Our Toast the City judge Martin Williams gives his bi-weekly opinion on all things dining. This week he splits his time between London and New York.
There has been a good amount of excitement in the hospitality sector as of late, with JKS and Dishoom both heading to America on expansion trails. Last weekend I, too, found myself back in NYC visiting the Evolv Collection restaurants, including Queensyard and Guastavino’s, and looking at expansion opportunities. Guastavino’s, which opened a quarter of a century ago, was the brainchild of Sir Terence Conran, a visionary ahead of his time, whose design and legacy I enjoy daily as the company’s chief executive.
A whistle stop trip to the Big Apple never disappoints. When you are there next, grab a table at Don Angie for sublime scallop crudo, or find the secret restaurant Teruko in the basement of Hotel Chelsea and you may find yourself enjoying dover sole karaage with ponzu, while sitting next to Keanu Reeves. Anglophiles should head to Queensyard for the finest Sunday roast, or Dumbo House for a mighty fine brunch!
But I digress: this column has been to NYC before and on the whole focuses on the greatest city in the world: London. This week, these were my Capital City Kings.
RESTAURANT GORDON RAMSAY HIGH
Hidden behind Lucky Cat at 22 Bishopsgate you can find the chef’s table of big dog Gordon Ramsay; 12 seats on a communal counter with breathtaking City views. Here you can enjoy an eight-course tasting menu created by executive head chef James Goodyear, who has taken classic dishes from the three-star Royal Hospital Road and re-imagined them with a modern twist.
Eight taste-sensations, plus bells and whistles feels well worth £250 per person, even without the show stopping view. Melt in the mouth Herdwick lamb with girolles, alliums and some mysterious toasty flavours, served with Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino (£150) and a sublime dover sole with scallop, dill and lemon zest, were stand out dishes but all courses were exquisite.
The view from Restaurant Gordon Ramsay High
The service is also outstanding, led by one of London’s top general managers, Ryan Duffy, with the assistance of an army of chefs ‘finishing’ each dish at the table and a wonderful wine-matching experience, expertly curated and introduced by the charming group head sommelier Giuseppe D’Aniello.
My only downer on the evening was that despite the ‘unparalleled City view’, I wished the table had not been ‘shared’ with folk dressed in a distinctly bridge and tunnel aesthetic and, more importantly, was positioned to allow you to enjoy the view and also watch the magic in the kitchen. It feels like an opportunity missed by a design team spoiled with a budget only GR and Richard Caring would find ‘reasonable’.
CRUST BROS
By way of contrast, a man with a minimal budget is Joe Moore, a plucky young entrepreneur who opened his second Crust Bros venue in Covent Garden last week. Moore is mentored by my friend Jason Myers, who has backed numerous hospitality success stories such as the Bancone Collection and the multiple award-winning Wild Tavern and Honey in the Cotswolds. After decades treading the restaurant floors himself, his chubby digits seem to have the golden touch.
Joe, like both myself and the aforementioned fat-fingered Jason, began his hospitality career aged 14 as a potwasher. Similarly to the incredible Kricket founder Rik Campbell, Joe was running a shipping container in the noughties and has graduated with flying colours. Joe opened his first Crust Bros in Waterloo in 2017, which was a fine year for a restaurateur to go it alone (if you fancy an entrée de Brexit, followed by a plat principal de pandemic). With the help of solid investors, he survived despite the headwinds and has since won twice at the National Pizza Awards. I joined Myers and Moore for an exceptionally good value Pomino Bianco DOC 2023 (only £50 a bottle – practically half price).
The amazing pizza at Crust Bros
The Neapolitan pizza at Crust Bros is all personalised and cooked in some impressive ovens at very impressive prices. Crusts rise, quality flavours merge and they will burn your mouth if you are greedy or melt in your mouth if you have patience. Bomba donuts will amuse your kids and one’s own palate in equal measures. If you are in Covent Garden in the coming weeks, support the little man, with the big ovens…
FREAK SCENE
The Evolv Collection opened a four month pop-up at 100 Wardour Street this month with chef Scott Hallsworth and his playful Pan Asian Freak Scene restaurant. It suits Soho spectacularly – Hallsworth’s punky décor and irreverence perfectly match the cocktails and small plates.
It’s well worth a stroll down Wardour Street to discover an innovative take on Sashimi (pizza), tempura (tacos), sushi (torched at the table) and much beyond… The duck red curry donut buns are my favourite dish of 2025, jerusalem artichokes with a jalapeno dip are genius, as are the kushi grilled shiitake skewers – perfect if you must bring a vegan friend to dinner.
We enjoyed a bottle of Ken Forrester’s FMC – F*&king Marvellous Chenin – (£110), which is always a delight, but a fantastic alternative are the Freak Scene Sake Bombs, followed by a Mujen Shochu Martini finisher: brilliant regardless of whether held with slim, silver ringed fingers or the golden alternatives.