2022 has been a banner year for eating. Gourmand Gunno certainly benefited from a post-COVID restaurant rebound. Meals out became the norm again. Venues are in the business of providing not just top food and drink, but also atmosphere. That’s why diners such as your reviewer end up going out again, and again.
45 new reviews were added to the website through to the beginning of December – and there is more dining excitement to come this month. In addition, your reviewer managed to visit 15 different countries in 2022 and so the number of additions to the Global Gunno page of the website has also expanded. Below follow the key highlights –
Best meal of 2022: Lalique (opens in a new tab) in Bordeaux has to be the stand-out winner, ticking all boxes – vive la France! That said, your reviewer will be returning to Clare Smyth’s Core (opens in a new tab) (last reviewed in September 2020) later this month. Now with its third Michelin star, this venue may well give Lalique a run for its money.
Favourite London new openings: Lisboeta (opens in a new tab), Manteca (opens in a new tab) and Plaza Khao Gaeng (opens in a new tab). Serving up Portuguese, Italian and Thai respectively, these choices demonstrate the culinary vibrancy and vitality of the city.
Top curry: Always a highly contested category, given your reviewer’s love of Indian food, Mayfair’s Manthan (opens in a new tab) claims the prize. Go for the masala prawns.
Lovely local: The most serendipitous discovery of the year would be Briciole (opens in a new tab), an Italian nestled just off the Edgware Road which you can visit at any time of the day and linger for as long as you want.
Perennial winners: Gourmand Gunno revisited three of his all-time top-five venues during 2022. He is pleased to report that Bocca di Lupo (opens in a new tab), Hakkasan (opens in a new tab) and La Petite Maison (opens in a new tab) (Italian, Chinese and French, respectively) remain in fine form – although no new reviews added.
Honourable mentions: (1) Sarap (opens in a new tab) – a modern Filipino venue where you can (and we did) eat a whole suckling pig (2) Master Wei (opens in a new tab) – for a superb taste of Xi’an food in central London.
Foreign forays: Saltie Girl in Boston was one of the year’s coolest restaurant visits. A London branch has just opened. Beyond Boston, Bilbao, Madrid, Paris, Sao Paulo and San Francisco served up especially memorable meals. Check the best venues on Global Gunno (opens in a new tab).