Test Drive

• Test Driving Il Gattopardo - a Mayfair Italian that delivers on food and vibes

  

  Does Mayfair need another glitzy Italian restaurant. Il Gattopardo would suggest it does, particularly one where both the food and vibes are given equal weight.

• Test Driving Mauro Colagreco at Raffles London at The OWO - our first taste of London's newest luxury hotel

  

  His restaurant in the south of France topped the World's 50 Best list and won three Michelin stars. Now chef Mauro Cologreco has opened three restaurants at once in London. We went to try the fine dining one. 

• Test Driving Bébé Bob - Bob Bob Ricard goes all-in on chicken in Soho

  

  Bébé Bob is the offspring of Bob Bob Ricard which mixes rotisserie chicken and caviar with a bit of that Bob Bob magic. We went down to see how this mini Bob has turned out.  

• Test Driving Manzi's - the huge seafood restaurant in Soho, complete with mermaids

  

  From the group behind The Wolseley and Brasserie Zedel, Manzi's is a huge seafood restaurant in Soho with occasionally bonkers touches. We went in to try it out. 

• Test Driving Chishuru - Adejoké Bakare's West African restaurant shines in Fitzrovia

   

  Adejoké Bakare's Chishuru has made the move from Brixton to Fitzrovia. We head down to see what the West African restaurant is cooking up in its bigger, central London home.

• Test of time - we return to Angela Hartnett's Murano to check out its new look, menu and head chef

  

  To celebrate its 15th birthday Angela Hartnett's Murano has had a makeover and brought in a new head chef. We went to check it out.

• Test Driving Brunswick House - a restaurant where the food and vibe are pitch perfect

  

  Jackson Boxer's Vauxhall restaurant not only looks like a beautiful film set, but the food is Oscar-worthy too. 

• Test Driving Forza Wine - an instant smash hit overlooking the Thames

  

  Forza Wine have made an impressive jump from Peckham to the South Bank. We head out to their terrace to see how they've settled into the National Theatre.  

• Magenta, the modern Italian restaurant in King's Cross that you need to know about

   

  Magenta in King's Cross is turning out a menu of excellent modern Italian cuisine - we went down to try it for ourselves.

• Test Driving Hiden - the Japanese curry lab expands its size and menu in Finsbury Park

  

  Japanese curry specialists Hiden have expanded to Finsbury Park and the menu's grown too. We went along to pay them a visit.

• Test Driving Llama Inn - the Brooklyn Peruvian hit makes its way to London from New York

  

  A bona fide hit in Brooklyn, the popular Peruvian restaurant Llama Inn has now opened in London. From NYC to Shoreditch we see how it's faring this side of the pond. 

• Test Driving The Good Front Room - high-end Caribbean cuisine at The Langham

  

  Chef Dom Taylor became the first winner of Five Star Chef on Channel 4 and his prize was launching The Good Front Room at The Langham. We went down to take a look.  

• Test Driving Tendril - the "almost vegan" restaurant feels at home in its permanent Mayfair space

  

  Rishim Sachdeva's Tendril has found a permanent home in Mayfair, so we thought it was time to see what this "almost vegan" kitchen is all about. 

• Test Driving Fazenda London - the rodizio grill comes to the City

   

  They're big up North and now the South American rodizio grill has arrived in London. We went to the City to see just how much meat we could eat... 

• Test Driving Outcrop - a nature focused popup grabbing attention at 180 Strand

  

  With so much talent involved in the Outcrop popup at 180 Strand it's not so surprising to find that the net result is wonderful.