Gastronomy Blog

03 May

Bon Vivant’s Weekly Summary of Restaurant Reviews

Photo: Fig, Islington

Welcome to Bon Vivant’s summary of the critics’ restaurant reviews. Enjoy!

Giles Coren, The Times

Giles visits Fig, a ‘small’ ‘and dimly lit’ restaurant ‘nestling on a quiet residential street’ in Islington for ‘molecular gastronomy gone cosy and local’.

Smoked bone marrow was ‘extraordinary stuff’, bream ‘had a beautifully light touch: sweet and fruity flesh with a golden crisp to it’, the sweetbreads were ‘extraordinary’ and a plate of cheese was ‘very good’. 7 out of 10.

AA Gill, The Sunday Times

AA Gill reviews The Halibut, ‘a good restaurant, an exceptional one in Buckingham’ ‘that’s exceptional value’ where ‘the menu is short and has a flourish of international sophistication’.

Gbegiri soup, made with beans and dried fish, was ‘wonderful’, fish and chips ‘were very, very nice’ and chicken jollof was ‘made with a vibrant authenticity, bright flavours, big smiling mouthfuls’. 3 stars out of 5 for the food; 4 stars out of 5 for the atmosphere.

Pascal Wyse, The Guardian

Pascal visits the ‘nearly convincing’ Forbury’s in Reading, which has ‘excellent’ service but fights ‘the inkling that it might once have been a conference venue’.

Boudin of squid was ‘spongy and light, but had a hint of bitterness’, Cornish sole à la meunière was ‘tasty’ and ‘coated well’, duck confit ‘hadn’t crisped up, but the meat was moist and full flavoured’ and crème brûlée with coconut ‘felt’ ‘as if there wasn’t quite the right balance between sweet and sour’. No rating given.

Jay Rayner, The Observer

Jay visits Bristol Lido, in a ‘glass-walled and sun-drenched building’ in Bristol, where the menu, ‘which takes much of its inspiration from southern Europe’, ‘is a corker’.

The bread was ‘marvellous’, ravioli of venison was ‘very fine’, the wood-roasted fillet of grey mullet was ‘glossy and crisp and the flesh still falling apart on the fork’, a slow-roast shoulder of lamb was ‘a big, paunchy, self-assured dish’, rum and raisin ice cream was ‘boozy and rich’ and salted butter caramel ice cream ‘had that perfect balance of sweet, salt and lightly burnt’. No rating given.

Tracey MacLeod, The Independent

Tracey visits the ‘expensively neutral’ Petrus, where ‘there may not be anything dazzling about the food’ but it is ‘the ideal venue for a special occasion’.

Amuse bouche of fried fingers of polenta and onion velouté were ‘nothing too interesting’ offering ‘refined accomplishment over excitement’, watercress soup lacked ‘pepperiness’, tartar of yellow-fin tuna was ‘beautiful, but marginally underpowered’, roasted duck breast with confit leg was ‘fine’, roast lobster tail with braised pork belly ‘created a surf’n'turf combo of memorable pointlessness’ and desserts, including ‘a glossy chocolate sphere’, ‘showed a welcome flash of exuberance’. 3 stars out of 5 for the food and ambience; 4 stars out of 5 for the service.

Toby Young, The Independent on Sunday

Toby visits the ‘utilitarian’, ‘friendly’ ‘and very child-friendly’ Farmcafé & Foodmarket in Suffolk, ‘the best’ ‘local farm café’ ‘by a country mile’.

The Suffolk breakfast was ‘the kind of breakfast men dream about on the gallows’, with ‘fat and succulent’ sausages ‘full of rich, meaty flavour’ and ‘fantastic’ bacon, ‘not too salty, but not too bland, either’. 15 out of 20.

Jasper Gerard, The Telegraph

Jasper visits The Bingham in Richmond for ‘complex cooking masterfully executed’ ‘served with precision and pomp’ in a ‘grown up yet cool atmosphere’.

Smoked haddock risotto was ‘a buttery pleasure’, ‘succulent’ roast quail had ‘one lady purring with satisfaction’, slow-cooked suckling pig and seared scallop was ‘a lovely coupling’, ‘beautifully golden’ roast halibut was ‘a riot of tastes’ and puddings, including a rhubarb vacherin were ‘equally ambitious’. 8 out of 10.

Fay Maschler, The Evening Standard

Fay reviews Amico Bio, a ‘lacto-vegetarian restaurant’ with ‘a homely air’ where ‘Italian leaves and vegetables’ are given ‘the starring roles’.

Starters of chargrilled asparagus and chargrilled oyster mushrooms were ‘fine; chargrilling added interest to the vegetables’, a pasta dish of mafaldine ‘featured undercooked tough pasta’, a frittata of artichoke was ‘not the anticipated sunny flat omelette but a sort of beige envelope’ but the zucchine fritte were ‘crisp and light’. 3 stars out of 5.

Andy Lynes, The Metro

Andy reviews Zucca, a ‘delightful new neighbourhood Italian bistro that gets nearly everything right’.

Zucca fritti ‘sport a light batter that remains miraculously crisp to the last bite’, grilled sardines were ‘beautifully fresh’ and mozzarella with grilled fennel was ‘about as good as the cheese gets’.

Pigeon was ‘roasted to tender pink perfection’, the fillet of halibut was ‘evidence of carefully judged cooking’ but ‘excellent home-made pappardelle’ was ‘let down by an underpowered ragu of pork, veal and beef’ and linguine with spinach, chilli and garlic was ‘a bit bleh’. 4 stars out of 5.

Gourmet Traveller

The Gourmet Traveller visits the Sportsman in Kent, for ‘impeccable cooking and considerate sourcing of ingredients’ ‘in a relaxed, unpretentious setting’.

Rock Oysters were ‘plump and fleshy’, pork scratchings were ‘magnificent’, ‘crisp and remarkably light’ and chilled asparagus soup was ‘a little stunner’ with ‘simple elegant flavours’. The smoked widgeon was ‘distinctly gamey’ and ‘indifferent’, the brill fillet was ‘subtle and refined’ and ‘an absolute revelation’ and the lemon tart with meringue ice cream was ‘expertly balanced’. No rating given.

For further information on Bon Vivant, please visit www.bonvivant.co.uk

Posted on Monday, May 3rd, 2010 at 11:00 am under Restaurants .

26 Apr

Bon Vivant’s Weekly Summary of Restaurant Reviews

Photo: Bistrot Bruno Loubet

Welcome to Bon Vivant’s summary of the critics’ restaurant reviews. Enjoy!

Giles Coren, The Times

Giles visits Pétrus, where ‘not-nice food was served with endless fiddle-faddle and interruption’ in ‘a horrid room with no good tables in it’ that ‘feels like the lobby of a Thistle hotel’.

A ‘drab’ ‘plate of sweetbreads’ had ‘no crispness or nuttiness’, the pigeon was ‘ruby-red and glistening and tasted of playground nosebleed’, the John Dory was ‘very dry’, a plate of pork and black pudding was ‘wan and feeble’, fillet steak was ‘good’ and a beer chocolate pudding was ‘brutally and unexpectedly nasty’. 4.33 out of 10.

AA Gill, The Sunday Times

AA Gill visits Bistrot Bruno Loubet, a ‘modern, functional and crowded’ room where ‘the menu is short and brilliantly desirable’.

Snails and meatballs were ‘both musty and meaty, with layers of corrupting flavours that were fugitive and memorable’, pale skate terrine was ‘pressed and precious and pristine’ and a shoulder of lamb, a wood pigeon and a beef daube were ‘all dirty-fingered, rustic combinations’ ‘cooked with a slow care, presented with a functional care’. 4 stars out of 5 for the food and atmosphere.

Pascal Wyse, The Guardian

Pascal visits The Dogs in Edinburgh, which features ‘a list of sturdy British propositions at reasonable prices’.

Oxtail broth had ‘a stock you could tell was good from six feet away’, a smoked mackerel, beetroot and horseradish salad had ‘chunks of fish that were moist but free of repeating oiliness’ and ‘two thick slabs’ of bacon ‘arrived on a mound of colcannon and topped with a near-luminous parsley sauce’. 8.5 out of 10.

Jay Rayner, The Observer

Jay visits Pétrus, which ‘buzzes with the sound of people having a good time’ that ‘has many virtues’ but ‘the food isn’t one of them’, with a ‘shameful wine list’.

A white onion velouté was ‘soothing and professional, if dangerously sweet’, a starter of sweetbreads was ‘expertly cooked’, roast langoustine with watercress soup ‘could knock the ball out of the park were it not that the langoustine were overcooked’, lobster tail and pork belly ‘delivered both ingredients monotonously’, a duck dish was ‘let down by meanness with the sauce’ and a dessert of a hollow sphere of chocolate ‘finally offered the theatrics one wants for this sort of money’. No rating given.

John Walsh, The Independent

John visits Golden Day in Soho, with ‘the brash, Day-Glo colours of its double frontage’ and ‘sickly orange light’ ‘interior’.

The pig’s ear with chilli was ‘a small plate crammed with extremely cold and glutinous offcuts of what looked like anaemic bacon’, won ton soup was ‘blandness personified’, stir-fried chicken with white chilli pepper had ‘no particular flavours, beyond fishiness and smoke’, dry pot duck flavoured with baby ginger ‘sounded lovely’ but ‘was the worst duck dish’ ‘ever tasted’ and a side-order of choy sum was ‘watery but edible’. 1 star out of 5 for the food, ambience and service.

