue reading

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Waffle On at The Watch House

Waffle On at The Watch House is an evening kitchen takeover that, as far as I know, is an indefinite collaboration. Still, I’d recommend heading over ASAP because Waffle On’s buttermilk waffles are delish and The Watch House is comfortably cosy café whether you’re craving waffles or not. Continue reading

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Piled High and Fantastically Assembled Sarnies: Cafe Mish, Shepherd Market

I can’t claim to live in Mayfair, but any given week sees me passing through there multiple times. So a new (and good!) place to eat that doesn’t require making a reservation, refinancing my mortgage, or wearing fancy clothes is a most welcome addition. Continue reading

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One Sixty – City: “US Style” Smokehouse and Bar

After epic success with its original restaurant in West Hampstead (I’ve never been but have heard great things), the team behind One Sixty have opened a sister site roughly equidistant to Liverpool Street and Aldgate Tube stations. Meathead carnivores and folks in the area who like a strong drink: start salivating now if you haven’t already dabbled in the excesses on offer. Continue reading

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Theatre Review: Sunny Afternoon, Based on the Music by The Kinks

Winner of the 2015 Olivier Award for Best New Musical, Sunny Afternoon tales the story of London’s best sounding rock ‘n roll catastrophe, The Kinks, and follows the band from its formation in Muswell Hill between brothers Ray and Dave Davies through the many ups and downs on their way to international stardom Continue reading

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Grillstock London: A Walthamstow Hillbilly’s Homecoming?

So, I was all sorts of messed up this weekend. Not because of the beer (although I had access to copious amounts of it). Or the whiskey (similarly ample volumes were at my disposal). Or the meat (there were mounds of epic proportion). But because, as a judge at the Grillstock BBQ festival in Walthamstow, wave after wave of out-of-context familiarity kept slapping me silly with wafts of hickory smoke, the lilting plink of a banjo here and there, and the sight of thousands of folks come together to celebrate their love of slow and low cooked meat. Continue reading

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Squid Kitchen Brings Madrid Street Market Style to The King & Co, Clapham

Continuing with its pop-up approach to pub grubbing, The King & Co in Clapham has opened its kitchen to Madrileño style street food vendors, Squid Kitchen. A match made in heaven? It is if crisp craft beer coupled with cones overflowing with calamari sounds like you kind of fiesta. I loved my nosh through the recent launch party and am happy to gloat … erm … share the highlights of that occasion with you. Continue reading

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Donostia Social Club at Pop Brixton

I’ve snooped round container village Pop Brixton a few times now since it opened back in the spring. I like the vibe. I love the food there too – especially what’s being cooked up at street food trader Donastia Social Club’s first permanent pintxos bar loftily situated on the top level and near the entrance. Continue reading

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The Pinkertons: New Period Crime Drama Set in America’s Wild West

A new UKTV period crime drama called The Pinkertons, based on the story of a real life crime fighting agency of the same name, is scheduled to premiere Sunday 30 August at 8pm. I had the pleasure of catching a sneak preview of the show’s first episode and I reckon it has what it takes to captivate an audience keen for rootin’ tootin’ shoot ‘em up crime-fighting action tempered with historical accuracy, laced with strong plot lines, and loaded with mystery. Continue reading

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Classic Old School Italian Night Out at Getti, Jermyn Street

Hey, I’m all for innovation and for people attempting to wow my palate in new and different ways. Indeed, that’s what’s made writing about the London dining scene such a killer gig over these past several years. But – and it’s a big ole booty butt – if something ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And in the case of Jermyn Street’s mainstay trattoria, Getti, everything seemed A-Okay and in delicious working order during my recent visit. Continue reading

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Ninth Ward, New Orleans Style Bar in Clerkenwell

Ninth Ward is a New Orleans style restaurant and bar that opened several weeks back near Farringdon Station (there’s a more established sister restaurant in New York as well). It’s a good place to consider for your next Clerkenwell drinking session with a menu of bar snacks and American fixings to abate any appetite. Continue reading

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Vinothec Compass: A Stroke of Food and Wine Genius in North Greenwich

