With more restaurants opening in the capital than you can shake a menu at, it’s no surprise that our food-loving readers are hot-footing it through the doors of new openings to give their opinions. Anybody can leave a diner review on our site, so this is our chance to highlight your views, as well as a way for you to gain a broader idea on how a particular restaurant is performing.
Not only that, but we’ve got some great prizes to reward you with too. We’ve teamed up with Lavazza to bring you the glorious gift of coffee, among various other treats such as cookbooks and fizz. Find out how to get involved at the bottom, because you could be our next big winner.
London continues to pull in big-name chefs, thrilling diners with their high-spec cooking. Julia W was impressed by Mere (above), the new Fitzrovia site from Masterchef judge Monica Galetti, commenting on the “great” food and “friendly and helpful” service. Over in Barnes, Mark B loved Rick Stein's first London site, praising the “excellent food” and “great value for money”. Hilary H was less impressed by the “second-rate hotel” decor, but did appreciate the “polite” service. It’s still early days but with its killer riverside location, we reckon Rick Stein Barnes can emulate the success of his other restaurants.
Everyone loves a business lunch (especially when they involve not going back to the office) and London has plenty of places to suit. In Broadgate, Lauren M popped into Gaucho (above), where she reported “high standards” of service. Further east at Le Paris Grill near Fenchurch Street, Garry B discovered the perfect setting for talking shop (and eating “excellent halibut”). Finally, Lloyd S made his way to Bethnal Green’s Typing Room, indulging in “absolutely delightful” Dorset char and “simply delicious” pork collar with baked apple. With its three Squaremeal stars, Typing Room certainly deserves the praise.
The City may be synonymous with suits and sky-high buildings, but there’s a buzzing restaurant scene just below the surface. Hollie B ventured there at the weekend to try New Street Grill’s (above) bottomless brunch, loving the “beautiful, good-quality” steak and a glass “never empty of Prosecco” (who wouldn’t). Lauren M popped into The Holy Birds nearby, which opened in November: “some of the best roast potatoes I’ve ever tasted”. If you really don’t see yourself as a City type though, head north to Shoreditch for Bull in a China Shop. Amy M did just that, finding staff who “totally know their stuff” and “delicious” softshell crab bao. To explore more of the area, check out our recent eating and drinking guide to Shoreditch.
Feeling left out? Register with us here to join in, search for a restaurant and then leave your comments. We’re constantly rewarding our diner reviewers with prizes: you could win a Lavazza coffee machine such as the Èspria Plus (below) and a £250 meal in a restaurant of your choice, which is exactly what Amy M, our critic of the year 2016, has been treated to (that’s Amy above). Every week, we also pick out the best comments submitted to the site and give away cookbooks, bottles of fizz and more. Check out #SMDinerReview on Twitter for the latest.
This article was published 6 April 2017