Test Drives

Marylebone has a new sushi spot that wouldn't look out of place in the heart of Mayfair. But it turns out that Aki London is more than just a looker.

Inspired by a street stall run by "The Lunch Lady", who shot to fame thanks to Anthony Bourdain, the London outpost of this Vietnamese restaurant has arrived in Covent Garden. We went down to try it out. 

For his Town follow-up, Stevie Parle lets Lita's Luke Ahearne take the lead in new "London Italian" Motorino. We went to Fitzrovia to take a first look. 

Carbone has landed in London with a bang, immediately becoming the hottest restaurant in town. But what's it actually like to dine there? We went in to find out. 

Could popular Peckham restaurant group Kudu Collective maintain their neighbourhood vibes in the move to buzzy Marylebone? We popped in for a weekend lunch to find out.

Fleeing the colder weather in London, we made a late summer visit to Corfu to check out The Mar-Bella Collection's adult-only suites hotel. If you fancy getting some last-minute sun too, here's what to expect... 

Expect low intervention wines and interesting crudos at this new Fitzrovia opening Tiny Wine.

Alta sees a talented chef putting together an extremely strong menu of Northern-Spanish-inspired food, inspired by working in kitchens in the region. It all left us extremely impressed.

Live-fire restaurant Nela is the first restaurant to open in the big new Bayswater development, The Whiteley. We went down to check out a restaurant that wouldn't look out of place in the middle of Mayfair.

Bringing a taste of Chaosan to London's Bloomsbury, Teo Hotpot turns out to be a hotpot restaurant that's all about the quality from its British grass-fed beef to clear broths.

Classic French restaurant (and patisserie) Richoux has returned to London. This Fitzrovia restaurant is just the beginning, so we went down to see just what the modern version of Richoux has to offer. 

The London Pachamama Group has just unveiled its latest restaurant to make the switch to a Mediterranean menu. We went to Shoreditch to check out Lagana. 

Mayfair's key seafood spots have a new rival in Lilibet's, a glamorous arrival from an experienced restaurateur that sets great store by its old school approach to hospitality. 

A trio of creative folk from Lima have landed in London with their evolution of Nikkei food. We headed on over to Notting Hill to see what Fan was all about.

Campanelle sees the team behind Canto Corvino and Manicomio heading into the City with a classic Italian menu inside a Grade II listed building. We went to check it out.

Legado is the new Shoreditch restaurant from Michelin-starred chef Nieves Barragán that travels the length and breadth of Spain for inspiration. We went to see if this was a sequel worth booking a table at.

Carmela's brings the New York-style pizza craze to Islington, and it happens to be run by a team who are very into their pizzas. We went down to try them out. 

When historic food store Fortnum & Mason opened their Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon in Piccadilly, they also introduced a savoury afternoon tea for the first time. We went down to see how it compares with the traditional version.