Lisa Markwell, The Independent on Sunday

Lisa finds it ‘hard to fault anything at Gordon Ramsay’s relaunched Petrus’ but ‘can’t find it in’ her ‘heart to recommend it either’.

Starters of roasted langoustine tails with watercress soup and confit potato and scallops with cauliflower and anchovy came with ‘theatrical sauce-pouring flourishes’, roast-beef fillet with braised shin was ‘tender and perfectly cooked’, pork fillet with Bayonne ham was ‘so light it’s as if inflated rather than cooked’ and desserts, including fennel crème brûlée and a chocolate sphere continued the feeling that ‘there is something so mannered about the dishes that we can’t get excited’. 15 out of 20.

Jasper Gerard, The Telegraph

Jasper visits The Dean Street Dining Room, a ‘dangerously fun’ ‘restaurant-hotel befitting its past’ in Soho.

‘Twice-cooked’ smoked haddock soufflé was ‘very high-class cooking’ ‘for a pub’, Lincolnshire onion tart was ‘tasty’ and ‘weeping with’ onions, pork cheeks with parsnip mash, glazed carrots and cider was ‘very good, though not the most melting’, the chicken in the chicken, bacon and leek pie was ‘niggardly and chewy, overpowered by bacon’ and the Queen of Puddings tasted ‘cheap and sugary’. 5 out of 10.

Fay Maschler, The Evening Standard

Fay visits Zucca, ‘a River Café with no river but meals at about a third of the price’ in Bermondsey.

Homemade breads were ‘impressive’, spaghettini with tomato sauce and salted ricotta was ‘just right’, the veal chop ‘was a rare sight on a menu’ ‘for £12.50’ and ‘grilled to a point where a blush of pink was retained’, roasted pigeon was ‘challenging to carve but’ ‘its seasoning was spot on and enlivening’ and an almond and rhubarb tart was ‘very good’. 4 stars out of 5.

Andy Lynes, The Metro

Andy visits the ‘too bland to be memorable’ Manson in Fulham, with ‘pleasant but unremarkable’ décor and ‘efficient’ service.

A starter of scallops with crab gratin was ‘rich and delicious’, a ‘nicely presented’ rump of lamb was ‘severely undercooked’ and the accompanying potato rosti ‘would also have benefited from more time in the pan’, a veal chop was ‘nicely grilled’ but ‘presented artlessly’ and macaroons were ‘dry and stale-tasting’. 2 stars out of 5.

Hugh Wright, Twelve Point Five Percent

Hugh visits Byron at The Intrepid Fox, a ‘relative newcomer to the ever-expanding gourmet burger market’ in Soho with ‘attentive, friendly and efficient’ service in a ‘very agreeable space with its exposed brick walls’ and ‘low-hanging lights’.

The Byron Burger (‘dry cure bacon, mature Cheddar, Byron sauce’) was ‘a very nice burger served simply’ with ‘nice and flat’ buns. The meat was ‘excellent’ and ‘perfectly’ ‘cooked’ ‘medium, beautifully pink, moist and oozing’, the Byron sauce was ‘perfectly pleasant’ but without ‘any discernible flavour’, both French and courgette fries were ‘crispy, hot and abundant’ but the courgette fries were ‘a little on the oily side’. No rating given.

For further information on Bon Vivant, please visit www.bonvivant.co.uk

Posted on Monday, April 26th, 2010 at 5:00 am under Restaurants .

19 Apr

Bon Vivant’s Weekly Summary of Restaurant Reviews

Photo: Bistrot Bruno Loubet

Welcome to Bon Vivant’s summary of the restaurant reviews from the weekend’s national newspapers. Enjoy!

Giles Coren, The Times

Giles visits Barrica, ‘quite a good little tapas joint’ on Goodge Street with ‘a lovely, woody, intimate feel and a fantastic list of sherries’.

Jamón ibérico cebo was ‘very good but not extraordinary’, pimientos de Padrón were ‘not salty enough’, escalivada was ‘really good’ and rich veal cheeks braised in pedro ximénez was ‘exceptionally good’. 7 out of 10.

Giles also visits El Pirata Detapas, a ‘good little tapas joint’ on Westbourne Grove, with a ‘good’ atmosphere and ‘friendly’ staff.

Jamón ibérico pata negra gran reserva was ‘very nice’, pimientos de Padrón were ‘not salty enough’, black rice, squid and black aioli was ‘excellent’ but slow-roasted pork belly was ‘less exciting’. 6 out of 10.

AA Gill, The Sunday Times

AA Gill visits the ‘hopelessly passé, utterly has-been’ Petrus, a ‘very uncomfortable, overdesigned space that seems effortfully old-fashioned’, where the waiters ‘were assiduous with their interruptions of conversation’.

The mackerel was ‘just a bit too insistently fishy’, a farmed pigeon breast was ‘bloody and rare’, the sweetbreads with sauerkraut were ‘dry, bland offal that came with sour slop’, the john dory ‘had been overcooked’ and ‘had a firm texture that had dried out to a coarse, cartilaginous toughness’ and a steak with stewed shin was ‘safe and simple, and the best bit of the evening’. 1 star out of 5 for the food and atmosphere.

Matthew Norman, The Guardian

Matthew visits My Dining Room, a new gastropub in Fulham with ‘totally authentic, gutsy/peasanty French cooking’ where he was ‘struck by the quality of the restaurant at the back and the warmth of the bar staff at the front’.

A charcuterie board came ‘almost overladen with excellent hams and great, garlicky salamis’, fish and chips was ‘perfect’, ‘fresh fish, well fried, cracking chips’ and bavette steak was ‘a bit chewy’ but ‘had enough depth of flavour not to need the peppercorn sauce ordered on the side, delicious though that was’. 8.75 out of 10.

Jay Rayner, The Observer

Jay visits Bistrot Bruno Loubet and thinks ‘it’s what restaurant are meant to be like’.

A guinea fowl boudin blanc with peas, ham and barley ‘was good’ and ‘close to miraculous for £7 in London’, the hare with ravioli of puréed onion and soft pumpkin purée resulted in ‘gosh’, and ‘the nearest I can come to a criticism is that the caramel and salted butter ice cream’ ‘was a little over salted’. No rating given.

Tracey MacLeod, The Independent

Tracey visits the Royal Oak in Maidenhead, ‘a haven of glowing wood, distressed leather couches and polished flagstones’.

Scotch eggs ‘only missed out on greatness because of an unnecessary sprinkling of sea-salt’, the lasagne was ‘superb’, and main courses were ‘perfect’, including oxtail and kidney pie that ‘combined meltingly soft meat with lardons, carrots and mushrooms under a dome of suet-rich pastry’ and rib of beef that came with ‘impeccable roast potatoes’. Yorkshire rhubarb trifle ‘needed more of an alcoholic kick’ but baked Alaska was ‘a superb reinvention of a classic’. 4 stars out of 5 for the food; 3 stars out of 5 for the ambience; 5 stars out of 5 for the service.

Toby Young, The Independent on Sunday

Toby was a ‘little disappointed’ with his visit to Osteria Dell’Angolo, a ‘posh Italian in Westminster’, which wasn’t ‘quite firing on all cylinders’ with ‘below par’ service.

The roast quail was ‘packed with flavour’, an octopus carpaccio was ‘overdressed’, a fillet of beef with sautéed spinach was ‘perfectly cooked’, the scallops were ‘delicious’ and the risotto was ‘spot-on’. 12 out of 20.

Zoe Williams, The Telegraph

Zoe visits the ‘brilliant’ Bistrot Bruno Loubet at the Zetter hotel.

The guinea fowl boudin blanc with ham, peas and barley was ‘so good’, ‘marvellous’ and ‘defied expectations’, a confit lamb shoulder had ‘spot on’ accompaniments, the wood pigeon with cauliflower, almond and quinoa, with ‘magnificent’ giblet gravy was ‘a revelation’ and the apple and quince millefeuille ‘alternated between great and good’. From a trio of ice cream, the cherry was ‘mind-expandingly good’ the Valrhona chocolate was ‘brilliant’ but the piña colada was ‘only so-so’. 8.5 out of 10.

Jasper Gerard, The Telegraph

Jasper visits the Swan at Southrop, which is ‘faultlessly tasteful’ where ‘the menu is too long but good value’.

The whitebait was ‘terrific’, the foie gras with fried egg and toast was ‘excellent’, a roast chump of Southrop lamb with flageolet beans, bacon, rosemary and spinach was ‘good cooking for a pub’ but the lamb was ‘fatty’ and the char-grilled 28-day hung Cotswold rib-eye steak looked ‘perkily, pinkily perfect’. 7 out of 10.

Fay Maschler, The Evening Standard

Fay visits Restaurant Michael Nadra in Chiswick, where the cooking is ‘heartbreakingly effortful’.

The terrine of pork, foie gras, chicken, wood pigeon and rabbit with walnuts and celeriac remoulade was ‘too dense, dun-coloured and unyielding to be anything like delicious’, seared yellowfin tune ‘was accompanied by the best soft-shell crab I have ever eaten’ and the ham hock ravioli was ‘a marvellous assembly’.