Realising that one of the better meals served to me this year and the best wine list I’ve come across in London in quite a long while both happened to be on offer at a new golf range in North Greenwich really threw me for a loop. But hey, I’m apt to take a swing at virtually any possibility if there’s the promise of great food and drink. Accepting an invitation to what seemed like a long shot – an evening of “Terroir and Turf” at Vinotech Compass at Peninsular Golf Range – turned out to be an ace culinary experience that’s easy to recommend and one that I hope to repeat soon. Continue reading

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Tapas Revolution, Shoreditch

Opened back in the spring, Chef Omar Allibhoy’s Tapas Revolution in Shoreditch seems to have settled in nicely to its Bethnal Green Road digs. I had a lovely time recently, sampling a range of tapas over a couple of drinks at the restaurant’s gorgeous centrepiece copper-topped bar. Continue reading

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Running From Greenbaum: Andy Hollingworth Portraits at Snap Galleries

Two decades worth of photographer Andy Hollingworth’s portraits of comedians are on view now at Snap Galleries just off the Piccadilly. The show, Running from Greenbaum runs until mid September. Pop our head in for a looksee that’s sure to … Continue reading

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The Fire Station Hots up Waterloo Once Again

After a year long refurb, The Fire Station near Waterloo Station has reopened with a new look and menu. I tagged along to the relaunch last month and liked what I saw and what I tasted. Continue reading

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Ask for Janice

This casual bar and restaurant is a welcome addition to the cluster of food and drink options around Smithfield Market. I loved sipping my Beast of Bourbon cocktail (Woodford Reserve, sweet vermouth, crème de mure, £9). The stout salt squid (£8) was pretty yummy too as was most everything else I nibbled. I wasn’t too sure about my grenadine-y seasonal pickles (£3) though. Continue reading

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Whaam! Win Free Banh Mi for a Week | Get a Free Americano with Purchase of Sandwich

About two months ago, I had the pleasure of reviewing Vietnamese style sandwich shop, Whaam Banh Mi, near Piccadilly Circus. Now, I’m teeming up with this friendly little Soho eatery to offer one reader a week’s worth of banh mi for free and the opportunity for everybody to get a free cup of coffee over the next week. Continue reading

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Movie Review: Pressure

What happens when four deep sea saturation divers get stranded 650ft below the surface of the Indian Ocean after disaster strikes their ship? Pinewood Pictures’ suspenseful new feature length thriller, Pressure, ponders just that. Continue reading

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Potbelly Brings Chicago-Style Made-to-Order Sandwiches to Westfield Stratford City

Truly impressed and way more excited than I expected to be, I’m dying to go back – on an empty stomach – to devour more. Continue reading

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Richard Long: Time and Space at Arnolfini, Bristol

Time and Space, a major new exhibition of work by Richard Long, opens today at the Arnolfini Centre for Contemporary Arts in Bristol. As part of city’s celebration as 2015 European Green Capital, the show features new works and recreations of previous ones by the Bristol-born artist who still calls Bristol his home, as well as a new offsite work located on The Downs near the house where he lived as a child. Continue reading

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Brighton Bound? Bincho Yakitori for Japanese Grilled Greatness Near the Beach

Yep, the same Bincho that used to grace London’s foodie havens of Soho and Clerkenwell with its simple menu of mostly grilled meats made all the more moreish by a Japanese approach to flavour, style and service is now pleasing palates in cozy little Brighton nook only a few blocks up from the beach. Too bad so sad London, Brighton’s got ya beat this time around. I paid an early evening weekday visit a week or so ago, and had a delightful time sampling my way through the menu – at a fraction of the cost such a exploratory dabble of a meal would set me back here in London. A flight of sake to start things off (the list of Japanese drinks was impressive), followed by a pint of Super Dry Asahi and I was ready for a parade of izakaya hits. Continue reading

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Twelfth Night | Pell Mell Theatre Company | The Space Theatre, Canary Wharf

Set in Victorian music hall, The Space, and staged with a dark edge and an ‘under the big top’ look and feel, the Pell Mell Theatre Company’s production of Shakespeare’s tale of love, subterfuge and mistaken identity is mesmerising to watch with a strong ensemble of actors. Continue reading

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Camino Tapas Bar Carves a Path to a New Bankside Location

