But it’s funny what can happen in 23 years. Unbeknownst to me, Birmingham was the city where Sicilian entrepreneur Carlo Distefano opened his very first San Carlo restaurant in 1992, a classy, glam Italian eatery that’s been a go-to for celebs, sport stars and other seriously moneyed people. Well played second city, well played. Carlo would open more restaurants in Bristol, Leicester and Manchester, winning awards in the process,  then launch a whole bunch of off-shoots in London (Cicchetti and Signor Sassi) before his new arrival in town, Fumo.

Fumo Covent Garden: Expect flavoursome and beautiful seasonal dishes 

Manchester and Birmingham had dibs on Fumo ages ago with their own branches, yet the fact that it’s now come to London speaks volumes, especially when this town has its fair share of excellent places to eat. But the truth is, Fumo Covent Garden is truly in a class of its own. And it’s SO DAMN BEAUTIFUL. To set it apart from the other San Carlo spots, the focus here is on small plates (aka “cicchetti”) and cocktails. Flavoursome and beautiful seasonal dishes represent all different regions of Italy so can you can expect quality with a capital Q (and on the day we visited, we had the privilege of choosing from a menu prepared by Aldo Zilli, who’s been recruited as the restaurant’s head honcho where the grub is concerned).

So how much damage will all this good eating do to your pocket? Surprisingly, not much. Plates range from around a fiver (for fancy crostinis) to £12 for a delicious fillet of beef – and you’ll probably do fine with five or six plates between two people. The only thing to worry about really is what to wear to such a fine establishment. My tip? Keep it classy and you’ll fit right in.

Find out more at www.sancarlofumo.co.uk

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The USP:   Murakami wants you to enjoy Grade-A Japanese food without the Nobu price tag, yet as my dinner partner put it, this ain’t no Yo Sushi either.  A fine dining philosophy is at the core of every last dish, cocktail and even the customer service – so we wouldn’t be surprised if one day you may need to queue to get in.

The food: Dishes not only taste incredible, but they look like works of art.  Our recent favourites were the tuna takaki – a fresh, sashimi style starter with grapefruit and onion salsa – and the moreish popcorn tempura with spicy yuzu mayo. And for mains, I couldn’t sing the praises of the spicy maguro enough. Fresh from their robata grill, this tuna with spicy teriyaki is ridiculously good.

Budget: Beyond reasonable. The sushi averages around the £8 mark for sashimi, nigiri or rolls  – while £8 for a generous starter and around £13/14 for a main will hardly break the bank.  The scales tip once you get into the cocktails but the fruity Murakami Cosmo (£8.50) or the X-Rated Pornstar (£9) with its flaming passion fruit are worth it.

Good for: Post-work, post-shopping or post-theatre shenanigans.

Visit murakami.london for more details. Check out more pics on our Tumblr.

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It wouldn’t be a true cinema experience without snacks and food will be available from local London foodies such as Suda’s Bangkok street food cart, Italian Dalla Terra and Bill’s as well as free gourmet popcorn for all.
If you’re looking to impress or truly make it an experience you can also book a table at one of the courtyard’s restaurants to catch the screening with most of the restaurants offering special menus to accompany the shows.
Visit http://www.stmartinscourtyard.co.uk/fashionfilmfestival to enter the prize draw to win tickets, though some tickets will be available on the day on a first come basis.

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Well, it’s legendary status in New York has understandably peaked the interest of ex-pats and burger lovers, despite coming into an arena already heaving with every kind of burger outlet you can think of. So if you’re after a meal that will trump some of the finest in town and absolutely blow your mind, you won’t quite get that here. However, what you will get is pretty darn good meal that prides itself on freshness, in fanciful surroundings (gotta love Covent Garden!) and presented with a neatness that adds to the novelty of a fast food-cum-bougie burger bar.

The Shack Burger is a simple, compact sandwich that can come as a double and is served with the softest bun we’ve ever tasted – so a definite  thumbs up for that. But we preferred the super tasty Shack-cago dog, and it’s lavish dressing of relish, onion, cucumber, pickle, tomato, sport pepper, celery salt and mustard.

Add to that a side of awesome crinkle fries washed down with a shake-made lemonade and you can see why Shake Shack’s quite a fun visit as they do what they do well. But If the mains don’t woo you, the frozen custards probably will, coming plain and simple or in a range of creative flavours that change every month.

Much has been said about the pricing at Shake Shack (which is a tad steepish for what you get), but the trade-off is a uniquely American experience with a pretty cool menu that’ll save you the plane ticket abroad.

For more info, visit: www.shakeshack.co.uk

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Only a restaurateur with the supreme confidence and chutzpah of Russell Norman would dare to open a restaurant as wilfully, joyously inauthentic as Mishkin’s, described on its website as ‘a kind-of Jewish deli with cocktails’. Even as I write this, I can’t help but wonder if from conception to delivery Norman wasn’t chuckling knowingly to himself at the froth some critics would work themselves up into at just how un-kosher the place is, not only in the sense of the food not adhering properly to kashrut  – there’s a pork hotdog on the menu for G_d’s sake – but also in the liberties it takes with Jewish culinary tradition.

I make no claims to any level of expertise in this area (hell, in any area) so I really can’t tell you if the matzo balls are dense (or light) enough, if the salt beef has enough (or too much, or too little) fat, or if the oxtail cholent needs more or less seasoning. But to judge the food qua Jewish food is to completely miss the point of Mishkin’s, the point made by that all-important ‘kind-of’: this isn’t meant be an authentic Jewish deli, this is Norman’s own playful take on one – and oy is it fun…

…To read the rest, click here to visit Hugh Wright’s blog, Twelvepointfivepercent.com – London Restaurant Reviews Of Real Discretion. 

Follow Hugh on Twitter: @HRWright

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For many restaurateurs, such success would be enough, but there’s been no R&R for R&R who, in under two years, have gone on to open Polpetto on Dean Street and Spuntino on Rupert Street, as well as converting what was the private dining room at Polpo into a stylish Campari Bar. The latest addition to their burgeoning empire (do empires ever do anything but ‘burgeon’?) is da Polpo in Covent Garden, their first foray outside of Soho.

Despite what the name might suggest, da Polpo is more than just another branch of Polpo, although it’s certainly closest to the original site in character and size. Rather, it’s a combination of all the best bits of the other restaurants, with a couple of new details added due to popular demand….

 …To read the rest, click here to visit Hugh Wright’s blog, Twelvepointfivepercent.com – London Restaurant Reviews Of Real Discretion. 

Follow Hugh on Twitter: @HRWright

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