Halibut with brown shrimps was ‘squelched by strong flavours’ and ‘elaborately conceived’ main courses, including roast cod with sautéed squid, spicy chorizo, pipérade and gremolata ‘risked inducing taste bud exhaustion’. 3 stars out of 5.

Marina O’Loughlin, The Metro

Marina visits Brasserie Blanc, which ‘looks good’ with ‘super-helpful staff’, but which still is ‘not good enough’.

The ‘fluffiest, most pneumatic’ Bleu des Causses soufflé had ‘a sweet crunch of balsamic walnuts’, a plateful of salad looked ‘like a 1970s hippy dream’, slow-cooked veal and beef stroganoff suggest ‘indifferent meat’, and chicken breast ‘atop a shocker of a risotto’ was ‘tasteless and gluey’. 2 stars out of 5.

Chris Pople, Cheese and Biscuits

Chris had an ‘uncomfortable’ experience at Terroirs, where he ‘found the menu quite difficult to decipher’ and ‘the dishes, though well-cooked and using good ingredients, were clumsily constructed’.

The charcuterie was ‘perfectly good’, with a ‘particularly good’ terrine, clams, ham, garlic and chilli were ‘interesting enough’, panacotta was ‘pretty good with a nice bitter Campari and orange accompaniment which did its job well’ and ‘the first couple of mouthfuls’ of Rum Baba ‘were delicious’ but became ‘a bit more of a chore’. 6 out of 10.

For further information on Bon Vivant, please visit www.bonvivant.co.uk

Posted on Monday, April 19th, 2010 at 11:57 am under Restaurants .

12 Apr

Bon Vivant’s Weekly Summary of Restaurant Reviews

Photo: The Harwood Arms

Welcome to Bon Vivant’s summary of the restaurant reviews from the weekend’s national newspapers. Enjoy!

Giles Coren, The Times

Giles visits L’Art du Fromage, a ‘fascinating, original and charming’ place that ‘looks like a ski chalet’ and is ‘a real treat’.

An ‘old-skool’ French onion soup was ‘excellent’, deep-fried Munster balls were ‘great’ and a ‘tremendous’ tarte flambée Strasbourgeoise was ‘light, crispy, savoury, sublime’. The tarte flambée aux pommes with calvados was ‘almost too much’, the white cheese and goat ice creams were ‘lovely’, but the Roquefort ice cream was ‘a serious challenge’. 8 out of 10.

AA Gill, The Sunday Times

AA Gill visits The Harwood Arms, ‘a typical urban Victorian pub’ where the food ‘is made with an easy, relaxed, even jaunty accomplishment’.

The food was ‘better than you’d reasonably expect in a gastropub’, including warm smoked-eel tart with rhubarb, salted ox tongue with cauliflower-cheese croquettes, lamb chops with haggis, kale and pickled cabbage and snails with braised oxtail, parsley and bone marrow that ‘was worth the trip’. Puddings were ‘like the last five minutes of a romcom: soppy, sweet, wet and warm, a big sentimental sob, with custard’. 4 stars out of 5 for the food; 2 stars out of 5 for the atmosphere.

Matthew Norman, The Guardian

Matthew visits the ‘soul-chilling’ Colony, with ‘palpably untrained staff’.

Starters were ‘no worse than abysmal’, “Crisp” calamari were ‘soggy’, crab in pastry ‘left a bitter, curry powder aftertaste’ and fennel-marinated lamb chops were ‘overcooked lumps of nasty meat’.

Kedgeree ‘tasted like rice thrown into a pan of stale oil and sluiced around with burnt hot dog onions and some unidentifiable fish’, grilled tiger prawn caesar salad ‘raised the inedibility bar’ and a pot of chicken stew tasted ‘solely of lime-infused goat’s milk’. 0.05 out of 10.

Jay Rayner, The Observer

Jay visits Blythswood Square in Glasgow where ‘there are signs of competence’ ‘in a grand, echoey room’ with ‘charming and efficient’ service.

A foie gras mousse was ‘light and creamy’, but ‘obliterated by a layer of overly sweet sherry jelly’, scallops were ‘sensitively seared’ but ‘there is no excuse for turning basmati rice into a starchy purée’, duck was ‘tough’, black truffle gnocchi were ‘a travesty’ and a lemon posset was ‘smooth, creamy’ and ‘expert’. No rating given.

John Walsh, The Independent

John visits Manson in Fulham, which has a ‘naïve rustic charm’ and a ‘real urban sophistication’ with its ‘warm and welcoming interior’.

Mussels were ‘huge’ and as ‘soft as a kiss from a Disney gazelle’, scallops on a bed of lightly breadcrumbed crabmeat was ‘heaven, a paradisiacal wedding of seafood flavours’, stone bass was a ‘triumph’ and ‘looked beautiful’, braised pork belly was ‘amazingly moist and succulent’ and a Sailor Jerry rum baba with tropical fruit and crème Chantilly was ‘bliss’ and ‘beyond description’. 4 stars out of 5 for the food; 3 stars out of 5 for the ambience and service.

Jasper Gerard, The Telegraph

Jasper visits Petrus, where Gordon Ramsay is ‘in the process of reinventing himself with faultless, unfussy interpretations of classic combinations’.

An ‘unimprovable’ amuse bouche of white onion velouté was ‘thick, creamy and full of chives’, the lobster ‘reclined on a sun lounger of pork like a fair English beauty pinkening by the pool’, boiled beef cheeks with root vegetables and cardamom consommé was ‘almost as delicious, though not quite such eye candy’ and the puddings ‘excel’ including a chocolate sphere and thinly sliced pineapple with coconut pannacotta. 8 out of 10.

Fay Maschler, The Evening Standard

Fay visits ‘the rather fine’ Petrus, which has ‘an agreeable sense of intimacy’ and ‘friendly rather than formal’ service.

‘Most impressive among the starters’ were sautéed scallops in an anchovy-and-caper-studded beurre noisette, and a ‘perfectly constructed cylinder’ of yellow fin tuna tartare topped with caviar. A whole baked John Dory was ‘terrific’, Scottish lobster tail with braised pork belly was ‘beautifully prepared’, a fennel crème brûlée was ‘eerily lovely’ and the chocolate sphere with milk ice cream and honeycomb was ‘probably what people mean when they talk of food to die for’. 4 stars out of 5.

David Sexton, The Evening Standard

David visits Paradise by Way of Kensal Green, a ‘slick, impressive’ and ‘ambitious restaurant, more clubby than pubby’, with ‘speedy and likeable’ service.

Smoked mackerel and Drambuie paté was ‘moist and flavoursome with a sweet tang to it’, sea bream was ‘a big, well-cooked fillet, salty and buttery, accompanied by half a dozen excellent gratinated little clams’, mashed potato was ‘incredibly rich and buttery’, but organic salmon with a pistachio crust was an ‘oddity, the dish tasting peculiarly sweet and, in the end, cloying’. 3 stars out of 5.

Marina O’Loughlin, The Metro

Marina ‘joins the daily growing chorus of praise’ for Bistrot Bruno Loubet, which serves ‘massive, un-poncey flavours wrung from the odd unlikely ingredient’.

An ‘overbearing and ludicrously rich’ hare was the ‘richest, stickiest, most savoury thing I’ve eaten’, ‘sultry’ onion soup came with a ‘fabulous’ gruyère soufflé, a daube of beef was a ‘silky, spoonable beauty’, puddings were ‘fabulous’, but gratin dauphinois was ‘greyish and staggeringly bland’. 3 stars out of 5.

For further information on Bon Vivant, please visit www.bonvivant.co.uk

Posted on Monday, April 12th, 2010 at 10:55 am under Restaurants .

29 Mar

Bon Vivant’s Weekly Summary of Restaurant Reviews

Photo: Apsleys at The Lanesborough Hotel

Welcome to Bon Vivant’s summary of the restaurant reviews from the weekend’s national newspapers. Enjoy!

Giles Coren, The Times

Giles ‘loved’ ‘the stuttering grandeur of the dining room’ and the ‘niceness and jollity’ of the staff at Apsleys at The Lanesborough Hotel.

A pre-starter of arancini was ‘pointless’ and ‘dull’, a lobster and avocado starter was ‘nothing but a £24 teaspoonful of filling from a posh club sandwich’, a veal and artichoke and truffle terrine was ‘delicious but too tiny to count as food’ and artichoke soup with a pale sliver of ‘tasteless’ lobster was ‘bitter and rank’.

A roasted pigeon dish was ‘chewy’, a ‘carbonara fagottelli’ was ‘okay, if a bit half-hearted’ with ‘no oomf’ and puddings were ‘classic posh hotel, overwrought and cloying’. 5 out of 10.

AA Gill, The Sunday Times

AA Gill reviews Galvin La Chapelle, which ‘sets out to impress, flatter and indulge’, where ‘the service is a bit like being frisked by lonely moles’.

A velouté of chestnuts and duck confit was ‘fine’ and ‘insipid’, two escabeche dishes were ‘as tepid as a royal handshake’ and yellowfin tuna with aubergine caviar and coriander was ‘only an affectation and £7 away from Yo! Sushi’.

A roe venison was ‘bland’, a ‘competent’ Bresse pigeon was ‘good, but really could have done with being bigger and bolder’ and a ‘classic and well made’ tarte tatin was ‘the best thing on the menu’. 3 stars out of 5 for the food; 2 stars out of 5 for the atmosphere.

