February Round Up

Hi Fellow Foodie,

February — the shortest month of the year, and it has absolutely flown by. Here’s everything that’s been happening this month, from three very different restaurant reviews to some cracking set lunch deals, plenty of news from London’s dining scene, and a peek at what’s coming in March.

This Month’s Restaurant Reviews

Three restaurants, three very different dining experiences — and all of them delivering brilliantly in their own way. Here’s what I’ve been eating this month:

1. L’ETO Café, Brompton Road

L’ETO has long been known for its exceptional cakes and pastries, but this time I put them to a proper test. On a visit to the new Brompton Road branch, I worked my way through their full lunch menu — and there’s a lot more to talk about than just the patisserie. Does L’ETO deliver beyond the cake counter? Find out in my full review →

2. Bombay Bustle

We are truly spoilt for choice when it comes to Indian restaurants in London, and Bombay Bustle sits right at the top of that list. My first visit was a genuinely enjoyable evening — we worked our way through a huge amount of the menu, and the highlights kept coming. Read my full review to discover the dishes you simply cannot miss →

3. Brother Marcus, Covent Garden

Brother Marcus has quietly grown into a small restaurant empire, now eight sites strong, built around innovative Eastern Mediterranean cuisine. My return visit to the Covent Garden restaurant was a reminder of just how well they do it — course after course of bold, confident cooking. See why Brother Marcus deserves a place on your London restaurant list →

In the Kitchen with Wylde Market

As mentioned previously, Wylde Market — the brilliant online farmers’ market — has been providing produce for my recipes, and I’ve been busy in the kitchen this month. Three very different dishes, all surprisingly straightforward to cook:

• White Wine Coq au Vin — using organic chicken and cream, this is a delicious and easy alternative to a Sunday roast.

• Sourdough Bread Pudding — a recipe that took me straight down memory lane. Comfort food at its finest.

• Barnsley Chops with White Beans and Spring Greens — two beautiful chops, simply cooked and served with seasonal sides. Trust me, it’s easier than it looks — though there’s no need to tell the grateful recipients that.

A Note on Advertising

If you’ve been on our website recently — and if not, why not! 😂 — you may have noticed some adverts appearing. Since launching nearly three years ago, the aim has always been to keep the site free for viewers, subscribers, and contributors. The advertising will help cover running costs over time and keep the website free to all, so I appreciate your understanding.

Special Lunch Menus

A strong selection of set lunch deals to share this month, ranging from a Portuguese street food bargain to some of Mayfair’s finest tables.

Bar Douro

Bar Douro is offering a Portuguese favourite: the Bifana. Thinly sliced pork shoulder, gently poached in white wine and fermented pepper, layered into a pão seco — a Portuguese bread roll baked fresh in-house each day. The Bifana and Super Bock lunch is available for a bargain £10, Thursday to Sunday, at Bar Douro London Bridge.

Lavo London

The stylish Italian restaurant in The BoTree hotel, Marylebone, offers 2 courses for £29 and 3 courses for £34, Monday to Friday, 12pm–5pm.

Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill

A daily plat du jour for £25, plus a lunch and pre-theatre menu: 2 courses £34, 3 courses £39.

Langan’s

Langan’s prix fixe menu: 2 courses £34 / 3 courses £40, available 12pm–6:30pm.

Bellamy’s

Often described as more like a friendly social club than a restaurant, Bellamy’s offers a weekly table d’hôte menu: 2 courses £38, 3 courses £45.

Noble Rot

All three Noble Rot restaurants — Mayfair, Soho, and Lamb’s Conduit Street — offer a daily changing set menu: 2 courses £24, 3 courses £28. Each restaurant runs its own independent menu, making this exceptional value at every site.

Hawksmoor

Hawksmoor always delivers when it comes to a proper lunch deal, and this one is hard to beat. We're talking a 35-day dry-aged rump steak -- sourced from grass-fed, traditionally reared British cattle -- with a choice of sides. Serious meat, seriously good value.

1 course £19 | 2 courses £23 | 3 courses £26

News Round-Up

February has been a busy month for London’s restaurant scene. Here are the highlights:

Veeraswamy Turns 100

A landmark anniversary for the UK’s oldest Indian restaurant. Established on Regent Street in 1926 by Edward Palmer — great-grandson of the first Governor General of India — Veeraswamy has come a very long way from its original mission of introducing Londoners to Indian cuisine. A century on, it holds a Michelin star (awarded in 2016) and boasts a vibrant, artefact-filled dining room showcasing authentic classic and contemporary regional dishes. To mark the occasion, a series of celebratory ‘Best of Veeraswamy’ menus will be rolling out over the coming months. Well worth a visit.

Michelin Stars 2026: Mayfair Shines

This month’s Michelin announcement was a very good one for Mayfair. The headline act: Row on 5 on Savile Row — Jason Atherton and Spencer Metzger’s theatrical 15-course tasting experience — has jumped to two stars just a year after earning its first. Inspectors were particularly taken with the Inverness Langoustine.

