Test Drives

Test Driving The Barley Mow - a Mayfair pub reborn

Information: 18 October 2022

The latest addition to Mayfair's pub dining scene has arrived with a very clubby dining room and plenty of theatrical flourishes.

Test Driving the Sunday roast at Kudu Grill - perfection in Peckham

Information: 13 October 2022

It turns out that Sunday roasts are just one more thing this Peckham restaurant does brilliantly.

Test Driving Milk Beach - an Australian oasis in Soho

Information: 06 October 2022

Milk Beach has been a success in Queen's Park, and now it's brought its Australian cuisine to a prime new Soho space. We went down for a look.

Test Driving Scully in St James - a new tasting menu brings us back

Information: 28 September 2022

Ramael Scully's eponymous restaurant on St James's Market has switched up its evening offering to an all tasting menu affair. We went to try it out.

Test Driving Barrafina Borough Yards - same brilliant tapas but this one's good for groups too

Information: 26 September 2022

Just around the corner from Borough Market, you'll find the latest Barrafina, and this one is particularly good if you're dining as a group. We took a stool up at the marble counter to give their specials a go.

Test Driving Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal - the hotel gets a real destination restaurant

Information: 23 September 2022

Alex Dilling at the Hotel Café Royal promises to deliver an elevated Frech dining experience from a lauded chef. We went along to see if the hotel has finally landed a full-on destination restaurant.

Test Driving Sunda Kitchen - Covent Garden's new Southeast Asian winner

Information: 21 September 2022

Out of almost nowhere, an interesting new South East Asian restaurant has appeared in Covent Garden. Sunda Kitchen has some very impressive names behind it - and they've managed to create something that easily meets the high expectations we had for the place.

Checking into The Rose in Deal for a Kentish seaside break

Information: 15 September 2022

This stylish seaside spot boasts the top chef Nuno Mendes' involvement in its menus. We booked ourselves in for a south coast staycation.

Test Driving M Canary Wharf - wagyu steaks meet Provencal cooking

Information: 13 September 2022

The latest M Restaurant in London has arrived in Canary Wharf. They still have all the steaks - but there are some added Provencal-style dishes. We went to take a look.

Test Driving Mambow - a Malaysian wonder in Peckham

Information: 07 September 2022

Chef Abby Lee brings Malaysian cuisine to Peckham with Mambow. Already an instant hit, we popped into Market Peckham to try it out.

Test Driving Pivot Bar & Bistro - a dining room with a stellar London view

Information: 01 September 2022

Scottish chef Mark Greenaway has found a prime spot for his London restaurant, right on the piazza at Covent Garden. We booked a table with a great view to check it out.

Blind wine tastings - we try the new Wine Discovery Journeys at The Colony Grill Room

Information: 30 August 2022

The Beaumont hotel in Mayfair has just introduced a fun element to the wine offering at its restaurant. We took up the challenge.

Test Driving Cadet - an instant wine and charcuterie hit on Newington Green

Information: 25 August 2022

Bring two wine importers, a charcuterie genius and a chef trained up at London's hottest restaurants together and you have the team behind this hit wine bar on Newington Green.

Test Driving Bottle + Rye - a Parisian-style wine bar in the heart of Brixton

Information: 23 August 2022

Robin and Sarah Gill, who are the people behind Darby's The Dairy and more, have transformed a corner of Brixton into a small Parisian-style wine bar. We went down for a look.

Test Driving Roji - an omakase hideaway in Mayfair

Information: 18 August 2022

Top Japanese restaurant Chisou has opened a tiny (but beautiful) omakase restaurant called Roji next door. We went down to try out the experience.

Test Driving Caia - an absolute gem of a neighbourhood wine spot on Golborne Road

Information: 16 August 2022

Notting Hill has a bouji new wine bar with some serious open-fire cooking going on. We headed west to try it out.

Test Driving Miznon - the mad pita place that's landed in Soho

Information: 11 August 2022

Israeli celebrity chef Eyal Shani already has branches of Miznon in Tel Aviv, Paris and NYC. We popped along to see what his London outpost is like.

Test Driving The Baring - Islington's pub dining renaissance continues

Information: 09 August 2022

Islington gets a new pub called The Baring with an ex-Dabbous and Kerridge's chef in charge of the kitchen. It all sounded very promising, so we went down for a look.

Test Driving the Moët & Chandon Champagne Bar at Harrods - fizz and fashion under the same roof

Information: 02 August 2022

The largest Moët & Chandon Champagne bar in Europe has just opened at Harrods. We pulled up a stool at the bar to check it out.

Test Driving Tatale - Akwasi Brenya-Mensa brings Africa to Southwark

Information: 26 July 2022

Chef Akwasi Brenya-Mensa's Tatale is one of the year's most highly-anticipated openings. We went down to Southwark's new African Centre to check it out.

Test Drives

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