Restaurant Reviews

12 St. George Street, London W1S 2FB

What was once Humo has been reinvented as Igni, another fire-led restaurant this time with executive chef Theo Clench (ex-Cycene) running the show. Up at the counter is the place to be (if you can stand the heat) for a front-row seat watching the dishes come together. It’s a tasting-menu-only affair offering plenty of culinary fireworks (literally and figuratively).

55 Curzon St, London W1J 8PG

After the closure of Koyn, restaurateur Samyukta Nair was looking for somewhere to bring back one element of that, Koyn Thai. She found it in one of her other restaurants by taking over the ground floor of MiMi Mei Fair. It's a fire-led, Thai menu with chef Soonthorn Apaipat serving up dishes that you might remember from Koyn Thai along with new creations inspired by the restaurant's new digs like the Panang duck curry.

13 Hanover St, London W1S 1NE

Making a dent in London's Indian fine dining scene takes skill, but luckily the team behind this Dubai-origin restaurant have a secret weapon in chef Himanshu Saini. His dishes are super creative, so you might find a gorgonzola tortellini on a smoked chicken makhana sauce or an amuse bouche of artichoke shawarma. Whatever you do, make sure your table gets a visit from the chaat trolley. There's also a standalone bar downstairs doing very creative cocktails inspired by India’s regional drinking traditions.

71 Nile St, London N1 7RD

We've seen a lot of restaurants pivot from their original offering to find creative new grounds and Appalachia is one of them. The former Counter 71 space is now a fire-led American restaurant. It's still an all-counter experience, but the menu now draws inspiration from Appalachia and is executed by an ex-Smoking Goat chef. In practice, that means rock oysters come with scotch bonnet and the grilled poussin is accompanied by southern-style grits.