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Dirty Burger: worth its salt
Trashy as hell. Tasty as heaven.I haven't taken a picture of the outside of Dirty Burger. It has to be seen to be believed, and it's very important that you don't quite believe in Dirty Burger. The...
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The Chicken Shop: breast chicken in london
No jokes, just brilliant.So there’s a newish trend among good restaurants of offering only three or four main courses. They’ve all decided we don’t need choice, we need to be spoonfed (not literally...
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Big Apple Hot Dogs: best in show
Fantastical and phallicI hate hotdogs. I hate those tinned rubber tubes Princes make; I hate the slimey onion-covered meat-smash travesties you get at fairs; I hate currywurst (it's just a sausage with...
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Franco Manca: doughn't knock it
Best pizzas? No. Worst wine? Hell yes.Isn't hype a wonderful thing? Well, it depends what side of the line you're on. Franco Manca is on the right side, so much so the line is a dot. It serves the...
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Counter Cafe: a taste of east London
Bizarre but kind of brilliantSuch was the sudden acceleration of the Olympic Park that the rest of east London hasn't even left the starting blocks. I loved the Olympics, but it's a little disturbing...
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2012: when things got gloriously sloppy
"Don’t be fooled into thinking this fast food revolution is frivolous and doomed."Sorry Made in Camden. It wasn't your year...I read an interesting article today by my beloved Jay Rayner, who talks...
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Bodean's: made a pig's ear of it
Not my favourite mistakeI didn't mean to go to Bodean's. It's not the kind of thing you plan to do, especially when you know damn well that Pitt Cue is barely 3 minutes walk away. But it's where my...
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Dishoom: brilliant burger joint. Wait. What?
Brilliantly tasty, cunningly deceitfulMy first impression of Bombay cafe Dishoom was not a good one. Nor was my first impression of the man huddled in the doorway with a can of "premium" strength...
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Breakfast Club Hoxton: no fasting here
Clear thinking for cloudy headsBreakfast on a hangover is like water in the desert. It doesn't really matter what it tastes like, just that it's there. So to my mind, opening a restaurant that serves...
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Mishkins: new deli?
Good food, better placeThe tagline for Mishkins is "A kind of Jewish deli". To me, this was confusing. As I looked at the pictures I wondered: where are the glass counters? Where are the glass jars...
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Dean Street Townhouse: a good PG tip
Bring back the Afternoon Tea!There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea - Henry James (The Portrait of a Lady)Twee is not a word I...
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Lahore Kebab House: skewered
God help me, go to Tayyabs.There are now more Indian takeaways in London than there are in Delhi. Hundreds more in fact. I doubt they have more fish and chip shops than us, but that's their loss and...
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Tonkotsu: my new stock answer
Best ramen in London.I remember the first time I ever had a ramen. I'll whisper it: it was at Wagamama. I remember too many noodles, too many veggies that looked like noodles and a weird pink and white...
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Bibimbap: DIY dinner
Big on flavour, but order big.In several ways it's pretty tough to critique Bibimbap. For a start, I have never had a bi bim bap with which to compare my meal. I was also only actually in the...
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Ed's diner: the 50s reheated
Great Scott those waffles are heavy!So having been politely shunted out of Bi Bim Bap (see previous) still hungry, my partner in foodie crime saw only one option: dessert. Being dry/dull January, we...
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Salt Yard: brilliance on tap(as)
The best tapas in London.Tapas is like Gangnam style. All around the world people are doing it, but no one's doing it well. It's usually the tricky leg movements that lead most people to end up doing a...
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MEATmission: Holy Hell
Same burger, but you've gone to a better place.If there's one thing sure to give you a 4pm energy crash at the office it's drinking a pint of 5% Sierra Nevada and demolishing a chilli-topped burger...
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Dawaat: lacking spice...
...and less atmosphere than in space.There are two kinds of hotel restaurant. First there's the Berkley, the Dorchester or Claridge's – what lazy PRs would call "destination restaurants". To extract...
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Shoryu: the Katie Price of tonkotsu...
...buns are all it has going for it.Ramen in Soho!? Again!? I've given up burgers for %$£@&!? ramen. It's still just stock with stuff sloshed in it. Even if you add black garlic, a marinated fried...
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Olives & Figs: top chop
Great Turkish BYOB with beautiful lamb chops.I'm not wild about Mediterranean food. I find it picky and slow. It's designed for hot climates, when you're never really hungry because of the heat and the...
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