About Liam.
Restaurants anchor many of my stories, but they are rarely where the story begins or ends.
Food and restaurants express a city and its culture. The conversations around the table, the neighbourhood outside, the people behind the pass, and the culture that shapes it often prove just as interesting and informative as the food itself. That is why this publication has gradually grown beyond restaurant reviews into something broader: an exploration of food, places and the ideas that connect them.
I’m Liam Collens, a restaurant critic, food and travel writer based in Dubai and the founder of EatGoSee. I’ve travelled to more than sixty countries.
In 2026, I co-authored The Rise of Indian Food (Phaidon) with Chef Himanshu Saini of Trèsind Studio, exploring the evolution of modern Indian cuisine and the forces shaping one of the world’s most dynamic culinary movements.
Here you’ll find independent restaurant criticism, destination guides, hotel reviews and recurring columns that examine hospitality, culture and travel with curiosity, scepticism and, where possible, a sense of humour. Whether I’m writing about a neighbourhood trattoria in Piemonte, a luxury hotel in London or the changing face of Dubai’s dining scene, I’m asking the same question:
Is this worth your time?
The purpose of criticism is not to find fault. Nor is it to celebrate everything indiscriminately. Good criticism pays close enough attention for praise to have meaning. It helps readers spend their time and money wisely while recognising the restaurants, destinations and people genuinely worth seeking out.
What you’ll find here
Restaurants
Independent reviews, guides, recommendations and observations from the places I visit.
Destinations
Cities, hotels, regions and neighbourhoods explored through the lens of food, hospitality and culture.
Columns
Recurring essays, including Uninvited Opinion, Amused Bouche and Something for the Weekend, alongside broader commentary on hospitality and the ideas that surround it. Uninvited Opinion is reserved for those visits I paid for and was not invied to. Where I have been invited, I say so in the piece. I also apply this approach to the other columns.
Cadence
Two to three emails a month.
Away from writing, I serve as Group General Counsel at Huda Beauty. At first glance, law and restaurant criticism appear to have little in common. In practice, they’ve shaped one another.
The legal profession teaches you to question assumptions, distinguish assertion from evidence and resist arriving at conclusions before you’ve gathered the facts. Those habits have become fundamental to how I write.
At a time when hospitality is increasingly filtered through promotional influencer content and articles generated at an industrial scale by people who have never visited the places they describe, I believe independent criticism matters more than ever. Every review and recommendation published here is based on first-hand experience, careful observation and the willingness to reach an honest conclusion, even when that conclusion is inconvenient.
My aim isn’t to tell you what to think. It’s to provide enough context, detail and judgement for you to decide for yourself.
Elsewhere
Alongside EatGoSee, my writing has appeared in publications including Vogue Arabia, FACT Magazine and Savoir Flair, as well as in other international titles. I’ve appeared on radio, podcasts, and hospitality panels, undertaken selected press trips, and regularly speak about restaurants, hospitality, and travel.
Website: EatGoSee | Instagram, et al: @itsliamcollens
If thoughtful criticism, memorable restaurants and the stories behind places are the sort of writing you enjoy, I’d be delighted to have you along.
