Grays, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

2022 Review: Darren Bennett’s stalwart, serving up creative modern British cooking (including a well-regarded afternoon tea) “continues to be reliable in all respects”, whether you stop to take advantage of the set menus or its popular side act as a wedding and events venue.

A “seriously dramatic room” plays host to meals in the restored 1873 pump house at Chatham’s historic dockyard on the Medway, which has been converted into a distillery and restaurant by Bob Russell and his sons Matthew & Stephen. Top Menu Tip – “amazing roasts on Sundays”.

This smart neighbourhood restaurant and bar from Stuart Gillies, for many years Gordon Ramsay’s right-hand man, “never lets you down with quality, value or service – can’t get enough of this place”. The menu offers a mixture of classic British and modern European cuisine, with bottomless brunch on Saturdays and traditional roast on Sundays. There’s now a sibling restaurant on similar lines, Number Eight in Sevenoaks.

2024 Review: “In the heart of Essex, this fabulous fish restaurant” (est. 2010, and revolving around the “plush conversion of an old pub”) “offers amazing dishes and attentive service in a truly beautiful setting”. “It can be fun watching the TOWIE types amongst fellow diners”, but if that loses its appeal, divert your eyes to the “pleasant views from the terrace on a sunny day”.

This “independently owned and managed” old village inn “in a lovely setting” has been thoroughly stripped out and modernised, providing a comfortable venue for an upbeat menu that features oysters, Cornish caviar and a 500kg Chateaubriand steak to share.

2022 Review: ‘A welcoming hub for the local island community’ is the aim of this new all-day neighbourhood dining spot – the first to open on the developing London City Island, opposite The O2 and a short stroll via pedestrian bridge from Canning Town Tube & DLR. Launched at the worst of times – in late 2020 – it started as a deli/take-away but opened its bar and restaurant as lockdown eased.

A superb waterside position and outside terrace, with gorgeous Thames views over to The O2 earns a spot in the guide for this “warm and inviting historic pub”. It is run by Fullers nowadays, and is not as notable as the days (ten years ago) when it commanded lots of attention as part of ETM Group. But as an escape from Canary Wharf or for a scenic Sunday roast it’s still worth a trip.

Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al-Nahyan was – as of mid 2025 – rumoured to be on the verge of buying a £1 billion stake in Richard Caring’s restaurant empire, of which this famous brasserie chain is the crown jewel. Presumably, he’s more interested in ‘rolling out’ the brand in The Gulf and beyond rather than dropping by for a Salmon Fishcake and ‘Ivy Chocolate Bombe’, but if he’d asked the opinion of our annual diners’ poll, we’re not sure that he’d sign on the dotted line. “How can a restaurant with this heritage produce such uninspired, tick-box food?” is a question merited by its poor ratings, ditto what explains the “very slow and disinterested service”? The answer may be that “you don’t come here for the food, obviously” but for the “gorgeous” interior design and “picturesque” locations that continue to underpin their appeal. Let’s hope for the Sheikh’s sake that the middle classes of the Arab World are as undiscerning as those from the UK!

“Superlative food from an aspiring young chef” draws an appreciative crowd to this community-owned pub in a “lovely Kent village” – Alex Yates sends out “notably creative dishes chosen for flavour not curiosity”, while his wife Grace heads the “friendly, engaged and well-informed” FOH team. It’s very much a family operation: his father David, a former Balls Bros wine merchant, advises on a drinks list which offers “strikingly restrained prices”, while his grandmother provided the name – her family, the Bowleys, ran pubs in Kent. Top Menu Tip – “guinea fowl with an outstanding jus”.

With “high-quality food and very tasty cocktails”, this modern British venue from chef Tom Genty and co-founder Terry Brouet, who runs the front of house, offers what locals agree is “the best dining experience in the area by a mile”. Opened in 2021, its kitchen focuses on seasonal local ingredients, often fermented to intensify the flavours.

2024 Review: This “lovely old Essex pub” with a white wooden facade serves food that is “well above average for pub grub” – and its popularity means it “gets overcrowded and noisy” at times. Originally three weavers’ cottages from 1460, the building was converted two centuries later using beams salvaged from naval vessels docked at Tilbury. Top Menu Tip – “the skate wing is delicious”.

2024 Review: “A super addition to Bromley” – the borough’s old Town Hall has had £20m spent on a refit as a boutique hotel, complete with this new landmark dining room which launched in late 2022: an imposing chamber, with a soaring vaulted ceiling, wood-panelled walls and clerestory windows. It serves a menu of British classics, and is aiming to be a linchpin of the area. Our early feedback (and press reports) are up-and-down: one reporter liked the “very friendly staff and great building”, but thought “the menu needs to be a little more adventurous”. Another was “slightly disappointed all round, but went shortly after it opened and they were obviously still ironing out stuff”. (Both comments have echoes of Grace Dent’s review in The Guardian: “a gorgeous space…with a brief menu… service is delightful… prompt and friendly, but it’s hard to regard the place as much more than a cafe”).

“Finally an excellent option in Canary Wharf” – Jack Croft and Will Murray followed up their foodie hit Fallow with this “enormous” 500-seater in the “heartless financial district in which it’s oddly situated”. For local worker bees it’s “very convenient” for its “simple food done well”, and for those further afield “really worth a trip” down to the “utterly delicious and inventive” grilled meat (majoring in venison, hence the name), fish and veg, plus “decent sharing plates and flatbreads” too. “The eyecatching, huge dining room is an experience in itself” – on the plus side “the atmosphere positively hums”, but it can also feel like a “weird” space “due its flashy ‘newness’, grand scale and Dubai-esque aesthetic”. Top Menu Top – “great brunch dishes on the very flexible menu”; “Sunday roast lived up to the hype” too.

“A popular chain with an interesting and varied international menu” – “V.G. value too” – these Kiwi-run cafés are “still seeing off all of the competition” for their many fans. In particular, they do a “great brunch, and they’re right to boast about their filter coffee” – and given the volume of feedback they generate, there is remarkably little negative criticism. Depending on the venue and the time of day, they work equally well for a “working lunch meeting” or “families out for the day visiting the sights”. Top Menu Tip – “the cornbread is to die for”.