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Confit duck with celeriac and chicory remoulade

First return to Bouchon Racine for 2026 in the lon

First return to Bouchon Racine for 2026 in the longest January ever recorded. Where else would you go for a restorative meal in a month that’s challenging enough as it is without geopolitical crises threatening the world order? A cheeky Bicyclette to get things going (after a sharpener at St John), saladier Lyonnais, rare bavette wallowing in that Saint-Marcellin sauce that’s like a cheese custard, the mandatory creamed spinach laced with foie gras, Bordeaux splishy-splashy. Excellent and delicious every time.
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#bouchonracine #weekend #frenchfood #gourmand #foodgram

Continuing the recap of recent non-London restaura

Continuing the recap of recent non-London restaurant reviews, here are our Top 5 highest-scoring European reviews from last year (for the full reviews head to palatemag.co.uk or the link in bio)…

1. Palais Royal Restaurant in central Paris (pictures 1-3). Chef Philip Chronopoulous calls on both his native Greece and his time working with Alain Passard and Joël Robuchon here, resulting in refined and elegant dishes with a little Mediterranean edge. Pictured here are the suckling pig with rhubarb, onion and mustard, and the refreshing broccoli sorbet with lemon, mint, lemon balm and Greek yogurt.

2. Alouette in Copenhagen (pictures 4 & 5). This review was from their new site opposite the King’s Garden, in a space that feels like the 1970s vision of the future. Pictured here are the beguiling trout with blackcurrant hollandaise (!) and a trout tartare (from the fish ‘chapter’ of an epic 15 course meal). Yes, it was expensive, but as explained in the review it was worth it for the memorable experience.

3. La Société in Cologne. The student quarter of this modern German city may seem the last place you’d expect to find a high-end French restaurant, but this place is full of surprises and truly impressed last year. Here are the beef fillet with an artichoke purée, grilled peppers, lettuce and braised Roscoff onion, and the basil sorbet with braised peach, pineapple and pistachios. Well worth a stop if you’re in this part of Germany.

4. Back to Paris for JIP by Esu Lee (pictures 9 & 10). This “feels special - crafted with love and attention to detail” and incredible value at 35 Euros for three courses (at the time of reviewing). Here are the house-made tofu (“who knew tofu could be thrilling?”) and Tteokbokki, Lee’s take on the popular Korean street food.

5. Finally, the delightfully quirky time warp that is Fischereihafen - “the Oslo Court of Hamburg” (pictures 11 - 13). From the outside it may seem like a derelict harbour office in Felixstowe but there are seafood wonders and old school service awaiting within. This was a surreal but wonderful experience.
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#travel #travelinspiration #europe #instafood #restaurantreview

Often around now in deepest, dreary January we sta

Often around now in deepest, dreary January we start thinking about travel ideas for the year ahead so here is a little recap of restaurants we’ve reviewed recently outside of London, starting with the Top 5 highest-scoring* regional UK reviews we published last year (in case you missed them). Feel free to save for future reference. All the long-form reviews can be found at palatemag.co.uk (under the “Reviews” tab) or via the link in bio. So, here goes…

1. Roots in York (pictures 1-3): a mere two hours from King’s Cross by train and then just a 10 minute stroll. Pictured here are the beautifully caramelised scallop with celeriac and spruce, and the forced rhubarb with rosemary and hay. A fantastic restaurant.

2. Then, over to Flora on the Trelowarren Estate in Cornwall (pictures 4-6): getting there is an adventure in itself. Have the beef and the pavlova (pictured here) if they’re still on the handwritten menu.

3. Gorse in lovely Pontcanna, Cardiff (pictures 7 & 8). This is an “impressively assured debut” for Tom Waters, serving “immediately evocative” food. Here are the Breconshire fallow deer with beetroot and pickled elderberry, and roasted monkfish with preserved elderflower and morel.

4. Over to Deal in Kent and The Rose (pictures 9-11): a Negroni in their garden (sunnier times are not that far away) and mackerel with tomatoes and seaweed proved to be the perfect salve after a blustery walk along the promenade. The cooking here has “all the quiet self-assurance of a bay leaf” and decent value too.

5. And finally, The Spärrows in Manchester “for all the gluten lovers of the world” (pictures 12 & 13). Order the spätzle with käse and thank us later.

✍️Writer credits in the reviews

*In case you’re new to this publication, or just a reminder, you can read more about the scoring system and how we review restaurants impartially in the About section on the website
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#travel #topbritishrestaurants #restaurantreview #wheretoeat #foodgram

Continuing to brighten up January with a return to

Continuing to brighten up January with a return to Les 2 Garçons in Crouch End and this beautiful filet au poivre with gratin dauphinois. The filet mignon and the rich pepper sauce here were absolutely delicious. Bravo. It’s clear to see why this little neighbourhood resto is always packed to the rafters - even in January. Warm, friendly service as always. Great to be back
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#filetaupoivre #steakaupoivre #frenchfood #foodphoto #londonrestaurants

Making January Great Again: the first return visit

Making January Great Again: the first return visit to Cornus for 2026 and another wonderful meal. After a martini at the bar and an array of amuse-bouches (pictures 1 & 2), deftly-made cheese and onion tortellini with a caramelised onion broth and black winter truffle (picture 3), glazed Tuscan veal cheek with truffle creamed polenta (so incredibly smooth), large leaf spinach and, yes, more truffle (picture 4), and proving that Kelly Cullen is a phenomenal pastry chef, a sensational Seville orange soufflé with brioche ice cream and marmelade caramel sauce (picture 5). Delicious! Excellent service as usual - great to see the high standards they established in 2024 being maintained
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#january #londonrestaurants #londonfoodguide #londoneats #moreismore

A lovely return to London Shell Co in Highgate and

A lovely return to London Shell Co in Highgate and discovering a new coffee shop / bookshop hybrid called Funny Weather which opened very recently. These are located very conveniently (or dangerously, depending on your interpretation) either side of The Bull and Last. After a bracing walk on Hampstead Heath these are perfect for blowing away the January cobwebs
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#londonlife #hampsteadheath #highgate #londonfood #coffeeshop

Happy Dry Martini January! Back to St John to get

Happy Dry Martini January! Back to St John to get 2026 off to a good start
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#stjohn #martini #drymartini #january #newyear

Rounding off 2025 with some favourites, old and ne

Rounding off 2025 with some favourites, old and new: martini at The Donovan Bar, emergency steak at Arlington (with Paul on the piano of course), a return to the amazing 74 Charlotte Street (now with a Black Forest Soufflé), Campari Shakerato with a touch of Fernet Branca at Kwãnt, Campari Shakerato and Negroni at Termini (avec Parmesan) and, finally, before heading to a little dinner party to see in 2026, a Hanky Panky at Rules.

Have a good one whatever you’re doing! Long-form reviews will return on our main site in February after a short break but in the meantime thanks for reading and wishing you a delicious 2026! May your ice cubes always be clear and your martinis as dry as Arrakis. Cin cin
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#newyear #happynewyear #bonneannee #carpediem #cincin

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