Home
Reviews
Articles
Interviews
Travel
About
Palate Cleanser

Tram

A busy old couple of days in east and west London,

A busy old couple of days in east and west London, starting with new bar The Prince on Old Street (where The Gibson used to be). The Prince has only just opened but it immediately impressed: a classic cocktail bar run by people who clearly love cocktails themselves but also very down to earth and mellow. Excellent martinis made to order with glasses from the freezer refreshed half-way. It’s also near the filming location for Slough House so, who knows, you might see the cast of Slow Horses here for a sharpener. Also handy for Brutto, St John, Luca, Bouchon Racine etc, which are a 10 minute walk away.

Then, after a somewhat mixed experience at One Club Row, Waltz came to the rescue. Waltz in Shoreditch has to be one of the best openings of the year - classy, precise and just brilliant. Good to be back and see it is maintaining its excellent standards. (You can find the original review in the Palate Cleanser section on our main site.)

Heading west, another excellent martini and meal at The Park, then catching the tail end of London Cocktail Week at The Stables Bar (one of London’s most underrated cocktail bars), trying the Aurora and, of course, a Negroni with Twiglets. And then rounding it all off at Amaro with a Hanky Panky and Campari Shakerato. Need to lie down now
.
.
.
.
#london #londoncocktailweek #cocktailbar #londongram #londonbylondoners #hospitality #londres #imbibe #weekend #goodtimes #londonguide #palate #vibes #waltz #amaro #thepark #kensington #easttowest #bonvivant #thisislondon #cocktails #hankypanky #londontips #autumn #eastlondon #westlondon #martini #sharpener

Delightful Sunday lunch at Authentique Epicerie in

Delightful Sunday lunch at Authentique Epicerie in Tufnell Park trying their new “poulet rôti” served with a vin jaune sauce. Very good value too (the chicken is £57 and enough for 4 people, served with various sides) and an excellent tarte tatin. Could spend all day here
.
.
.
.
.
#sundaylunch #sundayroast #poulet #pouletroti #roastchicken #wineshop #authentique #déjeuner #moreismore #wheretoeat #goodtimes #cuisinefrançaise #toplondonrestaurants #sunday #dimanche #kentishtown #comfortfood #autumn #weekend #delicious #londonfoodguide #francophile #londoneats #tartetatin #tasty #gourmand #bonvivant #foodgram #foodstagram #londonfoodscene

Stopped by the new St John café at the London Rev

Stopped by the new St John café at the London Review Bookshop in Bloomsbury. What a lovely place, complete with a shared courtyard (resplendent in the autumn sunshine). No Fergronis yet (they’re available to take away in bottle form) but excellent coffee and a Claret splishy-splashy chaser. Marrying a bookshop with a wine bar/café is a wonderful concept (one of the loveliest being La Belle Hortense in Paris) and often thought of opening one (ha, one can dream - though it would probably just turn into the early noughties TV comedy Black Books, which, coincidentally, was based on a real bookshop on Leigh Street in Bloomsbury). Cin cin.
.
.
.
.
.
#stjohn #londonreviewbookshop #bookshop #bloomsbury #cafe #cafelife #claret #coffee #coffeeshop #londonbylondoners #newopening #cafesociety #weekend #thingstodo #cincin #londonlife #hospitality #londonfoodscene #vibes #thisislondon #instadrink #instagood #londongram #goodtimes #concept #interiordesign #macchiato

Keeping with the Scandinavian independent producer

Keeping with the Scandinavian independent producer theme and just remembering the incredible Norwegian tomatoes and stracciatella on a recent visit to Vaaghals in Oslo. Yes, tomatoes do grow in Norway and these are from Hanasand in the south-west of the country whilst the stracciatella is from the Toddum farm in the Norwegian ‘midlands’. Incredible. Also pictured here is the open kitchen and astoundingly good pan-fried hake. And all quite reasonably priced for Norway, coming to about £60 with a glass of wine, dessert and coffee. Vaaghals is in the ‘Barcode’ district of Oslo and a five minute walk from the Munch museum (which you can’t miss as it looks like a giant staple remover). Well worth a spot of lunch if you’re ever in town and the Munch museum is highly recommended too.

