Test Drives

Test Driving Hicce at Coal Drops Yard - built for sharing

Information: 14 November 2018

Former Murano head chef Pip Lacey has gone it alone with a new restaurant overlooking Coal Drops Yard in King's Cross. We check it out.

Test Driving Gridiron London - The old Met Bar gets a new life

Information: 13 November 2018

The replacement for the Met Bar features an array of top food and drink names at Gridiron. We head over to take a look.

Kitchen W8 has had a big revamp - we take a look

Information: 08 November 2018

This classic Kensington restaurant is about to turn 10 years old. It's had a complete refurb, so we popped down for a look and to try the autumn menu.

A model makeover - we Test Drive The Cleveland Arms in Paddington

Information: 08 November 2018

It's always nice when an overhaul of a lovely old pub manages to retain its character while bringing new talents to the table - we went to check out The Cleveland Arms in Paddington.

Test Driving Berenjak - Iranian kababs in Soho from the JKS group

Information: 06 November 2018

JKS Restaurants turn their superpowers to the humble kebab - inspired by Iranian hole in the wall spots. Seems like Soho's not all that far from Tehran after all.

Test Driving Casa and Plaza Pastor - outside or inside at Coal Drops Yard?

Information: 01 November 2018

The Harts Group bring their very popular Mexican restaurant to the impressive Coal Drops Yard area. And they've split it into two. We head to King's Cross to try it out.

Test Driving Barrafina at Coal Drops Yard - a new Catalan-inspired menu is a belter

Information: 29 October 2018

It's the fourth restaurant for the Barrafina team, taking their Spanish tapas counter dining restaurant to Coal Drops Yard in King's Cross. We pop down to see if their winning streak continues.

Test of Time - we make a return visit to Polpetto

Information: 25 October 2018

Polpetto now has an ex River Cafe chef in the kitchen. We made a return visit to see how the arrival of Anthea Stephenson has changed things at this Soho spot.

Test Driving Black Cod and Wagyu - the Burger and Lobster folk democratise more food

Information: 23 October 2018

The people behind Burger and Lobster are back with another money-saving deal. This time try the very luxe black cod and wagyu beef at affordable prices. We head down to try them for ourselves.

Test Driving Jollibee - the Filipino fried chicken chain arrives in London's Earl's Court

Information: 22 October 2018

It's insanely popular with expat Filipinos the world over - now fried chicken chain Jollibee has opened in London's Earl's Court - we went to try it out.

Test Driving Two Lights - the new Modern American restaurant in Shoreditch from the Clove Club team

Information: 15 October 2018

Obviously, any new opening by the Clove Club team is going to whip London's foodies into a frenzy of excitement - happily the restaurant is cool enough to cope with (and meet) those expectations.

Test Driving Rambla's new Menu del Dia

Information: 11 October 2018

Who doesn't love a cracking set lunch deal? Right now it seems one of the top spots for doing just that in Soho is Rambla. Having heard that they had a new Menu del Dia in place - and it being a while since we were last in - we decided to head back to try it. And it's good to see that the place, besides being rammed, is still turning out freaking...

Test Driving Jolene - three is the magic number for this Newington Green restaurant

Information: 11 October 2018

They already have two very successful restaurants, but Jolene, the new bakery-restaurant from the team behind Primeur and Westerns Laundry, shows the team are getting even better at what they do.

Test Driving Casa do Frango - Piri Piri chicken Algarve style in Southwark

Information: 08 October 2018

This wonderful looking dining room on Southwark High Street is serving up Portuguese food and wine with a distinctly London vibe.

Test Driving Kahani in Chelsea - Peter Joseph goes it alone

Information: 04 October 2018

After running Michelin-starred Tamarind for a decade, Peter Joseph has come to Chelsea to launch his own restaurant, Kahani. We went along to try it out.

Test Driving Andrew Wong's Kym's at Bloomberg Arcade

Information: 02 October 2018

Andrew Wong is following up the eponymous A Wong in Victoria with Kym's, a restaurant at Bloomberg Arcade that takes the cuisines of Chinatown as its inspiration. We head down for a look.

Test Driving Dan Doherty's pub menu at The Royal Oak

Information: 27 September 2018

Dan Doherty has left Duck and Waffle and come back down to earth with his own pub, The Royal Oak in Marylebone. We pop in to see what he's cooking up in the kitchen.

Test Driving Coal Office - if Studio 54 opened a restaurant it'd be a bit like this

Information: 25 September 2018

Restaurateur Assaf Granit has partnered with designer Tom Dixon to open this crazy restaurant in King's Cross. We went along to take a seat at the counter.

Test Driving Kerridge's Bar and Grill - the top chef arrives in Whitehall

Information: 20 September 2018

After many years wowing the Marlow locals with the Hand and Flowers, Tom Kerridge has arrived in London with his Bar and Grill at the Corinthia. We head down there for a Test Drive.