Latest news with #TomosParry
Times
08-06-2025
- Business
- Times
10pm is the new 7: restaurants open late as Londoners stay out
If New York is the city that never sleeps, London is the city that likes to go to bed early. Restrictive licensing laws, residents' eagerness to file noise complaints, staffing issues, high rents and a cost of living crisis have combined to leave the capital with a sedate late-night offering. But as pubs close earlier and there are fewer dancefloors on which to shake your hips, another gathering place is emerging for those wanting to kick back into the wee hours — the restaurant table. Central London is far from the 24-hour party envisaged by Sir Sadiq Khan, the mayor, and the 7pm to 8pm reservations window remains the most coveted, but upmarket restaurants are offering later booking slots as demand rises. Mountain in Soho, described as the 'most exciting restaurant this year' in a 2023 Times review, has pushed back its last reservation slot to 10.30pm. Tomos Parry, the owner, who also founded Brat in Shoreditch, said he was encouraged by the green shoots of a late-night dining revival. 'It's not back to those massive numbers and super-late night dining of the 1990s and 2000s but it is certainly starting to come back,' he said. 'II would love late-night dining to come back much stronger.' • How to eat out at expensive restaurants on a budget Parry said that the demand was driven partly by the return of a post-theatre dining crowd. Tourists staying at the growing crop of city-centre hotels and keen to try the city's most-hyped restaurants were also more willing to take slots after 9pm. Speedboat Bar, a thriving restaurant styled on a Thai sports bar, also accepts bookings at 10.30pm. On Friday and Saturday, it offers a late-night food menu from 11pm to 12.30am. At the recently-opened Noodle and Beer in Chinatown, tables can be reserved until 1.45am on Saturdays. At the Dover, a New York-styled Italian restaurant, guests can book a table until 11.30pm from Thursday to Saturday, when it will be between 80 and 90 per cent full. Jeremy King, one of Britain's most respected restaurateurs, who founded The Wolseley, The Delaunay, The Ivy and Le Caprice, called last month for a return to 1980s excess. • Giles Coren: my top 10 London restaurants if money were no object Recalling how, when he started in hospitality in the 1970s, last orders were often taken at 1am, King said: 'Now, it's almost impossible to get anything [to eat] after 10pm. I don't fully understand why it happened but I'm determined to redress the situation.' King has begun offering a 25 per cent discount for those who dine after 9.45pm at his restaurants, Arlington and The Park. 'I want to encourage people to rediscover the fun of late-night dining,' he told the Sunday Times. The shift towards earlier dining in London's restaurants was hastened by the Covid-19 pandemic, which upended the hospitality sector and changed dining habits to such an extent that the efforts of King and others may be futile. Healthy lifestyle choices are leading diners to prioritise sleep over late-night indulgence and flexible working has helped make 6pm — before the evening rush — an increasingly desirable slot. Earlier reservations are popular with parents and a younger crowd who often drink less and may not bookend meals with drinks elsewhere. In May, online booking site OpenTable reported a 6 per cent increase from January for tables between 4pm and 6pm across Britain. Leading restaurants have embraced the change to get people through the doors earlier. At Portland, a Michelin star restaurant in Fitzrovia, those who book between 5.30pm and 6.30pm are offered a special menu at £55, rather than its normal £110-per-head tasting menu.
