Editor’s note
Finally got to visit Punk Royale last Friday and I don’t think I have ever mixed so many alcohols in one sitting. Red, white, vodka, tequila, lager. Saturday I was immobile.
This week I’m off to Motorino’s soft launch and after my disappointment at Lagana (see below), I tread extra carefully when a place just looks *too* good.
Lagana, Shoreditch: The TikTok trap masquerading as Greek - Review
Hyped as London’s new Greek moment, Lagana delivers the look and the buzz — but not the soul. Behind the TikTok-friendly interiors is a restaurant more interested in optics than flavour.
Hauser & Wirth feels the chill
Even the art world’s heavyweights aren’t immune to market fatigue. Hauser & Wirth’s UK profits have fallen nearly 90%, a sign that collectors are hesitating and secondary-market sales have lost their shine. For a gallery once synonymous with record-breaking numbers, it’s a telling shift — and a reminder that even blue-chip art has its cycles.
Hogarth’s hidden murals reappear
Two monumental William Hogarth paintings, sealed inside St Bartholomew’s Hospital for more than two centuries, have been restored and opened to the public. The Pool of Bethesda and The Good Samaritan — moral tales rendered in oil — now hang in a new Smithfield gallery space. A quiet London moment where art history steps back into daylight.
A stylish Italiano is on the way
Motorino sees restaurateur Stevie Parle teaming up with Michelin-star chef Luke Ahearne (ex-Lita) to launch a 150-seat modern Italian house in Pearson Square. The menu promises produce-led simplicity - expect pasta, seasonal mains, open kitchen energy and a central bar helmed by Kevin Armstrong. Its décor is a second collaboration between Parle and North End Design, the team behind the stunning Town interior alongside other staples incl. Gymkhana and Bao.
Fitzrovia | Opens 20 October
The return of a sushi master
At Rosewood London, Michelin-starred chef Masayoshi Takayama brings his signature omakase to Holborn — eight seats, twenty courses, and not a single wasted movement. The precision is hypnotic, the silence almost devotional. This is sushi as ceremony, led by a man who’s earned every pause between bites.
Rosewood London, Holborn | Opens 15 October
Kensington’s townhouse coffee stop
The Lavery’s cult restaurant is expanding downstairs with its newest café. Picture a classic Grade II-listed Georgian townhouse against modern chrome tables, bleached wood floorings and an abundance of pale light filling the room. Great for meetings, catch-ups and they serve freshly made goods by Esra Koraltan. That said, I’m not entirely in love with the choice of Assembly Roast coffee, it could do with a selection that tastes just as good as the space looks.
South Kensington | Now Open
A Parisian-style bistro with East London deli-soul
Clara’s brings a little Rue de Charonne to East London — linen half-curtains, handwritten labels, and shelves stacked with anchovies, olive oil and good wine. The space hits that fine balance between deli, café and bistro — quiet enough for a catch-up or simple enough for a laid-back date. It all feels effortless.
17 Bethnal Green Road, Shoreditch | Now Open
The first new pub on King’s Road in a century
The Trafalgar revives Chelsea’s pub spirit with grown-up polish. Think oak panelling, natural light, and a menu from The Tommyfield team that treats pub food with respect. Downstairs, a speakeasy-style bar hosts cabaret, comedy, and late-night jazz — more soirée than session.
King’s Road, Chelsea | Now Open