From Hammersmith to Knightsbridge
Saturday, April 11th , 2026
Em Sherif is a Lebanese restaurant in Harrods, tucked away between various menswear designer sections on the second floor of the department store. It is an odd place for a restaurant, and the food felt like an afterthought. We tried quite a range of dishes, which ranged from acceptable to downright bad, and yet this is far from a cheap place. Part of a small chain of restaurants set up in the Middle East, I fail to see the appeal of Em Sherif.
The River Café is an institution in London, serving Italian food in a casual setting near the Thames in Hammersmith. It has always had a reputation for produce quality that is high but with prices to match. On previous visits I have never been convinced by the value for money factor, but at this latest meal the prices continued to spiral upwards but the food quality was down. An ordinary mini pizza and a disappointing risotto were very ordinary indeed, though a good lemon tart at least meant that the meal finished on a pleasing note. However, the prices are now steepling, especially for food at this level. The regulars seem entirely unperturbed, the dining room being busy, but this was a disappointing meal.
On another subject, I wrote a blog about the use of AI in restaurants.