Matthew Norman, The Guardian

Matthew visits the ‘cheap and cheerless’ Bibis Italianissimo in Leeds, which has the ‘ersatz glitz of the outsized Las Vegas cocktail lounge’.

Spaghetti with spicy meatballs came with ‘limp’ pasta that ‘bore the weight of nasty, overcooked spheres of unidentifiable meat’, spaghetti frutti di mare was ‘technically edible’, veal al limone was ‘tasteless, overcooked and chewy’ and an affogato was ‘almost adequate’. No rating given.

Jay Rayner, The Observer

Jay visits L’Art du Fromage, a ‘rather sweet little place’ ‘run by charming, earnest French boys’ in Chelsea.

A cheese on toast starter was ‘interesting enough’ but the accompanying salad was ‘underdressed and filled with floppy, undercooked lardoons’ and the fondue Savoyarde was ‘a dismal affair’ with a ‘shallow and dull’ flavour. A goat’s cheese ice cream was ‘sweet with a fine acidity’, the cream-cheese ice cream was ‘insipid’ and the Roquefort ice cream was ‘the stuff of blood-soaked nightmares’. No rating given.

John Walsh, The Independent

John visits the ‘small’, ‘crowded and cosy’ 36 on the Quay in Hampshire, which has a ‘lovely’ setting ‘overlooking the sea at Emsworth’.

An amuse bouche of Jerusalem artichoke soup was ‘scorching hot and a little too oily’, a starter of pigeon breasts with black pudding was ‘delicious’ but ‘quite an assault on the tastebuds’ and ‘didn’t work as a duet’ and scallops were ‘heavily seared, rich and densely flavoured’.

The mains ‘showed the same tendency towards random excess’, including a ‘juicy and beautifully cooked’ loin of venison with a timbale of braised red cabbage, glazed fondant potato, fricassee of caramelised swede and baby onions, and a seabass that was ‘too complicated’ and ‘wasn’t a wild success’. 2 stars out of 5 for the food; 4 stars out of 5 for the ambience and service.

Toby Young, The Independent on Sunday

Toby visits Yoshi Sushi in Hammersmith, which ‘isn’t fancy or trendy but serves a perfectly prepared selection of fresh fish every day’.

Prawn tempura was ‘succulent and not too greasy’, yaki buta niku (fried belly pork with vegetables in a spicy sauce) was ‘irresistibly moreish’ and the maki and nigiri were ‘full of rich, fishy flavours’. 17 out of 20.

Jasper Gerard, The Telegraph

Jasper visits Paris House in Woburn, Bedfordshire, where the kitchen has ‘serious intent’.

A Scotch egg had ‘light perfectly fried breadcrumbs encasing lovely soft quail’s yolk and good sausage meat’, kedgeree was ‘so fresh and flavoursome’, the gravlax ‘looks beautiful’ but ‘excites less on the palate than the plate’, a loin of ‘sublime’ venison was ‘marvellously tender’ and ‘exquisitely subtle’, but duck à l’orange was ‘spoilt by overly salty duck confit, and overly sweet carrot and vanilla purée’. No rating given.

Fay Maschler, The Evening Standard

Fay enjoys the ‘simple pleasures’ of Caravan, a ‘diverting, relaxing’ and ‘rationally priced’ new restaurant on Exmouth Market, where the staff are ‘welcoming and clued-up’.

A falafel with a sweet apple and pepper relish was ‘wonderfully light’, pickled mackerel with sweetcorn, avocado and jalapeno was ‘a bit chilli-lite the first time but the dial had been turned up on the second try’ and house-cured organic salmon with sesame cucumber was ‘as good as’ the ‘peppered tuna with broad bean and ginger vinaigrette’. 4 stars out of 5.

Liz Hoggard, The Evening Standard

Liz visits the ‘fun, safe’ and ‘just a bit edgy’ Guerilla Burgers, where the menu is ‘unambitious’ and the music ‘ear-splittingly loud’.

The salmon in the fish tacos ‘had been grilled to death’, the chicken bites were ‘gritty’, the cobb burger and rodeo burger were ‘cardboard’, but the sweet potato fries were ‘delicious’. 1 star out of 5.

Marina O’Loughlin, The Metro

Marina visits ‘clean’ and ‘fresh’ Caravan on Exmouth Market, which is ‘staffed by enchanting, helpful and attractive people’, where the ‘menu is crammed with intriguing stuff’.

The falafel was ‘light and fluffy’ and food ‘doesn’t get easier or much nicer’ than ‘perfectly ripe’ avocado on grain toast with olive oil, lemon and chilli flakes.

The soft-shell crab was ‘on the flabby side’ and the squid was ‘mighty chewy’, but an espresso was ‘almost chocolately’ and the flat white was ‘a thing of creamy gorgeousness’. 3 stars out of 5.

For further information on Bon Vivant, please visit http://www.bonvivant.co.uk.

Posted on Monday, March 29th, 2010 at 11:29 am under Restaurants .

22 Mar

Bon Vivant’s Weekly Summary of Restaurant Reviews

Photo: Bistrot Bruno Loubet

Welcome to Bon Vivant’s summary of the restaurant reviews from the weekend’s national newspapers. Enjoy!

Giles Coren, The Times

Giles visits a ‘rammed’ and ‘understaffed’ Pizza Express in London.

An Insalata Semplice with ‘pale, crunchy tomatoes’ had ‘so little flavour’ and mozzarella that was ‘pointless’, ‘cold, grainy and without flavour’.

A Calabrese pizza ‘tasted like a faintly Mexicanised jam roly-poly’ and the base ‘was as slack and doughy as ever’. The Mia Sofia was ‘better’ but ‘suffered from the same disastrously sloppy base’. 2 stars out of 10.

AA Gill, The Sunday Times

AA Gill reviews Alimentum in Cambridge, in ‘an ugly, unfanciably thin room’ where ‘the menu’s fine’.

A starter of potato velouté poured over ‘too salty’ smoked haddock and a quail’s egg ‘tasted fine’ but was ‘too little’ and ‘too tepid’, a beef main ‘came with an excellent truffled pomme purée’ and a banana parfait resembled a ‘slimy Instant Whip’. 3 stars out of 5 for the food; 1 star out of 5 for the atmosphere

Matthew Norman, The Guardian

Matthew visits The Magdalen Arms in Oxford, a ‘gleaming gem’ with ‘an engagingly boho feel’.

Beetroot, goat curds and mint was ‘utterly delicious’, mussels cooked in crab broth were ‘plump, tasty little chaps’, ‘home-cured duck ham, quince and hazelnut salad’ was ‘a winner’, and potted shrimps with gently pickled cucumber were ‘lusciously buttery’.

The main courses ‘induced murderous envy’, including a ‘beautifully understated’ roast wood pigeon with braised chicory and semolina gnocchi and ‘remarkably tender’ slow cooked pork with ‘delectably crispy’ polenta, and the puddings ‘were terrific’. No rating given.

Jay Rayner, The Observer

Jay visits Eddie Gilbert’s, a ‘classy re-engineering of the working-class café’ with ‘intriguing fish cookery’ and ‘lots of flair’ in Ramsgate.

A boiled egg and soldiers, involving a duck egg and strips of breaded and deep fried smoked eel ‘speaks of smarts in the kitchen’ and fritto misto was ‘just a grown-up fish and chips’ with ‘expertly fried fish’. Desserts were ‘especially impressive’, including an ‘exemplar’ chocolate fondant and a rum and raisin ice cream that was ‘something very special indeed’. No rating given.

Tracey MacLeod, The Independent

Tracey visits Bistrot Bruno Loubet, a ‘buzzy, bustling place which already feels like it’s been around for ages’ in Clerkenwell.

Starters, including an onion and cider soup and a “revised” Lyonnaise salad ‘trod a sure path between artlessness and finesse’.

A main of beef daube was ‘meltingly soft and served with luxurious mousseline potatoes’, and lamb shoulder, accompanied by white beans and green harissa, ‘tasted great’. 4 stars out of 5 for the food and ambience; 3 stars out of 5 for the service.

Lisa Markwell, The Independent on Sunday

Lisa visits Bistrot Bruno Loubet in the ‘cool-for-cats’ Zetter hotel in Clerkenwell.

A skate terrine was ‘a wonderful dish’ and the beetroot ravioli looked ‘peculiar’ but tasted ‘superb’. A daube of beef was ‘seriously high-class comfort food’, a pan-fried breast of wood pigeon was ‘piquant and woody’, and a dessert of Valrhona chocolate tartlet, caramel and salted butter ice-cream was ‘lip-smacking gorgeousness’ and ‘quite simply, the best desert I’ve eaten in recent memory’. 17 out of 20.

Zoe Williams, The Telegraph

Zoe had ‘dramatic highs and lows’ at the ‘not uncool’ Caponata in Camden.

A starter of gnocchi with gorgonzola and treviso radicchio ‘looked like regurgitated dog food’ and was ‘utterly repellent’, and the tuna with a cumin and pistachio crust was ‘springy and attractive’.

A saddle of rabbit and black truffle was ‘earthy and extremely powerful yet sophisticated’, and a grilled fillet of venison was ‘delicious’ and ‘endlessly tasty’, but a chocolate cone filled with banana mousse dessert was a ‘disaster’. 4 stars out of 10.

