Smoked by AI · London · people

Tania Ballantine

Critic · Journalist — London restaurants, with a strong record on Chinese and other regional Asian cooking outside the West End.

starred restaurant reviewer for Time Out London, the desk SOURCES.md lists as mainstream-quality for London. Her reviews carry a star rating out of five and the Recommended flag, and they are written from a named visit to a named address rather than from a listing.

Their own reviews and picks.

Their own judgment, in their own words, by the piece it appeared in.

• Time Out London, 4 out of 5 stars ↗their review · 2024-10-03
  • KilnSoho

    “Sit at the back for the pyromaniac seats: a view into the kiln itself. Inside this small, insulated furnace, chestnut and oak logs are sent to their fiery end, the glowing embers occasionally removed to 'feed the grill'.”

• Time Out London, Berenjak review, four stars, Recommended. Filed under Soho at 27 Romilly St ↗their review · 2023-12-18
  • Berenjak SohoSoho

    “Berenjak is one of those joints Soho can't have too many of: vibrant and atmospheric, with very good food, eager-to-please staff, and a bill that won't kill.”

• Time Out London ↗their review · 2019-01-31
  • Xi'an BiangBiang Noodles (Aldgate East)Spitalfields

    “They're hand-pulled in the open kitchen, then slathered with any number of sauces and toppings, all delicious. Best of the lot has to be the beef and chilli.”

• Time Out London, 3 out of 5 stars ↗their review · 2019-01-22
  • Red FarmCovent Garden

    “My tip is to skip the more traditional Chinese fare and go for the US-Chinese fusion numbers instead. Like the ace pastrami egg roll - a stack of peppery pastrami wrapped in extra-thick pastry and deep-fried until golden. Cheeseburger spring rolls, likewise, were bizarre but brilliant, with a filling of soft diced beef and pickles.”