Test Drive

• Test Driving Pinna, bringing Italian vibes and great pasta to Mayfair

  

  The team behind Wild, Lita and Fantomas bring their magic touch to this Sardinian restaurant in the heart of Mayfair. We take a closer look at Achille Pinna's solo restaurant Pinna. 

• Test Driving The Brave - James Cochran's new food-led pub in Islington

  

  Islington's pub scene continues to be in rude health with the arrival of this exceptionally good bistro pub with chef James Cochran running the kitchen.

• Test Driving The Dreamery by Goodbye Horses, a spectacular looking ice-cream/wine bar in Islington

  

  Goodbye Horses has opened a combo wine and ice cream bar just across the road, and it looks spectacular. We went down to have a scoop of ice cream and behold The Dreamery.  

• Test Driving William IV - a perfect example of a good pub dining room

  

  We should all be so lucky to have a pub Dining Room like the William IV in our neighbourhood.

• Test Driving Delamina Townhouse - a cornucopia of good things in Covent Garden

  

  Tourists and theatregoers in Covent Garden now have a really good restaurant on their doorstep to try, with the latest restaurant from the Delamina Group.

• Test Driving Amélie - an easy-to-like offering of luxe Provencal cooking in Belgravia

  

  There's been quite a shake up over at the Pantechnicon building in Belgravia with the newest arrival being the French restaurant Amélie. We went to check it out.

• Test Driving AngloThai - a perfect pop-up-to-permanent transformation

   

  After years working as a pop-up AngloThai, which blends British and Thai cuisines and produce, finally has a proper home in Marylebone. We went to check it out.  

• Test Driving The Georgian - Harrods puts on the glitz with classic British food

  

  It's all change at Harrods where their classic Grade II listed restaurant The Georgian has been given a suitably glamorous new look with the arrival of chef Calum Franklin.

• Test Driving Long Chim - chef David Thompson returns to London with a casual Thai restaurant

  

  David Thompson, once best known for Nahm restaurant, is back in London with a more casual take on Thai food. We wend down to try out Long Chim.  

• Test Driving Fantômas - Chelsea gets a sexy new restaurant where the food's as stylish as the surroundings

  

  Fantômas sees the power restaurant duo George Bukhov-Weinstein and Ilya Demichev teaming up with chef Chris Denney in Chelsea. We wandered down the King's Road to check it out

• Test Driving The Yellow Bittern, where they do things a little differently

  

  The Yellow Bittern harks back to an old-school way of dining. We went down to King's Cross to see how that works in practice. 

• Test Driving The Savoy Grill - still a classic after 135 years

  

  Gordon Ramsay has been in charge of the Savoy Grill for 21 of its 135 years in action. We wend down for a re-visit to see how the Grill holds up today.  

• Test Driving Godet, a wine bar/pub that could be the future of London's boozers

  

  Islington now has a second boozer turned wine pub to check out. We went to see what Godet on Essex Road has to offer.

• Test Driving The Grill at The Hero - is this the best looking pub dining room in London?

  

  Everyone loved the pub downstairs at The Hero, but what's the new grill restaurant upstairs like? We went to find out.

• Test Driving Sael - Jason Atherton revitalises St James's Market

  

  During a very prolific time for the chef, Jason Atherton's new St James restaurant Sael is looking to add a bit of glamour to St James's Market. We went down to see how his first brand new restaurant of 2024 was shaping up.