What we’ve got is dry-grilled, pre-cooked stewing steak that whilst not chewy per se, it’s far more of a jaw exercise and massively less joy than its name promises. A benign bacon ketchup provides no real support other than wetness… READ MORE
Albatross Death Cult
My favourite of the lot—an almost impossible decision… so, let’s go joint first—was the smoked and pickled Cornish mussels, with its umami-charmed sour in harmony with the sweet, warming heat of fatty Iberico ‘nduja… READ MORE
FKABAM / BLACK AXE MANGAL
It’s another jaw dropper with the umami-loaded doubanjiang butter picking up the sweet, grassy flavours of the lamb, then bouncing them around my palate before slam dunking them onto my taste buds… every single one of them. Damn, it’s FKN good… READ MORE
Stu Deeley at Laghi's
The onglet with salsa verde splits the table. I’m OK with it, cooked just right and the accompanying salsa verde gets a real sweet and fatty lift from bone marrow… across the table—a cook-on-fire master—the verdict is “no seasoning; no taste; no caramelisation”… READ MORE
Albatross Death Cult
The biggest surprise is whilst the Kagoshima wagyu A5 is indeed the fat-primed meat bomb that’s expected and further boosted by an umami-loaded 4-year-old soy sauce, it’s matched stride by stride by a buttery, crusted pommes Anna-style hash brown… READ MORE
Six by Nico Birmingham
There’s more crunch fail from the deep fried Mars Bar that should be the eponymous hero of the dish, but the under cooked batter is an unpleasant texture. Whilst that’s a huge disappointment, the rest is a sticky, sweet, crunchy and chocolatey dream and then there’s the smile inducing Irn Bru sorbet… READ MORE
Indian Cafe Racer
First up is gol gappa; crispy shells filled with chick peas, potato and vermicelli, accompanied with a sweet pouring sauce with a spicy kick, loaded with tamarind and mint. We clash knuckles going for the final shell, but I’m there first and they’re far too addictive for me to even consider any act of chivalry… READ MORE
St John Smithfield
Roast bone marrow is a menu mainstay since the 90s and I’m grateful for a donation of one from which I slather its rich, fatty innards onto sourdough toast before loading with a lemon dressed flat leaf parsley, caper and shallot salad and a sprinkle of salt for two mouthfuls of perfectly balanced decadence… READ MORE
Little Duck The Picklery
I’m not nearly so honourable when it comes to the next plate that offers up a fresh take on mozzarella, with stewed flat piattone beans and sweet datterini tomatoes, fresh mint and topped with the crunch of fried breadcrumbs. It’s a dish that offers a titanic blow for blow battle of textures and flavours… READ MORE
The Bournbrook Inn
Being a sucker for double fried anything, I’ve gone for the Korean chicken burger. It also promises kimchi and gochujang aioli, although the tick box quantities mean it’s nowhere near the flavour-explosion I’d imagined, but worst of all is the soggy batter. Oven chips and bought in coleslaw are unable to pick up any slack… READ MORE