Fay Maschler, The Evening Standard

Fay visits the Canton Arms, ‘a big, fairly ramshackle pub’ with ‘extraordinarily reasonable prices’ in Stockwell.

The foie gras toastie was ‘the bar snack of the year’, butterbean and black cabbage broth had a ‘tang of bacon’ that ‘might have tripped up a vegetarian’, and a bowl of steamed mussels was ‘perfect’ in its ‘simplicity’.

A steak pie with ‘rich, dark gravy and buttery shortcrust pastry’ was ‘excellent’, a ‘French textbook’ cassoulet featured white beans with ‘precisely the right texture’ and a little chocolate pot dessert topped with pouring cream was ‘the ideal dessert’. 4 stars out of 5.

Marina O’Loughlin, The Metro

Marina reviews Seventeen, a ‘soulless, inept place’ in Notting Hill, where the food is ‘some of the nastiest stuff I’ve encountered in recent years’.

The smoked eel had ‘the texture of biltong and the fragrance of fish Whiskas’ and ‘Seventeen Tiger Shrimps’ were ‘pneumatic, woolly, shell-on behemoths in a gritty, beige sauce’. Mapo tofu and spicy beef salad were ‘pleasant enough but remarkable for their lack of ballsiness’ and choi sum in ginger was ‘surprisingly, perfectly pleasant’. No rating given.

For more information about Bon Vivant, please visit our website at www.bonvivant.co.uk

Posted on Monday, March 22nd, 2010 at 11:33 am under Restaurants .

15 Mar

Bon Vivant’s Weekly Summary of Restaurant Reviews

Photo: Bistrot Bruno Loubet

Welcome to Bon Vivant’s summary of the restaurant reviews from the weekend’s national newspapers. Enjoy!

Giles Coren, The Times

Giles visits Bistrot Bruno Loubet at the Zetter hotel in Clerkenwell, which ‘is what a bistro is supposed to be’, where the wine list is ‘a joy’.

A starter of ‘big and relaxed and meaty and totally undisgusting’ Mauricette snails and meatballs with royale de champignons was ‘corking’, a beetroot ravioli was ‘tight, sweet’ and ‘mouth-filling’ and a ‘Revised Lyonnaise salad’ with Beaujolais dressing was ‘soooo tasty’, ‘so rich and sticky and somehow sombre with meatiness’.

A main of English rose veal was ‘beautiful, sweet’ and Hare Royale, with onion raviolo, pumpkin and dried mandarin purée, was ‘fantastic’. 8 out of 10.

Kate Spicer, The Sunday Times

Kate visits Crab Shakk in Glasgow, which is ‘sceney, but in an unintimidating, mellow way’, with ‘smiley and attentive service’.

Scallops came with ‘a sweet and feisty sage and anchovy butter that was asking to be soaked up with slices of bread’, tempura squid ‘came with a spiky soy and coriander sauce’ but ‘the batter looked a teeny bit undercooked and greasy’.

The crab cakes were ‘deservedly’ ‘famous’ and ‘near to perfect’, a panna cotta was ‘very good’ and a chocolate with ‘soggy pastry’ was ‘forgettable’. 3 stars out of 5 for the food; 4 stars out of 5 for the ambiance.

Matthew Norman, The Guardian

Matthew visits Zilli Green in Soho, and finds ‘a total shocker’ of a vegetarian restaurant with ‘huge mark-ups on dead cheap ingredients’ and ‘justifiably morose staff’.

A basket of bread was ‘so overwhelmingly flavoured with garlic chippings’ and a brodetto di legumi was ‘a baby-food mush of barley, spelt, lentil and yellow split bean that boldly shrugged off the attentions of its ingredients to taste solely of salt’.

The main courses ‘ranged from the average to the arrestable’, including a ‘lazy, pointless and dementedly oversalted’ spaghetti al quattro pomodori and a tagliatelle with porcini and white truffle oil that was ‘all right’. A tricolore salad was ‘an outrage at £5.50’ and a dairy-free tiramisu was ‘a subliminal advert for dairy produce’. No rating given.

Jay Rayner, The Observer

Jay visits the Canton Arms in Stockwell for ‘rustic, solid’ food with ‘big flavours’ and ‘no ingredient frottage’ where the menu is ‘admirably short’.

A haggis toastie was ‘dense and meaty’, a braised shoulder of blackface mutton was ‘proper dinner’, the house terrine was ‘thick and dense’ and ‘an exemplar of its kind’, and a treacle tart was ‘startlingly light’. No rating given.

John Walsh, The Independent

John visits Caravan, a ‘something-for-everyone eaterie’ in Clerkenwell, where ‘the waiters’ are ‘attentive’ and ‘the food mostly delicious’.

An amuse-bouche of miso soup poured over smoked trout was ‘delicious’, falafel was ‘nicely moist’ and a soft-shelled crab in a light batter was ‘brilliantly clean-tasting’.

The salt and Sichuan pepper squid was ‘delicious, hot and zingy’, a warm smoked duck, pear and walnut salad was ‘a masterclass in complementary textures’ and a veal schnitzel ‘came finely breadcrumbed and tender, yummily accessorised with gypsy potatoes’. 3 stars out of 5.

Toby Young, The Independent on Sunday

Toby visits The Gay Hussar in Soho, where ‘it quickly becomes clear that its best years are behind it’.

Chilled wild-cherry soup was ‘disappointing’, fried mushrooms with tartare sauce were ‘a little on the greasy side’ and Dutch calves’ liver sautéed with onions, bacon and paprika was ‘a shocker’. 11 out of 20.

Zoe Williams, The Telegraph

Zoe visits The West House, a ‘mainly wonderful, partly weird’ restaurant in Kent.

The bread, with a condiment of whipped pork dripping, was ‘wonderful’ and ‘delicious’, cured foie gras with caramel pineapple, sweet wine jelly and sesame crunch was ‘lovely but weird’ and a warm haddock carpaccio with bacon dressing was ‘lovely, far more predictable’.

A main of fried pig’s head and roast pork belly was ‘the star of the show’, ‘profoundly piggy’, with ‘not a thing out of place, not an ingredient missing or overdone’.

A dessert called ‘All the Fun of the Fair’ was ‘a disaster’, but the treacle tart ‘was totally beautiful’. 7.5 out of 10.

Jasper Gerard, The Telegraph

Jasper visits Table, an ‘impressive, thoughtful restaurant’ in Brighton.

A porcini, celery heart and mascarpone risotto was ‘creamy but firm’ but ‘the volume on the porcini could be raised a notch’, and ‘delicious’ and ‘light and fluffy’ gnocchi with braised oxtail ‘looked lovely’.

A tranche of turbot, red wine lentils, pancetta and salsa verde was ‘fresh, moist and chunky’, a skirt steak was ‘chargrilled perkily pink’ and chocolate nemesis dessert was ‘a faithful tribute to an all-time classic’. 7 out of 10.

Fay Maschler, The Evening Standard

Fay ‘sees the return of a master’ with ‘prices that are eminently fair’ at Bistrot Bruno Loubet at The Zetter hotel in Clerkenwell.

A ‘Revised’ Lyonnaise salad was ‘effortful in a way that seems churlish to criticise’, a black bream fillet in bouillabaisse with rouille was ‘a bright idea’ and a confit of lamb shoulder with white beans was ‘completely pleasing’.

The hare royale with an onion raviolo and a pan-fried breast of wood pigeon was ‘masterful’, and desserts of crème fraîche and rhubarb brioche tart and a ‘brittle chocolate confection with molten centre’ were ‘also unassailable’. 4 stars out of 5.

Posted on Monday, March 15th, 2010 at 11:35 am under Restaurants .

08 Mar

Bon Vivant’s Weekly Summary of Restaurant Reviews

Photo: The Prange, Pimlico

Welcome to Bon Vivant’s summary of the restaurant reviews from the weekend’s national newspapers. Enjoy!

Giles Coren, The Times

Giles warns you to ‘steer clear’ of Babbo in Mayfair, which ‘looks nice’ but they serve ‘competent food at ridiculous prices’ with ‘sickening’ service.

The menu is ‘carpet-chompingly expensive’, including a ‘dry melanzane parmigiana cut into a cylinder with a pastry shaper like some MasterChef horror of the Loyd Grossman era’, ‘good’ risotto, ‘good’ pasta and a ‘very good’ cup of coffee.

2.67 out of 10.

Matthew Norman, The Guardian

Matthew has ‘a gargantuan and excellent Szechuan meal’ at Ba Shu before crossing the road to review its sister restaurant, Ba Shan, where the kitchen ‘responded heroically’ and the waiters were ‘charming by any standards, let alone by those of Chinatown’.

Pot-sticker dumplings were ‘plump, juicy parcels of porcine goodness’, dry wok prawns ‘came all crunchy in their shells and suffused with freshly crushed spices’, and diced rabbit in a pile of chillies was ‘a nostalgic delight’. No rating given.

Jay Rayner, The Observer

Jay visits Glamorous, a Chinese restaurant in Manchester, and finds ‘confused waiters’ and ‘forlorn food’.

Char sui buns were ‘soft and light’ but ‘hardly exemplary’, strands of squid ‘had at least been greaselessly deep-fried’ and seafood in a scallop and prawn dumpling ‘had a pleasing bite, but the sticky rice-flour casing was far too thick and gelatinous’. No rating given.

