La Dame de Pic London

Make or break?

Edible lime leafs

Another high profile oversea chef setting up a shop in London, this time in the name of Anne-Sophie Pic at the Four season Hotel at 10 Trinity Square. Anne is a true celebrity chef back in France, with her flagship restaurant "Anne-Sophie Pic" reaching 3 Michelin stars status. The problem is, London hasn't really been a happy place for high profile oversea chefs in the last few years, Celeste (by French heavy weight Eric Frechon, holder of 3 Michelin stars at Epicure in Paris) failed to get a handful of bookings in the evenings despite the high quality of the cooking and Ametsa (by the same team behind the 3 Michelin starred Arzak in Spain) had to run constant promotion to attract customers. Here, will La Dame de Pic suffer similar fate? The menu at La Dame de Pic is your typical fine dining restaurant format, tasting menu, a la carte and a reasonable priced lunch menu, taking some of the dishes from the a la carte menu.

Fire Dog

Not your usual Turkish restaurant

Charred octopus

Located on the former site of Piquet on Newman Street, just a stone throw away from the ever busy Oxford street, Fire Dog is a brand new restaurant serving Turkish inspired mezes and grills. Labelled itself as a "Meze dining club", Fire Dog is not your usual Turkish restaurant. It spreads across two floors, with neon signs, graffiti artworks and a strong focus in cocktails, it feels more like a night club. The all-day dining restaurant provides sharing dishes. Diners are encouraged to order a selection of cold and hot mezes, before moving on to the open flame charcoal grilled dishes, ranging from classic lamb cutlets to stuffed aubergine. 

The Test Kitchen

Test lab

Raspberry, Wasabi, Buttermilk

I am a fan of Adam Simmonds, his performance at the Great British Menu from a few years back was such a joy to watch. Having experienced his cooking at Kensington Pavilion, when he was head chef there, I can just see how talented and creative he is as a chef. So I was delight to see he is making a comeback in London. Located on the former site of the ever popular Barrafina, The Test Kitchen looked pretty much the same just like before, it offered counter sitting only in front of an open kitchen, ideal for people who enjoy watching how chefs prepare your dishes. The Testing Kitchen is all about Adam dishing out experimental cooking and gaining feedback, before opening a permanent venue in the near future. 

Blacklock City

Meat is good

All in!

Blacklock, a meat specialist had just expanded recently. After gaining rave reviews from the media and packing out almost every night, it had launch a second Blacklock in The City, offering a similar menu. Unlike the first Blacklock in Soho, you can book! Which is such a relief, as getting a table is not easy in the area. The other difference between the two is that Blacklock City had a few of its unique food offering, with starters and some big cuts that specially designed for a single diner.