Test Drive

• Test Driving Leo's - this classic caff's modern London makeover is a winner

  

  Once an Italian cafe and ice-cream factory, it's full circle for this Chatsworth Road spot which is now the Italian-accented Leo's. We headed east to check it out. 

• Test Driving 64 Goodge Street - a boutique French bistro in Fitzrovia

  

  The group behind Clipstone and Portland have opened another restaurant in Fitzrovia with 64 Goodge Street. This time it's all very French indeed. We head down to take a look. 

• Test Driving The Portrait Restaurant - Richard Corrigan's rooftop blockbuster

  

  Boasting great views over central London, the arrival of Richard Corrigan to run this rooftop restaurant at the National Portrait Gallery proves to be a real draw.

• Test Driving Dovetale - chef Tom Sellers goes big in Mayfair

  

  Tom Sellers' second restaurant opening of 2023 sees him opening a grand restaurant in Mayfair's hippest new hotel. We head down to see what the Michelin-starred chef has cooked up.

• Test Driving Counter 71 - creative East London fine dining

  

  Tucked away on a side street off Old Street roundabout, an old boozer has been given a new lease of life in this chef's table restaurant with its own subterranean cocktail bar.

• A taste of Cornwall at One Aldwych - bringing the south west to the heart of London

  

  If you haven't got a trip to the south west booked anytime soon, you can now take an epicurean tour of Cornwall without leaving central London, thanks to a new tasting menu experience at One Aldwych.

• Test Driving Mountain - the Brat team's sequel is an unqualified hit

  

  Tomos Parry's follow up to his Brat restaurants, Mountain, is a Soho love letter to Spain by way of Wales.

• Test Driving Pavyllon - top French chef Yannick Alléno takes on London

  

  Yannick Alléno is a hugely influential chef in France with multiple Michelin stars to his name. Pavyllon sees him bringing his cooking to London - we went down to try it out. 

• Test Driving Studio Gauthier - the French chef takes his vegan food to a new audience

   

  Studio Gauthier sees chef Alexis Gauthier bring some of the extremely accomplished (and Michelin-starred) cooking from his Soho restaurant to a more casual affair in Fitzrovia. We went down for a look. 

• Test Driving Little Pizza Hicce - the Hicce team create a top pizzeria in Islington

  

  The Hicce Hart team have expanded just across the road in Islington with Little Pizza Hicce. We went down to check out their very unique pizzas. 

• Test of time - we make a return visit to SOLA

  

   As this Soho restaurant breaks into the top 40 section of the National Restaurant Awards list we felt it was time for a return visit to Victor Garvey's Californian fine dining spot on Dean Street. 

• Test Driving Larry's - the glamorous new dive bar at the National Portrait Gallery

  

  London has a new cocktail bar that definitely shouldn't be left to the tourists visiting the National Portrait Gallery. We find ourselves very much falling for Larry's.

• Test Driving Bellanger - the Islington grand cafe gets a new look

   

  Bellanger in Islington has just had a lot of work done. We went back to see the brand-new look and also look at how the menu has adapted to a more Mediterranean outlook. 

• Test Driving Claridge's Restaurant - a new era for the Mayfair hotel's dining scene

  

  After 18 months closure, Claridge's has a new restaurant called... Claridges Restaurant. We were first in the door to look at the new room and try the new menu. 

• Test Driving Story Cellar - a London spin on Parisian bistronomie

  

  With his new Covent Garden opening Story Cellar, Tom Sellers has given London the perfect Parisian bistro it didn't know it needed.