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6 days ago | 
jancisrobinson.com | Nick Lander
The subcontinent provides London's best bakers. And long queues for their produce and café. London’s most delicious baguettes are baked every morning in a basement in Fitzrovia by bakers from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. (Brexit, followed by COVID, sent most French bakers in London back to France.)The bakery is owned by a 38-year-old woman who grew up in Mumbai.
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1 week ago | 
jancisrobinson.com | Nick Lander
London restaurants New York food A welcome three-storey Shoreditch newcomer. Boozer on the ground floor, New York vibe above. I first saw Benjy Leibowitz, below, in action 13 years ago when he was calmly poring over the reservations book at the then The NoMad restaurant on Broadway in New York City as the phone rang and customers queued around him waiting to be seated. Then last month I watched him again.
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2 weeks ago | 
jancisrobinson.com | Nick Lander
Popular: Tasting notes Oxford Companion Maps Newsletter Exceptional food and drinks in hard-to-find locations. Shimbashi Shimizu and Noyashichi are two of the most exceptional restaurants I have ever had the pleasure of eating and drinking in. And, with these recommendations, I wish you the best of luck in finding either of them.
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3 weeks ago | 
jancisrobinson.com | Nick Lander
Where to go if you're hungry and well heeled in Knightsbridge. This hotel kitchen has seen an impressive roll call of chefs, probably unparalleled in London, or even in any other city. The list began in 1971 when the late Richard Shepherd was appointed ‘chef de cuisine’ (kitchen titles were all in French in the UK 50 years ago).
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1 month ago | 
jancisrobinson.com | Nick Lander
Casual but top-quality eating in the Japanese capital, with shades of Paris. Tokyo is a fascinating city. Its population of over 37 million makes it the world’s largest and it probably boasts restaurants with as many different styles of cooking as there are in London. The influence of France on its cooking style has been obvious for the past 50 years while young Japanese chefs have been making their presence felt in the restaurants of Paris for a good 30 years.
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1 month ago | 
jancisrobinson.com | Nick Lander
Not strictly a restaurant review, but a look at food and drink in the air on a (very) long flight. Above, the first of three courses served by Japan Airlines. I recently flew business class from London to Tokyo on Japan Airlines and then back again in the same class on British Airways. What follows is a comparison of the food and drink on offer in both. I have some experience of airline catering.
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1 month ago | 
jancisrobinson.com | Nick Lander
Michelin stars, eel and a profusion of sakes as the cherry blossom faded. The prevailing mood of any customer arriving at any restaurant can greatly influence how they will enjoy their next couple of hours. I have never forgotten a restaurant review from 30 years ago whose headline was WIC – words in car – referring to the often-heated discussion between a couple as they drove to the restaurant.
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1 month ago | 
jancisrobinson.com | Nick Lander
A strong recommendation of a decidedly Italianate restaurant with rooms. These photographs taken in opposite directions could surely have been taken in Tuscany. The entrance to the restaurant under a pergola is bright and verdant, and the sunlight is pouring in; just to the left of the lower picture there is even a vine. In the other direction, way past the chef working away, there are the beginnings of a swimming pool. The short menu is also decidedly Italian.
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2 months ago | 
jancisrobinson.com | Nick Lander
Netherlands Belgium food Nick kicks off his review of a couple of restaurants in a famously historic Dutch city with an ode to the rare dessert above. The sound of sabayon being made is unique: the clack of a whisk against metal as the eggs are beaten. But how many restaurant-goers have ever heard it? Not many, I would guess.
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2 months ago | 
jancisrobinson.com | Nick Lander
How Londoners can visit Poland without going to an airport. I initially requested a meeting with Jan Woroniecki to discuss his thoughtful wine pricing. The encounter turned into a two-hour lunch, with an excellent bottle of Mauro Veglio, Gattera 2017 Barolo (£98) and a discussion of the evolution of London restaurants over the past 40 years.
