Test Drive

• Test Driving Mary's - Jason Atherton's Pollen Street grill revamp

  

  Part of Jason Atherton's very busy 2024 has been replacing Pollen Street Social with Mary's, a much more laid-back grill restaurant. We went down to check out all the changes. 

• Test Driving Leydi - Selin Kiazim's new modern Turkish restaurant in the City

  

  Selin Kiazim (previously behind Oklava) returns to the London restaurant scene with a large Turkish restaurant right in the heart of the City. We went down for a first look at Leydi.

• Test Driving Lolo - José Pizarro continues his takeover of Bermondsey Street with this all-day diner

  

  Next door to José and down the road from Pizarro is where you'll find José Pizarro's latest Bermondsey restaurant, Lolo. We went to see what this new all day spot has to offer. 

• Test Driving Kolamba East - the Sri Lanka restaurant comes to the City

  

  Five years after opening in Soho, Kolamba have gone east for their second restaurant, bringing Sri Lankan food to the City. We went down to try Kolamba East.  

• Test Driving Stem + Stem - a triple threat in the City of wine bar, restaurant and florist

  

  With an experienced team behind it, this florist, wine bar and restaurant in the heart of the City is offering something fresh and new to Londoners. We went to check out Stem + Stem by Mansion House. 

• Test of time - Lyle's in Shoreditch turns 10 and still has the wow factor

  

  Lyle's in Shoreditch is celebrating its 10th birthday, which gave us the perfect excuse for a return visit to see how this brilliant British restaurant was faring.

• Test Driving Marceline - a floating French brasserie in Canary Wharf

  

  A huge French brasserie has arrived in Canary Wharf's Wood Wharf, floating in the water beside Hawksmoor. We went in to try some classic French fare. 

• Test Driving Cornus - a sophisticated second album from the Medlar team

  

  New rooftop restaurant Cornus is the first opening in over a decade from the team who brought us Medlar. We took a trip to Belgravia to check it out.

• Test Driving Whyte's - Hackney meets San Sebastian for a Basque takeover

  

  Whyte's in Hackney completely changes its menu every month and has gone Basque for August. We haven't been to San Sebastian in way too long, so we couldn't resist a trip to Hackney for a taste of northern Spain. 

• Bar crawl: taking to the terrace at Bar Antoine on Park Lane

  

  We didn't want to gatekeep this bar terrace just off Park Lane, so here's what we thought of Bar Antoine's Twilight Terrace. 

• Test Driving Goodbye Horses - a groundbreaking new wine bar in Islington

  

  An old pub in Islington has been transformed into something really rather special. We popped along to new wine bar Goodbye Horses to check it out.

• Test Driving The Waterman's Arms - excellent riverside dining in Barnes

  

  The Waterman's Arms is a riverside pub in Barnes with an excellent team behind it. We went for a lunch overlooking the Thames to try it out.  

• Test Driving Chalk restaurant at Wiston Estate - where everything from the produce to the wine is local

  

  On one of the largest pieces of family-owned land near the south coast, Wiston Estate has an extensive winery and a great restaurant in Chalk, which specialises in local Sussex produce. We took the train down for a day trip. 

• Test Driving Ibai - a stellar Basque steakhouse in the City

  

  Brilliant Basque food and great steaks a few minutes walk from Smithfield Market make Ibai worth crossing town for.

• Test Driving Ukiyo - hand rolls, sushi and sake on tap in Covent Garden

  

  Covent Garden gets a very useful little sushi spot with the opening of Japanese hand roll bar Ukiyo in The Yards.