Time Out
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Two London restaurants are among the best in the world for 2025
With thousands and thousands of establishments to compete with, being named one of the best restaurants in London is an impressive feat in itself. So to be named one of the finest restaurants in the entire world (out of an estimated 15 million potential candidates), is pretty monumental. Every year, World's 50 Best Restaurants reveals its prestigious list of (guess what!) the 50 best restaurants on the planet, based on votes from more than 1000 industry experts. The 2025 ranking is being released later this month, but before that, World's Best has unveiled the restaurants ranked 51-100. And two London establishments were the only UK restaurants to make the cut. Mountain in Soho soared 20 places up from its ranking last year, coming in at number 74. Founded by chef Tomos Parry (the same guy behind Brat), Mountain was one of the city's most hyped restaurants when it launched in 2023. The judges called the menu at Mountain 'cutting edge and experimental', highlighting its 'spider crab omelette and beef sweetbreads sitting alongside mutton chops and the signature smoked potatoes'. London's second entry on the longlist sits at number 86: Shoreditch's two Michelin-star joint The Clove Club. The judges at 50 Best said: 'The Clove Club's interpretation of 'modern British' is refreshing and full of surprises, with produce from across the UK reinvented in creations that showcase natural flavours and playfully mingle with tradition.' Leonie Cooper, Time Out's food and drink editor, gave it a solid five stars when she visited last summer, lauding dishes like the 'soft nugget of pine-salt dusted buttermilk fried chicken served in a leafy wreath like some kind of pagan KFC' and the 'picture perfect sardine sashimi with tangy, ginger and chrysanthemum soy and a chaser of creamy bone broth on the side'. Last year, there were five restaurants repping London on the longlist. Places that didn't make a reappearance this year (so far) were Brat and Core by Clare Smyth. That means that they've either been promoted to the top 50, or that they've been bumped off the ranking altogether – only time will tell. Lyle's was also kicked off the list, but that's because it has now sadly closed. You can see the full 51-100 list here. The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2025 will be revealed in a ceremony on Thursday June 19. In the meantime, tuck into Time Out's indispensable guide to the very best places to eat in London and read why AJ Tracey and Big Zuu think 'London is becoming the food capital of the world'.
Wales Online
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Welsh coastal holiday hotspot dubbed a ‘hotbed of culinary wizardry' by The Financial Times
Welsh coastal holiday hotspot dubbed a 'hotbed of culinary wizardry' by The Financial Times With a vast selection of culinary venues, Ceredigion has been praised by the leading newspaper Pizza Tipi, Cardigan (Image: Pizza Tipi ) One Welsh county has been celebrated for its abundance of delicious food venues by leading newspaper, The Financial Times. Ceredigion was hailed a 'hotbed of culinary wizardry' by the newspaper after they visited the county in west Wales, finding a mix of local food and drink hotspots. The account highlighted the plethora of top class options available in the county as well as the dining scene in and around Cardigan town, including bakeries Crwst and Bara Menyn, the Brat supperclub at Ffrorest Ffarm, Caws Teifi and also Llys Meddyg, just over the border in Newport, Pembrokeshire. Attributing the Michelin-starred Brat resdidency at Fforest to the quality of local produce, farmers, fishermen and growers that exists in this part of Wales,' writer Ajesh Patalay says: ""Parry's residence is testament to the quality of local produce, farmers, fishermen and growers that exists in this part of Wales. "It also speaks to the vibrant dining scene that's grown up in and around Cardigan over recent years." Hailing from Anglesey, founder of Brat, Tomos Parry, served up cockles and laverbread, sweetbreads and leeks at Fforest farm in Cardigan earlier this year, and he'he's back for the Brat x Mountain x Fforest supper club in September. For the latest restaurant news and reviews, sign up to our food and drink newsletter here Chef Tomos Parry runs the Brat restaurant in Shoreditch and now Soho's Mountain restaurant as well (Image: Brat ) His London restaurant, Brat, that was once named amongst the world's 100 best restaurants and he's also behind Soho venue, Mountain. Cardigan is also home to an award-winning café and popular brunch spot, Crwst, that has been open since 2018. Award-winning Crwst's sweet treat (Image: Portia Jones ) Crwst, founded by husband and wife Osian and Catrin Jones, serves fresh baked goods as well as signature dishes including their seaweed hash browns. The café serves a wide selection of fresh doughnuts made at an offsite bakery on Bath House Road in the heart of Cardigan. Nearby is Bara Menyn, opened by Aberystwyth-born writer Jack Smylie Wild with his family ten years ago. He told The FT: 'When we opened Bara Menyn in 2015, people thought we were crazy: 'You can't open a sourdough bakery in Cardigan: they do good bread in Aldi.' Now people drive all the way from Aberystwyth.' The café is still serving fresh baked goods after a decade of the Ceredigion native opened the location a decade ago. Also praised in the piece were Pizza Tipi, Michelin and Good Food Guide beloved, Yr Hen Printworks and Templebar Cafe and Farmshop in Nevern. Not only does Cardigan have a great supply of culinary establishments it is also known for its rich history, art and culture. You can read about the best way to spend 48 hours in the buzzing town here. Article continues below Read The Financial Times' full piece, here.
