Hon's BBQ

East meets West BBQ 

Smoked Beef Short Ribs

Tucked into Queen’s Yard in Hackney Wick, East London, Hon's BBQ is the latest chapter in the journey of Man Hon Luk, the chef and owner better known previously as Uncle Hon. His route into barbecue is anything but conventional. The story begins in Austin, Texas, where Luk discovered the world of serious American barbecue and became fascinated by the craft of smoking meat low and slow. Hon’s takes the fundamentals of American barbecue, the long smoking times, the carefully controlled heat, the importance of the bark and the patience required to turn tough cuts into something wonderfully tender, and layers them with flavours drawn from Hon’s Hong Kong heritage and wider Chinese cooking. It is an unusual combination, but one that makes immediate culinary sense. Meat can be smoked for up to 12 hours before being finished with braising, roasting, confit or other techniques depending on the cut, while flavours such as Sichuan pepper, five spice, fermented ingredients, scallion and Chinese-style sweetness bring another dimension to the smoke.

Wildflowers

A Restaurant Going From Strength to Strength

Lobster and cuttlefish rice

In 2025, Aaron Potter was named Chef to Watch at the National Restaurant Awards, where Wildflowers also entered the UK's Top 100 Restaurants, a significant endorsement from an industry whose votes include chefs, restaurateurs and food writers. Then came another major piece of recognition: SquareMeal named Wildflowers its London Restaurant of the Year for 2026, praising the restaurant for continuing to go from strength to strength and describing it as a place loved and respected by its diners. Now approaching its second birthday, Wildflowers has gone from an intriguing new opening to one of west London’s most talked-about and well-regarded dining rooms. Mediterranean in spirit, European in its breadth, relaxed in its delivery and, above all, driven by excellent produce and the transformative power of fire. The open kitchen is central to the room, both literally and atmospherically, with the charcoal grill providing the restaurant with its heartbeat. 

Moi

Going forward or backward? 

Orkney scallop, green tomato, pickled seaweed

There is something slightly disconcerting about returning to a restaurant you remember fondly, only to find that much of what made it interesting has been changed. That is how I felt walking back into Moi in Soho. The restaurant has undergone a significant transformation, most notably with a brand-new chef at the helm, previously associated with Humo, and with that change has come a substantial rethink of the menu. In reality, though, I came away feeling that the changes have not delivered the improvement I had hoped for. In fact, in several respects, it feels like Moi has taken a step backwards. The previous incarnation had a certain spark and sense of discovery; there was an energy to the food that made you curious about what would arrive next. The new menu is certainly ambitious, and there are still some familiar elements that provide continuity, particularly the sushi, but overall the experience felt less exciting and, importantly, less consistently executed. 

Alta

 Big change, but is it for the better?

XL Wild Atlantic Prawn, Iberico Fat & Garlic

Restaurant Alta in Soho has undergone a fairly significant transformation since my last visit, and there’s no mistaking that the restaurant is trying to move into a new chapter. The biggest change is the arrival of a brand-new chef, previously at Humo, bringing with them a different approach to the kitchen and a menu that has been completely reworked. The format is now much more varied, moving from cold dishes and pintxos through to larger plates, giving the meal a more flexible, sharing-style structure. On paper, it makes sense for a Spanish restaurant in Soho: small, snackable dishes to start, more substantial plates as the meal progresses, and enough variety to build your own experience around the table. There is certainly ambition behind the changes, and the new menu reads well, with a mixture of seafood, meat, vegetables and Spanish-inspired flavours.

The Delaunay

 Old-World Grandeur, Modern-Day Comfort

Seared Scallops with Celeriac Purée and Citrus Dressing

There are restaurants you visit primarily for the food, and then there are places where the setting, atmosphere and sheer pleasure of spending time there are just as important as what arrives on the plate. The Delaunay, on the corner of Aldwych and Drury Lane, firmly belongs in the latter category. Inspired by the grand cafés of Central Europe, particularly the great Viennese establishments where people once gathered to read newspapers, debate politics, drink coffee and watch the world go by, The Delaunay brings a welcome dose of old-world European elegance to the heart of London’s Theatreland. The Delaunay understands that a restaurant is not always just about eating; sometimes it is about enjoying a particular kind of environment, one that makes an ordinary meal feel like a small occasion. The question, of course, is whether the food lives up to the surroundings. My experience was mixed. There were moments of genuine satisfaction, particularly with the duck and dessert, but also dishes that felt surprisingly ordinary given the restaurant's reputation and pricing.