Test Drives

With the introduction of a new bar AND a new chef, it was time to make a return visit to Joe Allen in Covent Garden. 

Step back in time to 1930s Shanghai at this opulent Chinese restaurant in Mayfair. We popped along to try it out.

The arrival of luxe new hotel The Londoner on Leicester Square aims to transform the area's lacklustre reputation. We went to check it out.

Million Pound Menu winning chef Jay Morjaria has opened a pastrami sandwich restaurant in Carnaby. We head down to check out the sandwiches.

The Seafood Bar has made the trip from Amsterdam to open in Soho. We went to try their huge seafood platters... 

Russell Norman, the man who brought us Polpo, is back with a brand new place in Farringdon that's influenced by the restaurants of Florence. We went down for an early look.  

Florence Knight returns to the London restaurant scene with this smash hit of a restaurant where both the food and surroundings are a vision.

  They're already becoming well known for their huge pancakes, but what's the rest of brunch at Sunday in Brooklyn like? We went to Notting Hill to find out. 

Sally Abé found fame at The Harwood Arms and has now taken over all the food at The Conrad St James. The Pem is the main restaurant there - we went along to see how she's settling in.

Claridge's has magicked up a brand new - and spectacular-looking - cocktail bar. We went down to take a look at this surprise opening. 

A wine tasting delivered through your letterbox? We put Wine Unpacked to the test...

This Art-Deco inspired Mayfair hotel took an extended leave of absence over the past year or so to allow the creation of a new bar as well as gently redesigning the lobby, restaurant and terrace. We checked ourselves in for an overnight stay and tried both The Colony Grill Room and the new bar. 

This new Battersea wine bar is hoping to shake up the way Londoners think about natural wine. We went along to be inspired. 

  José Pizarro brings tapas to the RA - we head along to see if that's as great a match as we think it is. 

Belgravia's beautiful new Japanese restaurant serves up sushi and more with a Nordic influence. We went to check it out.

The Pizza Pilgrims team now have a diffusion line - mixing American influences with Neapolitan flavours. We went to Finsbury Park to grab a slice and a cocktail.

Nancy Silverton is a big name on the American food scene, and now she's brought her Pizzeria Mozza to London. We went along for a look... 

London's restaurant scene just got a whole lot brighter with the arrival of this gorgeous new restaurant and bar from a Latin American powerhouse team. We went along to marvel at it all. 

As long time readers of Hot Dinners will be aware, there's nothing we like more than an expertly prepared martini. Over the boring days of lockdown, we kept our spirits up with the promise of eventually heading to try the much-vaunted ones at The Egerton House Hotel in Knightsbridge. The key driver for us had come from restaurant PR and podcaster Hugh...

Much-lauded Spanish chef Dani Garcia has picked Shoreditch as the site of his first London restaurant. We went along to see if the Bibo concept has survived the journey.