Tracey MacLeod, The Independent

Tracey has a twenty-four hour ‘gastro-tour’ of Glasgow, starting with ‘seafood specialist’, Crabshakk, which has ‘crisp but friendly service and decent prices’.

Crab cakes were ‘generously stuffed with white crabmeat spiked with chilli and parsley’ and ‘benefited from the simple treatment’. Breaded and fried plaice was ‘meltingly fresh’ but the truffle oil in the accompanying mayonnaise ‘was rather too dominant’.

For dinner, Tracey visited Dining Room in a ‘gorgeously luxe basement room, with more than a touch of Deco swagger’ but where ‘the food didn’t quite fulfil the promise of a menu which reads beautifully’.

The sashimi was ‘impeccable’ and a truffled Jerusalem artichoke soup ‘shone’, a pickled onion and fig tart and confit duck salad ‘didn’t work at all’ and desserts ‘showed the heights the kitchen is capable of reaching’.

Crabshakk: 3 stars out of 5 for the food; 4 stars out of 5 for the ambience and service.

Dining Room: 2 stars out of 5 for the food; 3 stars out of 5 for the ambience; 4 stars out of 5 for the service.

Lisa Markwell, The Independent on Sunday

Lisa visits ‘crowd-pleasing’ ‘mini-chain’ Leon for ‘plain-speaking, good-tasting food’.

The chicken was ‘succulent’, the meatballs were ‘just the right side of spicy’ and the chilli was enjoyed ‘in silent satisfaction’. 14 out of 20.

Zoe Williams, The Telegraph

Zoe visits ‘fashion favourite’ Mildreds, a vegetarian restaurant in Soho, but ‘won’t be going back’ ‘any time soon’.

Halloumi ‘had ideas way above its station’, gyoza dumplings were ‘chalky and chewy’, the veggie burger ‘wasn’t bad value’, ‘the bap was flimsy and supermarketish’ but the chips were ‘absolutely brilliant’, and mock duck was ‘exactly as disgusting’ ‘as it sounds’. The puddings ‘were a little better’, including a chocolate truffle with passion fruit jelly that ‘was fine’ with ‘delicious’ jelly. 4 out of 10.

Jasper Gerard, The Telegraph

Jasper visits Dinings in Marylebone, which offers sushi and Japanese tapas with ‘uncompromising quality’ and ‘faultless’ freshness.

Scallop tartar tacos were ‘particularly delicious’, the soft-shell crab spring roll was ‘particularly delectable’ with a ‘wonderfully soft yet crunchy texture’, the spicy tuna wasabi rolls were ‘impressive’ and the lobster tempura was ‘pleasant enough’ but a ‘mild disappointment’. 8 out of 10.

David Sexton, The Evening Standard

David visits The Orange, an ‘absolute stronghold of Knightsbridge and Belgravia’ where the food is ‘not your common or garden comfort food’.

Smoked haddock, leek and potato cake ‘was just two wholly unchallenging, if rather dry, fishcakes’ and a green salad ‘was perfectly fresh and as inoffensive as they come’. A Lemon Sole special was ‘well-baked’, a braised rabbit and green olive ragout was ‘tender and well-flavoured’, and a “wood-fired pizza” of chicken, pancetta, sage and pecorino ‘was bland, even twee’. 2 stars out of 5.

Andrew Neather, The Evening Standard

Andrew visits Franco Manca, which is ‘as good as pizza gets’. The crust was ‘thin’, ‘crispy on the edges and at the very bottom’ and ‘soft in the middle’. The tomato sauce was ‘hard to fault’ and the toppings were ‘sparse but joyous’. 4 stars out of 5.

Posted on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 11:26 am under Restaurants .

01 Mar

Bon Vivant’s Weekly Summary of Restaurant Reviews

Photo: Aqua Kyoto

Welcome to Bon Vivant’s summary of the restaurant reviews from the weekend’s national newspapers. Enjoy!

Giles Coren, The Times

Giles visits Aqua Kyoto, a ‘bustling’ Japanese restaurant ‘high up in the roof’ ‘with stunning night views over Regent Street’ and ‘really terrific cocktails’ where the ‘food was pretty fantastic’.

The sushi was ‘first class’ and scallops were ‘polar fresh and buttery’. Spinach rolls were ‘really excellent’, deep-fried agedashi tofu was ‘a very decent substitute for the traditional chicken version’ and grilled eel teriyaki was ‘excellent’. 7 out of 10.

AA Gill, The Sunday Times

AA Gill visits a selection of restaurants in New York. Momofuku Milk Bar had a menu of ‘cakes and pies’ where pork buns were ‘by far and away the best thing, the reason for coming here’. DBGB, Daniel Boulud’s more casual restaurant with a ‘1980s Conran’ look had ‘deeply unpleasant black pudding’, a Vermont sausage with cheese ‘that was like eating an infected toe’ and ‘the best thing was the house hot dog’.

The Breslin, a ‘busy, dark dining room’ at the new Ace hotel, from the cook from the Spotted Pig ‘is one hell of a restaurant’. The full English breakfast was ‘well made’, the Caesar salad and steak and egg were ‘good’ and a grilled three-cheese and ham sandwich was ‘brilliant’.

Momofuku Milk Bar 4 stars out of 5; DBGB Kitchen and Bar 3 stars out of 5; The Breslin 4 stars out of 5.

Matthew Norman, The Guardian

Matthew visits the ‘ultra-voguish’ Dean Street Townhouse in Soho, which ‘is as close to flawless as seems decent’. The lighting and acoustics were ‘flawless’, the service ‘lavishly attentive without being oppressive’ and the food ‘exceedingly good’.

Twice-baked smoked haddock soufflé was ‘wonderful and savoury with a lovely, buttery sauce’, and onion tart with caramelised sweetbreads and grilled squid were both faultless.

The salt beef was ‘huge and the flavour authentic’, fish and chips was ‘excellent’, and ‘the ultra-faddish chicken and leek pie’ was ‘the pick of the bunch’. No rating given.

John Walsh, The Independent

John reviews Kitchen W8 in Kensington, where ‘the décor is rather stark’ and ‘the waiters’ know ‘their stuff’.

Chicken and mushroom ravioli was ‘light and utterly delicious’ and thinly sliced smoked eel with grilled mackerel was ‘as pretty as an English watercolour’. Pork cheeks with black pudding ‘were cooked to a densely flavoured succulence’ and the John Dory was ‘delicious, perfectly well cooked’ but ‘too sweet’. The puddings, including a rhubarb fool, ‘were wonderful’. 4 stars out of 5 for the food; 3 stars out of 5 for the ambience; 5 stars out of 5 for the service.

Toby Young, The Independent on Sunday

Toby visits Pearl Liang in the Paddington Basin, where the front-of-house manager is ‘a model of courtesy’ and the furniture is ‘reassuringly dysfunctional’.

The prawn dumplings were ‘nothing to write home about’, the pork bun, shu mai and glutinous rice were ‘all very tasty’ and the barbecued pork puffs were ‘sweet and rich’ and ‘best of all’. 14 out of 20.

Zoe Williams, The Telegraph

Zoe visits the ‘incredibly traditional’ Camellia in Horsham, West Sussex, where ‘the atmosphere is what the word ‘hush’ was invented for’, and the menu ‘as eternal as food itself’ with ‘some quirky touches’.

Scallops with crab ravioli and braised fennel had a ‘wonderful flavour’, the Cowfold quail ‘was absolutely terrific – tender, distinctive and subtly gamey’, slow-cooked Sussex fillet of beef ‘was very good’ and the seared sea bream with wild mushrooms ‘was very professional’. 7.5 out of 10.

Jasper Gerard, The Telegraph

Jasper visits Gilpin Lodge in Cumbria and loves the ‘friendly informality’ of the ‘jewel in the crowd’ of the Lake District.

A ballotine of organic salmon with caviar and ‘a dollop of crème fraîche’ was ‘simple’ and ‘delicious’, braised lamb was ‘everything I remembered’, twice-baked goat’s cheese soufflé was ‘particularly picturesque’ and roasted breast of corn-fed Goosnargh duck was ‘very punchy, almost like venison, and waddles along delightfully with buttery celeriac and potato gratin’. Pistachio and olive oil cake was ‘winningly moist and crumbly’. 8 out of 10.

Chris Blackhurst, The Evening Standard

Chris visits Benares in Mayfair, which has a ‘buzziness and warmth about the atmosphere that some Mayfair establishments lack’, where ‘the decor has been lightened and the place feels less stuffy’ but ‘is far from cheap’

Tandoor-roasted rabbit in a spicy crust marinade was ‘jolly good’ and a tandoori rattan had ‘hot and juicy’ lamb, chicken that was ‘bursting with herbs’ and a ‘plump and sweet’ prawn.

Main of murg korma (tandoori chicken supreme with korma sauce and smoked courgette) and mongsho ghughni (roast Romney Marsh lamb rump on rosemary sweet potato and chickpeas) were both ‘delicious’. 4 stars out of 5.

Posted on Monday, March 1st, 2010 at 11:23 am under Restaurants .

22 Feb

Bon Vivant’s Weekly Summary of Restaurant Reviews

Photo: Dean Street Townhouse

Welcome to Bon Vivant’s summary of the restaurant reviews from the weekend’s national newspapers. Enjoy!