Furthering restaurateur Richard Bigg’s vision of casual Spanish dining in Britain, Camino Bankside offers Londoners more opportunity to enjoy Executive Chef Nacho Del Campo’s smart menu of tapas, sharing platters and more in a stylish setting with plenty of outdoor seating. Continue reading

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Ian Francis | The Chosen Form of Your Destroyer | Lazarides Rathbone

With each piece appearing to vibrate off the canvas with moody apprehension, Bristol-based artist Ian Francis’ exhibition of new mixed media works at Lazarides Rathbone (his third at the gallery) suggests that nightmares can be beautiful too. Continue reading

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Nothing Jarring about a Relaxing Dinner at Drury Lane’s Jar Kitchen

A member of the Sustainable Restaurant Association, Jar Kitchen’s menu features plenty of British fare (all meat sourced from Walter Rose & Son butchers in Wiltshire) with a contemporary European twist along with tasty items presumably picked up just round the restaurant’s Seven Dials corner (chiefly Monmouth Coffee and Neal’s Yard Dairy). And – from what I could ascertain at a recent tasting event – I it’s all in good hands with Chef Dominik Moldenhauer (ex-Heston Blumenthal’s Dinner). Continue reading

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Pizza Union, Pentonville Road, King’s Cross

I’m not sure which I love more: a great pizza or a great bargain. But if I can get ‘em both in one go at a convenient and actually rather stylish setting then I reckon that’s a big tasty win that warrants a shout out! Already a fan of the original restaurant in Spitalfields, I am so pleased to share the good news that Pizza Union has opened a second location on Pentonville Road near King’s Cross St Pancras station. Continue reading

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Movie Review: The Human Centipede 3 (Final Sequence)

Human Centipede 3 is blood-splattered joke. But it’s a joke that had me giggling and guffawing plenty … when I wasn’t squirming in my seat during scenes of excessive gore. I had a blast watching this movie, was chuckling about it the rest of the day, and was impressed by the sheer audacity required to create such a piece of cinema. Continue reading

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Review: The Motherf**ker with the Hat, National Theatre

American playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis’ award-winning and 100% N-Y-motherf**king-C story of fidelity fraught with fatigue and compulsion proved a hit in the city where it’s set when it premiered on Broadway in 2011. Now the show has crossed the proverbial pond with the promise of wowing London theatregoers from now to the end of August. Continue reading

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Lunch at Bunnychow

Bunnychow is a laidback sort of eatery with a no worries/no pretences vibe to it and where the star of the show is the filling and flavoursome food. Situated on Wardour Street in Soho (nearer the Shaftesbury Avenue end than the Oxford Street side), it’s a smart choice for an affordable quick bite … and if you like a bit of heat with your food, you’ll love bunnychow’s hot sauce (I sure did). Continue reading

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UK Premiere of Roxanne by Paul Frankl

Shot in 35mm and on location in Soho, the film follows the relationship of transgender sex worker (played cool and convincing by Miss Cairo) and motherless 12 year-old Lily (spectacularly portrayed by Thea Lamb). It’s an ‘unlikely friendship’ kinda flick – not too dissimilar in theme to, say, About a Boy except the ‘boy’ in Roxanne is a girl and the ‘Hugh Grant’ character is Miss Cairo. Continue reading

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Untold Theatre Premieres Second Production: The Scar Test

Not only touched by the performance I caught of The Scar Test and glad for the chance to see such compelling live theatre, I am more informed about the plight of refugees seeking safe haven in the UK and more aware of how poorly too many of these individuals are treated. Continue reading

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Dining at the Renewed Aqua Nueva

It had been some while (like a couple of years) since I had last dined at Aqua Nueva, but I still held strong memories of how much I enjoyed my meal when I recently accepted an invitation to return for a visit after the soft launch of this Spanish restaurant that’s just reopened after a long hiatus for refurbishment. Continue reading

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Brunch at Blueprint Café

When the sun is out, a table at Blueprint Café overlooking the Thames is a glorious spot to enjoy a meal. And it’s been my experience that the café’s Head Chef Martyn Moody’s meals are definitely enjoyable. His new Saturday brunch menu is a guaranteed weekend delight. As for the weather, there are no guarantees, but the crisp blue skied Saturday I paid a visit was gorgeous. Continue reading

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