Also making waves: Bonheur by Matt Abé at 43 Upper Brook Street (the former Le Gavroche site) launched straight in with two stars — a remarkable achievement for a restaurant that only opened last autumn. Gordon Ramsay’s protégé has clearly been paying attention.

Three further Mayfair restaurants claimed their first stars: Ambassadors Clubhouse (JKS Group’s high-end Punjabi); Somssi by Jihun Kim (the intimate Korean chef’s table at the Mandarin Oriental Mayfair); and Labombe by Trivet on Old Park Lane. A stellar month for Mayfair.

London now boasts 88 Michelin-starred restaurants compared to Paris's 123. The gap is closing – the UK has added 24% more starred restaurants since 2021, while France has grown by just 3%.

Sunday Roast at LAVO

From 1st February, LAVO at The BoTree has launched its first-ever Sunday Roast, reimagining Britain’s favourite tradition through an Italian lens. Served every Sunday 12pm–5pm, expect Roasted Beef Striploin, Corn-Fed Chicken, and Porchetta, all served with roast potatoes and LAVO’s soft Italian milk bread in place of the traditional Yorkshire pudding. For groups, the Sunday Sharing Feast is £30pp. To celebrate the launch, there’s 30% off the entire bill throughout February — a very good excuse to slow down and savour a Sunday.

Aces Foodcraft Now Open for Lunch

Good news for fans of Alex Craciun’s brilliant little Fitzrovia restaurant: Aces has extended its opening hours to include lunch from 12th February. The concise daytime menu features seven dishes from £15, including the Signature Pressed Sushi (£28 for 12 pieces) and an elevated Chicken Caesar with miso-shichimi dressing and kokumi pork belly. I’m heading there in March and will report back — it’s one I’m genuinely excited about. 8 Pearson Square, W1T 3BF

Nieves Barragán Mohacho at The Donovan Bar

From 9 March, the Michelin-starred chef behind Sabor and the newly starred Legado in Shoreditch takes up a three-month residency at The Donovan Bar in Brown's Hotel, Mayfair. The menu is a Spanish-led selection of small plates -- think Seared Tuna with Ajo Blanco, Porthilly Oysters with Fino Sherry emulsion, and a deeply savoury Arroz Melosa -- all designed to be shared over cocktails curated by the legendary Maestro Salvatore Calabrese. Needless to say, this one is firmly on my list.

Bar Douro's Meet the Makers Wine Series

Bar Douro, London's home of Portuguese food and wine, is bringing back its popular Meet the Makers Wine Series this spring. For £35, guests explore five different wines between 4--5pm, paired with Bar Douro's signature small plates.

The series kicks off on Saturday 21st March with António Picotes of Termo de Sendim -- a civil engineer turned winemaker who has restored his grandfather's cellar, retaining granite lagares for foot-treading and natural fermentation. A fascinating story, and no doubt some equally fascinating wines.

Three further events follow in April, May and June. Check the Bar Douro website for full details and to book.

New Openings

Hoppers Shoreditch (4th February) has taken over the old Lyle’s space in the Tea Building, expanding beyond Sri Lankan with new South Indian dishes including a short rib biryani and crab kari omelette.

Osteria Vibrato (7th February) sees Charlie Mellor of The Laughing Heart return with an elegant Italian on Greek Street, Soho — cream tablecloths, Murano chandeliers, and a serious wine list.

Forza Wine opens its third site on 27th February near Tottenham Court Road.

Sale e Pepe Mare sees The Thesleff Group take over The Langham’s main restaurant space for a seafood-focused venture with trolley service for lobster linguine and tiramiús.

Coming in March

Two openings particularly worth flagging: Simpson’s in the Strand finally reopens under Jeremy King, with quintessentially British roasts carved tableside from silver-domed trolleys — a piece of London history restored. And Temaki Mayfair arrives on Maddox Street with a 16-seat counter upstairs and a Japanese listening bar in the basement.

Trending on Mayfair Foodie This Month

When I wrote the ‘Best Pizzas in London’ article, I expected some robust debate — choosing a favourite pizza is about as personal as it gets — but the feedback has been wonderfully positive. Do judge for yourself, though!

The most popular recipe this month was our Sunday Lunch at the Guinea Grill, and the most-read food review was Slow-Cooked Beef Brisket. Always popular, that one.

Next Month

An exciting month ahead: I’m off to Thailand for two weeks, visiting Phuket, Khao Lak, and Krabi, before a weekend slightly closer to home in Chichester. Please do send any restaurant recommendations — always gratefully received.

I hope to squeeze in one or two reviews and some new recipes before we meet again at the end of March.

Thanks as always for taking the time to read. It is very much appreciated.

Best,

Martin

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