Giles Coren, The Times

Giles visits Empress of Sichuan, a ‘top-class Chinese restaurant’ in Chinatown where ‘everything is Sichuanese’ and ‘beautifully’ cooked and the staff are ‘friendly, knowledgeable and fluent in English’.

Lantern Shadow Beef, or very thinly sliced meat, was ‘both very spicy and quite sweet’ and ‘insanely moreish’, while a dish of pork slices with garlic and chilli was ‘textural harmony’ and ‘very oriental’.

The sea bass in ‘Boiled Fish Slices in Extremely Spicy Soup’ took on ‘the spice and soup flavours brilliantly’ but the soup was, as advertised, extremely spicy. Villagers’ Aubergine was ‘soft and mellow and sensitively spiced’, Bear’s Paw Tofu was ‘very rich and meaty’ and the rice was ‘beautifully shiny, sticky and authentic’. 9 out of 10.

AA Gill, The Sunday Times

AA Gill visits Dean Street Townhouse in Soho, where ‘the menu isn’t extraordinary’ but the food ‘good enough’, where the service is ‘familiar, in a clubbable and inclusive way’ and the prices ‘are expensive, but far from exorbitant’.

The onion tart starter was ‘nicely made, sweet, with light, dry pastry’, the salt beef was ‘gratifyingly sodden and meaty’ and the signature mince and potatoes was ‘replete with juicy flavour, goodness and rectitude’. 3 stars out of 5 for the food; 4 stars out of 5 for the ambience.

Matthew Norman, The Guardian

Matthew had an ‘endlessly bewildering’ ‘Basil Fawlty meets haute cuisine’ experience at The Evesham Hotel in Worcestershire, which has ‘one of the best wine lists I’ve ever seen’ and where ‘the range and inventiveness of the vegetarian dishes’ is ‘a major endearment’.

A roquefort and fig brûlée was ‘glorious’, linguine with wild mushrooms was ‘outstanding’ and tiger prawns in sweet chilli sauce were ‘fine, if a tad regulation’.

A main of chicken breast with a sweet-and-sour pepper sauce ‘looked terrible, but the sauce was subtle and spicy’, venison pie with chestnuts and thyme was ‘a rich, winey, gamey delight’ but a sirloin steak ‘was a disaster’. No rating given.

Jay Rayner, The Observer

Jay visits the Pipe & Glass Inn, a ‘class act’ and ‘a nice, unpretentious country pub serving quality food with inspired touches’ in South Dalton, East Yorkshire.

There was ‘no doubting the quality of the cookery’ and the food was ‘developed and intricate’, including a tartar of salmon that ‘came with a tiny “scotch egg” of smoked salmon, with a centre of quail’s egg whose yolk still ran’ and crisp rissoles of wild rabbit with cockles, capers and sorrel. A dessert of ‘a tasting plate of chocolate things’ ‘forced us to make strange guttural noises’. No rating given.

Tracey MacLeod, The Independent

Tracey visits HUNter 486 at The Arch Hotel, a ‘discreet’ ‘refuge from the bedlam of Oxford Street’ where there is a ‘conflict between rustic and fancy’ with the menu and décor, and where the service is ‘erratic but generally efficient’.

The charcuterie board was ‘let down by underwhelming meats’ and the olives were ‘rather nasty’, but a roast beetroot and goats’ cheese tarte was ‘much better’ and ‘full of big punchy tastes’.

Spatchcocked poussin was ‘over-reliant on a heavily reduced Madeira jus’ and confit of pork belly ‘similarly fell short on the flavour front’. A dessert of sticky toffee pudding was ‘of perfect temperature and sweetness’. 3 stars out of 5 for the food and service; 2 stars out of 5 for the ambience.

Lisa Markwell, The Independent on Sunday

Lisa visits Le Relais de Venise in Marylebone, where the cooking is ‘skilled amateur rather than dazzling professional’.

A ‘reasonably perky green salad’ starter ‘does the job’, the steak was ‘tender and well-flavoured, and the chips crisp and thin’, but the ‘buttery, salty sauce’ was ‘a tad heavy on the herbs’. Desserts of crème brûlée and praline liégeois were ‘rather good’, and a plate of French cheeses was ‘à point’. 13 out of 20.

Zoe Williams, The Telegraph

Zoe visits Manson, with ‘near-flawless casual French food’ in South West London, which she ‘totally loved’.

The steak tartare was ‘a triumph’ and ‘compellingly edible’ and the foie gras terrine ‘looked a tiny bit prissy’ but was ‘delicious’, ‘rich’ and ‘classy’.

A main of cod on a bed of spinach was ‘so perfectly cooked that its flakes slid apart like a masterclass in the physical universe’ and the brill was ‘discreetly sweetish, and subtly intense’. A Jerusalem artichoke cheesecake dessert was ‘incredible from top to bottom’ and ‘profoundly delicious’. 9 out of 10.

Jasper Gerard, The Telegraph

Jasper was ‘moderately delighted’ by the Turkish food, which he believes is ‘one of a handful of world cuisines neglected by London’, at Tike in The City of London.

Pacangha borek, fried pastry filled with shredded vegetables, melted cheese and pastırma, had ‘all the soggy appeal of a Chinese pancake’, lahmacun was ‘pleasingly light but lacking tang’, cherkez tavugu was ‘seriously lacking’ garlic and spice and minced grilled lamb adana kebab was ‘overwhelming, but tender and flavoursome’. 6 out of 10.

Andrew Neather, The Evening Standard

Andrew reviews Assaha Village, a ‘rustic’ and ‘charming’ Lebanese restaurant near Paddington, where the food was ‘the most authentic Lebanese I’ve had in London’.

A spread of mezze was ‘bursting with freshness’, including ‘admirably smoky’ mutabbal, ‘tender’ kibbeh balls and tabbuleh ‘as zingily fresh as it should be’. 4 stars out of 5.

Chris Blackhurst, The Evening Standard

Chris visits Battery in Canary Wharf, a new restaurant on the former Ubon site.

Chris started with small sharing plates of Iberico ham, scrambled eggs and black truffles and slow cooked lamb cannelloni, which ‘tasted fine but somehow fell short’.

The sirloin steak with pickled beetroot and fat chips in dripping and the duck with caramelised foie gras, creamed sprouts, artichokes and ceps were ‘perfect, if unexciting’, but ‘you ought to be getting something memorable and flavour-popping’ for the price. Puddings, including chocolate fondant and prune and apple tart, were ‘good’. 2 stars out of 5.

Posted on Monday, February 22nd, 2010 at 11:28 am under Restaurants .

15 Feb

Bon Vivant’s Weekly Summary of Restaurant Reviews

Photo: Dean Street Townhouse

Welcome to Bon Vivant’s summary of the restaurant reviews from the weekend’s national newspapers. Enjoy!

Giles Coren, The Times

Giles visits Terroirs, a ‘very foodie place’ serving ‘little platefuls of weepily honest local French specialities’ near Charing Cross, to try the recently opened Downstairs at Terroirs, which has gone ‘more seriously over to major meal-making’ than the original upstairs restaurant.

‘First-rate’ squid a la plancha was followed by ‘a first-class’ cassoulet, accompanied by ‘excellent’ white wine and a carafe of red wine ‘so natural it was just a bunch of grapes squeezed straight into the glass from a Frenchwoman’s armpit’. 7.67 out of 10.

AA Gill, The Sunday Times

AA Gill visits the The French Horn restaurant and hotel in Sonning-on-Thames, ‘on a pretty, willow-wept stretch of the Thames’ in Berkshire, where ‘the waiters are proper old French blokes, who do authentic silver service’.

A starter of an egg poached in a reduction of red wine ‘wasn’t bad, though not actually perfect’ and the pea soup was ‘served far, far too hot’.

The tournedos of beef in a wine reduction with a slice of foie gras was ‘rougher and more open-textured than’ he ‘would have expected’ and was ‘underhung’, and a pudding of crêpes suzette was ‘a bit too breakfast, the orange too sprightly’. 3 stars out of 5 for the food; 4 stars out of 5 for the atmosphere.

Matthew Norman, The Guardian

Matthew visits Wallace & Co, Gregg Wallace’s debut as a restaurateur, with ‘some of the laziest, sloppiest cooking’ he has ‘encountered in years’, which ‘wouldn’t make it even to the first round of Masterchef’.

In a ‘perfectly pleasant room’, a ribollita was ‘horrendously thin, weedy’ and ‘olive oil-free’, an ‘all right’ smoked mackerel pâté was ‘too sweet’ and a scotch egg was ‘peculiarly bland’.

A Lancashire hotpot came with a ‘dry, overcooked slab of sliced potato on top’ and a ‘worse’ steak, mushroom and ale pie came with gravy that was ‘more watery than the soup’ and ‘brittle and paper-thin’ crust. Puddings of knickerbocker glory and apple crumble with custard were ‘the real deal’ and ‘much better’. No rating given.

Jay Rayner, The Observer

Jay visits the dining room at The Goring Hotel in London, ‘a fantasy of cream and beige’, which is celebrating its 100^th birthday by featuring dishes from various significant eras of its life.

Fillets of soused herring were ‘mushy and dull’ and ‘left a nasty aftertaste’, steamed oxtail pudding was a ‘thick suet shell’ that ‘gave way to not very much at all, and certainly not the luscious, gravy-slicked strands of meat I had expected’, and a jam roly poly and custard dessert was ‘lousy and the portion so small’. No rating given.