No long-form review for this one but there is for Alouette in Copenhagen up on the main website, along with other new reviews for October - link in bio or head to palatemag.co.uk
.
.
.
.
.
#vaaghals #oslo #norway #norwegiantomatoes #stracciatella #barcode #oslorestaurants #lunch #lunchmeanslunch #instachef #oslofoodguide #scandivania #travel #traveltips #wheretoeat #foodguide #delicious #foodphoto #foodgram #foodstagram #foodwriter #sustainability #hanasand #nordicfood #restaurantreview #tasty #osloguide #goodtimes #nordic

Back to lovely Copenhagen and Alouette, holder of

Back to lovely Copenhagen and Alouette, holder of both a red and a green Michelin star, which moved to a new home opposite the King’s Garden in 2024. Here you can expect a cavalcade of 15 mystery courses arranged around 4 or so ‘chapters’, each celebrating a particular ingredient or independent Danish producer. Ex-pat American chef Nick Curtin fully embraces “luxurious sustainability” but it isn’t exactly cheap… and to segue into the meat chapter, a bowl of pig’s blood broth may not be everyone’s cup of tea (photo 5). But the experience as a whole is wonderful with truly excellent service. For the full review head to palatemag.co.uk or tap the link in our bio
.
.
.
.
.
#alouette #copenhagen #denmark #sustainability #michelin #finedining #foodie #copenhagenfoodguide #danishfood #topdanishrestaurants #palate #restaurantreview #foodgram #travel #travelgram #travelinspiration #weekend #foodstagram #honestreview #gourmand #bonvivant #moreismore #yummy #artofplating #instachef #wheretoeat #artisan #delicious

Also in our new reviews this month, Mischief in Pa

Also in our new reviews this month, Mischief in Paris, the much-anticipated new restaurant by chef Erica Paredes. “If Reyna toyed with subversion, Mischief wears it on its sleeve…” However, there is work to be done to meet its potential. Head to palatemag.co.uk (or link in bio) for the full and honest review

Pictured here are the fried chicken with butter chicken sauce (“by far the best dish of the night”), the slightly more incongruous langoustine dumplings, the spaghetti hoops (a work in progress) and the peach and mango cobbler

✍️📷 Review and photos by Rachel Naismith
.
.
.
.
#paris #parisfood #restaurantreview #parisdining #mischief #fusion #globalfood #parisrestaurants #parisfoodguide #chicken #foodstagram #journalism #foodphoto #foodwriter #honestreview #foodcritic #france #diningout #foodguide #review #parisfoodspots #travel #travelgram #instafood #newrestaurant

It’s October! We have new long-form reviews on o

It’s October! We have new long-form reviews on our main site for this month, including restaurants in Paris, Manchester and Copenhagen. But first, The Waterman’s Arms in the leafy enclave of Barnes (soon to have a new sister pub in Soho). Alas, the curried scallop was off the menu this day but the judicious use of spice was definitely evident in the red mullet and spiced celeriac (a dish with the colour palette of The Simpsons and just as joyous) and sensational smoked aubergine with fennel. Also, a very comforting sausage, lentil and cavolo nero ragù, perfect for the changing of the seasons. Good Negronis, decent splishy-splashy, and anywhere that puts a Ferrari on the cocktail menu (equal parts Campari and Fernet-Branca) deserves respect.

And if this visit was anything to go by then their new sister pub which opens this month - The Shaston Arms in Soho - will surely give The Devonshire a run for their money.

As usual, for the full review head to palatemag.co.uk or tap the link in our bio above
.
.
.
.
.
#thewatermansarms #barnes #pub #gastropub #restaurantreview #ragu #vibes #foodgram #toplondonrestaurants #foodreview #foodwriter #londonfood #londonfoodguide #wheretoeat #goodfood #comfortfood #bonheur #october #lunch #instachef #londonfoodscene #goodtimes #eat #foodheaven #londonlife #foodstagram #palate #toplondoneats #westlondon #moreismore

A lovely early autumn escape to Aldeburgh and The

A lovely early autumn escape to Aldeburgh and The Suffolk where lunch means lunch, starting on their roof terrace overlooking the North Sea for al fresco martinis (one classic, the other with oyster liquor) and crab gougères and oysters, followed by scallops and pancetta on a pumpkin purée, whole brill (expertly filleted tableside) with chips as good as Parson’s in Covent Garden, apple choux bun and a coffee and cardamom crème caramel. There are worse ways to spend an afternoon
.
.
.
.
.
#thesuffolk #aldeburgh #alfresco #martini #seafood #fish #brill #poisson #liveyourbestlunch #weekend #aldeburghonsea #lunchmeanslunch #eastanglia #escape #exploreuk #travelgram #instatravel #eastengland #aldeburghfood #artofplating #goodfood #foodgram #moreismore #instafood #travelinspiration #topbritishrestaurants #goodtimes #foodwriter #restaurantguide #déjeuner

Facebook Twitter Instagram

About us

An online food and drink magazine: UK-based but international in spirit read more

Find us on Facebook

© 2017-2025 Palate Magazine

Back to top