Test Drives

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.  

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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.  

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

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

A ten minute drive from Hampshire you'll find this comfortable estate complete with hotel, two restaurants and even a cookery school. We checked into Lainston House for the full foodie experience.

Holy Carrot used to be a supperclub but now it's become one of London's new breed of plant-based restaurants, with an Acme Fire Cult chef behind the menu. We went to see what he's cooking up.  

Jackson Boxer has taken over the restaurant at a Covent Garden hotel to create Henri, his own take on a Parisian Bistro. We went down to get a slice of France in the heart of London.

It's already one of the buzziest new openings in the City. We took the lift up to the rooftop at Los Mochis City to check out the scene for ourselves. 

  Barely a 20-minute drive from Malaga airport is La Zambra. The resort where The Rolling Stones once holidayed has been given a proper 21st Century makeover (with excellent Andalusian-inspired food). We flew over for a look. 

Great British Menu winner Kirk Haworth has teamed up with his sister Keeley for their first permanent Plates restaurant in Shoreditch and it's already a huge success, booked out for months in advance. We went down to the plant-based restaurant to see what the fuss was all about.