The Good News: Restaurant Opening
Trattoria Burro, Covent Garden
When the charming neighbourhood Italian, Trullo, opened in Islington in 2010, Giles Coren said: ‘I’ve been twice in the past three days, and I’m going back on Friday. I may review it again next week. I may not bother going anywhere else ever again.’ Well, praise be, because Trullo’s chef and co-owner, Conor Gadd, has just launched a solo space in Covent Garden. Burro is open now for bookings but our hunch is you’ll need to be quick. Book it.
The Product: M&S Tomato Ketchup
Fans of Heinz Tomato Ketchup are not easily wooed away but M&S’s clean new version will certainly give them pause. With just eight ingredients – tomato purée, agave syrup, water, vinegar, salt and ground spices – it is busily filling the baskets of the cognoscenti.
The Trend: Trolley Mania
Historians and nostalgic diners alike will be thrilled that trolleys are so firmly in favour. At Jeremy King’s recent grand reopening of Simpson’s in the Strand, loyalists were beside themselves to see the silver carving trolley back in action. Meanwhile, Maison Francois’s three-tiered dessert trolley is a sight for sore eyes (and hungry tums).
The Book: No Nonsense Nutrition by Dominique Ludwig
With 30 years of extensive experience as a qualified King’s College clinical nutritionist and nutritional therapist and 620,000 Instagram followers, Ludwig (@dominiqueludwig_nutrition) gives off unbelievably safe-hands vibes. The recipes and advice in her new book will keep you coming back for more.
The Bad News: A Radical Resignation
Rene Redzepi at Noma
Danish chef Rene Redzepi, who founded Noma and made it the finest restaurant in the world, has stood down amid persistent allegations that he bullied and abused his staff.
A Bad Smell: Magnum Goes Mad
Travellers were appalled this month when Magnum introduced a new multi-sensory advert, wafting a ‘nauseating’ chocolate smell into a tunnel between St Pancras railway station and King’s Cross St Pancras Tube station.
The End Of An Era: Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
It may be housed in one of London’s grandest hotels, decorated with two Michelin stars and helmed by a world-famous chef but none of these things is enough to save Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. The restaurant will close for good when its 16-year tenancy ends at The Mandarin Oriental in January 2027. Blumenthal said: “It’s bittersweet but it has run its course.”
