Test Drives

One of the most glamorous arrivals on the Covent Garden dining scene is Stevie Parle's Town. We went to try both its bar and restaurant. 

Taking over the old Trader Vic's spot downstairs at the Hilton on Park Lane is a shiny new steakhouse Mr Porter. We descended the spiral staircase to check it out.

Looking like it's been a part of the Marylebone dining scene for years rather than freshly opened, Claude Bosi's new Parisian-style brasserie turns out to hit all the right notes. 

For their third restaurant, Bubala bring their vegetarian take on Middle Eastern cuisine to King's Cross for the biggest Bubala yet. We went to check it out.

Jason Atherton's new flagship restaurant is Row on 5 on Savile Row, which earned a Michelin star in almost record time. We went in to try it out and left thinking a second star seems all but inevitable. 

Bright, welcoming and with a food menu that makes you want to order everything - the arrival of The Kerfield Arms in Camberwell turns out to be very good news for locals. 

A dream restaurant team are trying to bring a bit of NYC energy to Shoreditch. We booked a table for dinner to see if they'd succeeded.

Tom Brown has returned to the dining room where he got his first big break in London. With his name now on the door, we went to Knightsbridge to see what the chef was cooking up. 

An extremely talented duo are behind Tasca, the first, year-long residency to take over the kitchen at new Bethnal Green bar Cav. We went down to be wowed by the food and drink on offer there.

Perilla is getting close to being on Newington Green for a decade. Since our first visit, we've heard nothing but high praise for this restaurant so it was clearly time for us to revisit.

Longstanding London BBQ restaurant Bodean's has been given a makeover with the arrival of legendary meat man Richard Turner. We went down to see how much things have changed.

South Kensington is the unlikely location for the arrival of an interesting new restaurant in a historic old building. We went down to try out The Lavery. 

Amidst a sea of luxury openings comes a well-priced Soho spot that wants to make sitting down for a bowl of pasta and a glass of wine an easy, fun thing to do. We find that 27 Old Compton Street is very much to our taste. 

Guinness madness sees no sign of easing up in London. Latest to the party is The Ned, where they've opened a special bar where the drinks and food all revolve around Guinness. We went down to try it out and, of course, see how good their pints are. 

Nina in Marylebone is already blowing up on social. We booked in to see if lives up to the hype.

Victor Garvey, the chef behind Michelin-starred SOLA, has taken on the reins of the impressive Midland Grand in King's Cross. We went to check out his new restaurant.

The founders of Roji have switched their attentions to this more casual Japanese affair just off Carnaby Street. We took a seat at the counter to check out what Himi has to offer. 

Tucked down Bruton Place, between the Guinea and Bellamy's you'll find this rather cosy new Mayfair spot. We take a look at what Silva has to offer London's frenetic dining scene.

The newest Market Halls brings BAO, From The Ashes, Breddos and more to a brand new building right by the station concourse. We went down to check out London's latest food court.