9 Chatsworth Road, Clapton, E5 This Italian restaurant, towards the Homerton end of Chatsworth Road, has walls adorned with Italian paraphernalia and a menu of pizza, pasta, salads and meat dishes. Pizzas are vast; we’d advise sharing one (the piccante was ace) so you can enjoy a side of creamy…
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8 Gillingham Street, London, SW1V 1HJ Tozi is great if you have a hard time deciding in restaurants. The Venetian-style dishes are designed to be shared, with six or seven feeding two. Northern Italy is well represented, with cheeses and cured meats from the Alps, Parma and Barolo. Our standout…
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12 Hanbury Street, E1 6QR We finally got a table at Rosa’s Spitalfields last week. It’s the small, red-painted Thai restaurant on the bend of Hanbury Street near Brick Lane. It’s always busy but, as we found, the service is efficient and the turnaround quick. Food was excellent: chicken satay…
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135 Lower Clapton Rd, London, E5 8EG Clapton has another fancy gastropub! This time, it’s The Windsor Castle – a once terrifying boozer and now a welcoming space with polished wooden floors and craft beers on tap. They’re still finding their feet, so check they are serving food before…
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16 Hoxton Square, London N1 6NT Drinking outside in Hoxton Square is fun. But we’ll happily go inside for a tipple at this new bistro and bar in the square’s upper west corner because the cocktails are solid and the upstairs area is constructed from parts of an old bus (and because drinking…
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Marie NDiaye is one of France’s most respected writers. The original, French-language version of Three Strong Women won the prestigious Prix Goncourt literary award in 2009 and was also nominated for the International Man Booker Prize. The book covers the lives of three women, all at various…
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20 Seymour Street, Marble Arch, W1H 7HX Bright, eclectic and buzzing are three words we’d use to describe this cafe. We like that it’s tucked away behind Oxford Street and love the hidden open-air terrace below street level. The menu feels fresh and healthy and offers several salads made daily,…
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National Theatre, South Bank, London, SE1 9PX There’s an outline of a dead dog on the floor in PropStore. It’s not macabre though; the floor was a prop for the National Theatre’s production of The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time. All the decor in this pop-up was once used…
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4 Hays Lane, London Bridge, SE1 2HB If you love cheese, you’ll want to head here. Pick from one of the seasonal cheeseboards, or do as we did and ask to make up your own from the cheese room. The chilled pantry holds around 40 different cheeses arranged by country of origin and staff will cut off…
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The Savoy, Strand, London WC2R OEU The people behind The Savoy’s new brasserie – named after the hotel’s legendary feline – are indeed clever cats. In the summer of Gatsby, they conjure Roaring Twenties glamour while maintaining a modest menu. There’s a stellar lobster club sandwich and…
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