The converted barge has been a Bristolian favourite for decades Tom travels west to visit a waterside eaterie serving the freshest local catch It feels apt, surrounded by water and sitting in a restaurant called Fish. Beneath our feet, the Avon flows, all quiet, muddy magnificence, while above, the British summer hammers down, not so much … Read more
Eating out Tom travels west to visit a waterside eaterie serving the freshest local catch It feels apt, surrounded by water and sitting in a restaurant called Fish. Beneath our feet, the Avon flows, all quiet, muddy magnificence, while above, the British summer hammers down, not so much damp as downright sodden. Yet inside this … Read more
For a reliably refined flavour of France, Tom heads to a favourite haunt Familiarity doesn’t always breed contempt. In fact, when it comes to my favourite restaurants, the opposite is invariably true. Sometimes, I know exactly what I want to eat, and exactly where to eat it. Where consistency trumps novelty, and the experience is … Read more
Eating out Flora at joy serves only the freshest ingredients This West London pop-up brings a welcome helping of joyous seasonal cooking It’s been a while since I first sat on this concrete terrace, gazing out over a sun-baked, concrete-hewn West London skyline. A decade, to be precise, back when the space was known as … Read more
Why did I go so long without the fiery delights of Nigerian cooking, wonders Tom Nearly three decades spent in London, filling my face with all this fine city has to offer. And only a few days back did I first taste suya: grilled slices of meat, lavished with yaji, a vigorous mix of salt, … Read more
YOU welcomes the acclaimed restaurant critic and everyone’s go-to wine expert Rejoice! Our favourite Indian restaurant has reopened. Tom tucks in at Dishoom It’s just after seven on a sultry Friday night. And sitting in the softly lit cool of Dishoom, with its art deco curves and artfully aged aquamarine leather banquettes, the past four months … Read more
Ah, Valentine’s Day, scourge of chefs the world over. Those once-vibrant rooms, now packed with despondent tables for two. The heavily marked-up ‘romantic’ menus, the soppy specials with a side order of schmaltz. And all those flaccid, overpriced roses. It’s enough to send Venus running for cover. But worry not. The following restaurants are chosen … Read more
Sola 64 Dean Street, Soho, London Rating: (and a half!) California. The Golden State, the promised land, last stop on the American Dream. Go West, young man, follow the gold, to the place where the days are longer, and the nights are stronger, and you’d be safe and warm. If you were in LA. For … Read more