Economic Times
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Economic Times
Brat London
Finding Brat is half the charm: look for a modest black awning and a chalk-scrawled board on a Shoreditch side street. Inside, the buzz of conversation fills a wood-panelled dining room, warmed by the glow of open fires and a wood-fired oven . Chef Tomos Parry's Basque-meets-Welsh menu earned a Michelin star in record time - and rightly here carries the gentle kiss of smoke, from charred leeks with Hackney-made stracciatella to blistered anchovy flatbreads. Mains are a communal affair: the turbot, golden and grilled whole, is practically mandatory. Cheerful servers point out the fish's highlights: plump cheeks, rich collar are equally thoughtful: a Laver Martini laced with Welsh seaweed is a bracing start, while the wine list champions interesting, often surprising, producers. Don't miss the embers-roasted potatoes with hay-smoked butter, or the burnt cheesecake to finish - a proper nod to Basque can occasionally stretch thin, but the good humour never falters. Yes, it's fashionable, achingly Shoreditch, and not exactly cheap. But none of that matters when the food is this good: seemingly effortless, deeply satisfying, and worth every bit of the hype.
Wales Online
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
The Welsh steak restaurant that made it on the best in the world list
The Welsh steak restaurant that made it on the best in the world list BLOK restaurant in Lanelay Hall in Talbot Green was ranked in the 55th position in the World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants of 2025 The steak restaurant is the only establishment in Wales to make it onto the list this year (Image: BLOK / Lanelay Hall ) A Welsh steak restaurant as made it onto the list of one of the best in the world. BLOK restaurant in Lanelay Hall Hotel and Spa in Talbot Green was ranked in the 55th position in the World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants of 2025. The restaurant, which is located in a hotel in Rhondda Cynon Taf, was praised for its "harmonious blend of traditional cooking methods and contemporary culinary artistry", according to the review. It added: "For those seeking a memorable dining experience in South Wales, BLOK offers a journey through flavours that are both comforting and innovative." But BLOK wasn't the restaurant flying the Welsh flag, as BRAT restaurant in Shoreditch which is owned by Anglesey chef Tomos Parry, also made it onto the list and was ranked in 24th position. The list includes restaurants all over the world, in cities such as New York, Chicago, Bilbao, Sydney and Bueno Aires. A handful of restaurants in London have made it onto the list, but BLOK in Talbot Green and Porter & Rye in Glasgow are the only ones in the rest of the UK to be listed outside the English capital. For the latest restaurant news and reviews, sign up to our food and drink newsletter here . The 101 World's Best Steak Restaurants top 10 ranking of 2025: Article continues below 1. Don Julio Parrilla in Buenos Aires 2. Margaret in Sydney 3. Laia Erretegia in Hondarribia 4. I Due Cippi in Saturnia 5. Burnt Ends in Singapore 6. Bodega El Capricho in Jiménez de Jamuz 7. Casa Julian de Tolosa in Tolosa 8. Lana in Madrid 9. AG in Stockholm 10. Cote in New York BLOK opened in November 2023. Every week, it opens from Wednesday to Sunday, with their steaks, such as dry aged sirloin, rib-eye and tomahawk on the bone, cooked over an open fire charcoal grill and costing in the range of £27 to £38. Speaking to WalesOnline, Jonathan Smith, the managing director of Lanelay Hall described the accolade as "remarkable". He said: "To be amidst these chefs and establishments of that calibre was truly remarkable for us. "All of this was kind of born from wanting to give our customers the best possible experience - giving them the food that they want with humble ingredients, but elevating it to a fine dining experience." BLOK restaurant was opened in November 2023 at Lanelay Hall Hotel and Spa in Talbot Green (Image: BLOK / Lanelay Hall ) He continued: "We've worked really hard for this, the kitchen team has constantly been changing these menus and every menu has been phenomenal. They're just getting better and better. Article continues below "For us, to be even considered within the 101 is an unbelievable achievement, but to be the 55th in the world is phenomenal. "And it's a massive thing for the south Wales valleys, we are situated on the edge of the valleys, and we are so proud to be raising the flag for this area."
