News & reviews

Mince Pie Project returns with Blanc, Wareing and Harnett confirmed bakers

Information: 14 December 2012

[Updated 14/12/12 with winning bid details] The Mince Pie Project was a massive hit last year. A genius idea, it gets top chefs to each knock up a batch of 50 mince pies - which are then auctioned off for...

Electric diner launch Twitter beer sommelier

Information: 13 December 2012

If you've ever looked over an extensive beer list and then gone for your usual, you're probably not alone. But newly reopened Electric Diner in Notting Hill has a cunning plan to change that. From...

Hawksmoor launch new Christmas burger

Information: 13 December 2012

Oh good lord - would you just take a look at this picture! It's Hawksmoor Seven Dials' Christmas present to Londoners. Apparently this is the result of a discussion over drinks at the bar which...

PingTron pop up restaurant experience at the Notting Hill Brasserie

Information: 12 December 2012

If you're the kind of person who would rather experience all the fun of a festival with the attendant luxury of the glamping village complete with VIP loos, then the Pingtron pop-up could be for...

Snow Queen vodka tasting at Caviar House & Prunier on Piccadilly

Information: 12 December 2012

There aren't many invitations we'd turn down that include both vodka and caviar; and when you add in the presence of one of London's great cocktail maestros then we're a sure thing. That's how one...

Hakkasan comes to the City - we test drive HKK

Information: 11 December 2012

Hakkasan, moves east with its new restaurant in the City and we put the 15 course tasting menu to the test.

MEATmission, from the people behind MEATliquor opening in Hoxton

Information: 10 December 2012

This time last year, we were all excited about a new burger joint opening just off Oxford Street. Of course, MEATliquor turned out to be much more than that, practically cornering the market for...

Feast puts on a festive treat for Londoners in Islington

Information: 07 December 2012

Hot Dinners popped along last night to the open night of Feast tucked away behind Islington's Upper Street in the former Post Office mail sorting depot now known as Islington Square. We hadn't made...

Steak for a tenner in Soho - we check out Flat Iron

Information: 05 December 2012

When we were invited down to check out the soft launch for Flat Iron Soho we didn’t need to be asked twice. Formerly in existence as a pop up in the Owl and Pussycat pub in Shoreditch, this is the...

Loud, buzzy and insanely good ramen - we try out Bone Daddies

Information: 04 December 2012

We have a look at London's newest ramen joint, Bone Daddies.

Brixton dining with a difference - we check out Salon

Information: 04 December 2012

Salon is a restaurant we've been keeping close tabs on since we spoke to Head Chef Nicholas Balfe about the opening last month and it immediately struck us as one-to-watch. This weekend we had an...

Arzak to open Ametsa with Arzak Instruction in London at the Halkin Hotel

Information: 04 December 2012

[Updated 15/5/13 with booking details and opening date] There's been a lot of speculation on what would replace Nahm restaurant at the Halkin hotel. This morning we had confirmation that the team...

Stars wait tables at The Ivy for one night only

Information: 03 December 2012

Diners at The Ivy are more used to eating alongside A-listers, but last night the tables were turned as faces from film and TV took over front of house at the London restaurant. The stars were out...

Burgers and choc ices - an early look at Patty & Bun

Information: 28 November 2012

The third part of what's being called the Burger Triangle (together with MEATliquor and Tommi's) opens later this week and, if our sneak preview is anything to go by, Patty & Bun sure to be a...

GBK Burger Bus giving out free burgers in Covent Garden

Information: 28 November 2012

You know us - we get a bit twitchy if we let more than 24 hours go by without a burger story, and with that in mind - how does the idea of a free burger grab you? To get your free burger, head for...

Blue Boar Smokehouse to open at the new InterContinental London Westminster

Information: 28 November 2012

[Updated 28/11/12 with opening date] It's pretty rare that a major new opening almost slips past us, but we have to admit to almost missing the opening of a super-luxury hotel in Westminster,...

Gin Garden pops up at Clifton Nurseries in Maida Vale

Information: 27 November 2012

It doesn't take much more than the sound of some decent grub and strong drink to raise Hot Dinners' interest, and the idea of a pop-up Gin Garden certainly has our name all over it. It's a...

Street Indian East London Style - we Test Drive Dishoom Shoreditch

Information: 27 November 2012

We have a look at Dishoom's new East London offering, Dishoom Shoreditch.

Opium cocktail and dim sum parlour opens in the heart of Chinatown

Information: 26 November 2012

It soft launched last week (with only the top floor opening) but this week sees the full launch of a new cocktail and dim sum bar right in the heart of Chinatown. Set over three floors of a town...

My Hot Dinners - Mariella Frostrup picks her favourite London restaurants

Information: 23 November 2012

She's the woman who's lent her name to a particularly gravelly kind of tone most of us only achieve in the first throes of a cold ("Oh, you've gone all Mariella!"). She tackles reader problems on a...

Also see...