John Walsh, The Independent

John visits The Seafood Restaurant, Rick Stein’s ‘shrine to piscine perfection’ offering ‘both sturdily traditional Victorian dishes and subtly tweaked, spiced and gussied-up Asian treats’ in Padstow, Cornwall that has acquired a ‘deserved reputation as one of the most jaw-droppingly expensive eating-houses in the country’.

Oysters Charentaise, which involved a Carlingford Lough oyster, a forkful of hot spicy sausage and a ‘slug of cold white wine’ ‘sounded fun but was strangely pointless’. The Cornish crab with wakame salad was ‘yummy’ and came with wasabi mayonnaise that was ‘a heavenly tease on the tastebuds’.

An expensive Dover sole that ‘looked fantastic’ was ‘just not very interesting’, but it came with a butter sauce that ‘lifted the sole to spiritual heights’. John ‘absolutely loved’ the Indonesian seafood curry, and a pavlova dessert was ‘wonderful’. 4 stars out of 5.

Toby Young, The Independent on Sunday

Toby visits More, a ‘small, nondescript café near London Bridge’, brainchild of the team behind Livebait and The Real Greek, which is ‘conceptually confused’ ‘with an unremarkable kitchen offering mediocre fare’.

A starter of hare and pork rillette had a ‘suitably coarse texture, without too much fat’ but the flavour was ‘a little bland’, and a main of slow-cooked lamb shoulder with flageolet beans was a ‘similarly unexciting’ ‘bog-standard Mediterranean dish’. 10 out of 20.

Zoe Williams, The Telegraph

Zoe visits Dean Street Townhouse in Soho, which has ‘real pedigree’ and is ‘exceptionally well done’. A starter of hot-smoked salmon with beetroot and ‘punchy but not psychotic’ horseradish was ‘fleshy’ and ‘full of flavour’, the Dorset crab mayonnaise was ‘delicate’ and ‘100 per cent expert’, and a twice-baked smoked haddock soufflé was ‘spectacular’.

Mains consisted of ‘faultless’ fish and chips and an ‘intentionally perfect’ roast chicken that was ‘cooked-through in the old-fashioned way’ with sage and onion stuffing that had ‘a liverish top-note which made it impossible to leave alone’. 9 out of 10.

Jasper Gerard, The Telegraph

Jasper visits Le Jules Verne, a ‘serious Michelin-starred restaurant’ at the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, where ‘the view turns out to be the restaurant’s least spectacular aspect’.

A starter of gilthead bream marinated in lemon juice was ‘so beautiful it should be hung in the Louvre’. A wild duck accompanied by ‘fresh, light cabbage’ looked ‘dark outside but quite red-blooded within’, and monkfish on the bone with potatoes and saffron was ‘delicious, manly fayre’. A bitter chocolate bar came with ‘sensational’ blood orange sorbet and candied orange peel, and the Roquefort was ‘sublime’. 8 out of 10.

Fay Maschler, The Evening Standard

Fay visits the Empress of Sichuan in China Town. Grilled lamb skewers were ‘deeply savoury’ and ‘showed how this dish should be done’, and marinated cold noodle in a spicy sauce had Fay ‘clashing chopsticks to get at the last strands’.

Farmer’s Fish baked with black beans and cumin had ‘funky flavours’, marinated black fungus was ‘wickedly spicy’ and steamed aubergine with green and red chilli was ‘an agreeably novel take on that purple vegetable’. 3 stars out of 5.

Posted on Monday, February 15th, 2010 at 10:18 am under Restaurants .

08 Feb

Bon Vivant’s Weekly Summary of Restaurant Reviews

Photo: Galvin La Chapelle

Welcome to Bon Vivant’s summary of the restaurant reviews from the weekend’s national newspapers. Enjoy!

Giles Coren, The Times

Giles pays multiple visits to Galvin La Chapelle in Spitalfields, the latest opening from Chris and Jeff Galvin, which comprises a ‘beautifully converted’ ‘vast-ceilinged Victorian hall’ for ‘serious eating at lunch and dinner’ and a ‘sympathetically constructed modern’ café for ‘lower-key eating and drinking and breakfasts and stuff.’

In the ‘cinematically fancy’ main dining room, Giles had ‘great’ crab lasagne, a ‘cleverly deconstructed’ pigeon tagine and a ‘gleaming bit of sea bass’. In the café, he tried a ‘great’ squash risotto and a ‘lovely, crisp, dry, sweet pissaladière’. 9 out of 10.

AA Gill, The Sunday Times

AA Gill visits Milan, a ‘characteristically welcoming’ ‘local restaurant’ in Northumberland, which ‘has the cheery glamour of a suburban cocktail bar’.

Highland chicken with haggis and bacon was ‘surprisingly good’ and a hoisin-duck pizza ‘tasted a lot better than it sounds’. A dessert of a trio of ginger was an ‘ideal’ combination with ‘perfect’ gingerbread cake and ‘sublime’ ginger ice cream. 4 stars out of 5.

Matthew Norman, The Guardian

Matthew visits the ‘good and sporadically brilliant’ Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, where the dining room is ‘handsome’, the lighting ‘ultra-gentle’ and the service ‘fabulously attentive’, and concludes that the name must have had a part in the recent attainment of a third Michelin star.

Matthew found the food ‘genuinely beautiful to the eye, but less memorable to the tastebud than that triple-star rating might suggest’ but with one ‘expression of genius’ with a roast chicken that had ‘the texture of soufflé, with lobster, pasta and sweetbreads in a sensational creamy, truffly sauce’.

Baked sea bass with razor clams was ‘lovely, delicate, but a touch forgettable’ and a roasted rib of venison with chestnut and quince was ‘wonderfully tender’ and an ‘irksomely named’ pudding called ‘The Girl From Ipanema’ ‘showcased pineapple in all its myriad glories’. No rating given.

Jay Rayner, The Observer

Jay visits Cabbage Hall, a ‘pub restaurant’ in Little Budworth, Cheshire, with an ‘overweening self-regard’, which ‘gives restaurants of ambition, and therefore expense, a bad name’.

A starter salad of lightly pickled wild mushrooms with celeriac purée ‘looked pretty, was texturally interesting and made sense’, and a slice of sticky toffee pudding was ‘properly executed’. However, ‘underseasoned’ scallops came with a ‘slippery cream sauce that obliterated their flavour’ and ‘hard, overcooked pheasant breasts’ came in a ‘cloying Cognac-bloated sauce, studded with hard nodes of chestnut’. No rating given.

Tracey MacLeod, The Independent

Tracey visits 21212, Edinburgh’s newest ‘deluxe but quirky’ Michelin starred restaurant where the food ‘is far from conventional’ and the service ‘fast paced’.

A chicken salad was a ‘beautiful and colourful mystery tour’ where chicken breast, ‘played but a walk-on part’ and a creamy risotto of Gruyère cheese ‘came with a full supporting cast’ and was ‘an assault on the taste buds’.

Main courses were ‘stimulating and frustrating in equal measure’ where ‘the dishes never quite came together’. 3 stars out of 5 for the food; 4 stars out of 5 for the ambience and service.

Lisa Markwell, The Independent on Sunday

Lisa reviews The Artichoke, a ‘neighbourhood’ restaurant in Old Amersham with ‘a deft mix of olde world and crisp newness’ that ‘has the Michelin inspectors in its sights’ and where the maître d’ is ‘courteous, but lacking in warmth’.

A starter of creamed spinach and Parmesan soup with pumpkin gnocchi was ‘earthy’ and lightly curried scallops were ‘sumptuous’. All mains, including duck with a soft apple sauce, lamb with creamy cauliflower and ‘superb’ bass with lobster ravioli and bisque were ‘perfectly balanced’.

Desserts, including sunken warm chocolate cake, home-made ice cream and a plate of English and French cheeses were all ‘exemplary’, and the petit fours were ‘fabulous’. 17 out of 20.

Zoe Williams, The Telegraph

Zoe visits Supperclub in Notting Hill, which was ‘not great’, where the staff are a weird mix of waiters and performers with ‘exaggerated’ ‘bonhomie’, but concludes that, ‘of course you don’t go for the food’.

‘Tough’ sea bass came with a ‘very nice’ carrot escabeche and a ‘chewy’ and ‘crunchy’ fennel salad, lamb loin was ‘very pink and inviting’ but the pudding of ‘dense, mealy’ Genoa cake ‘was the worst thing I’ve ever eaten in a professional establishment’. 5.5 out of 10.

Jasper Gerard, The Telegraph

Jasper visits The Royal Oak, ‘a great little boozer’ in Kent, on a recommendation from a reader, where the specials menu was ‘nicely judged’ with ‘tempting’ dishes.

Bread with caraway seeds was ‘exquisite’, Rye scallops had ‘all the plump juiciness of Jennifer Lopez’, but the pheasant terrine was a ‘disappointment’. The pheasant was ‘delightfully tender and still just pink’ with ‘divine’ dauphinoise potatoes and chargrilled lamb had a ‘sweet’ and ‘deep’ flavour. Desserts consisted of ‘good’ chocolate brownies and ‘fabulous’ treacle tart. No rating given.

Fay Maschler, The Evening Standard

Fay visits the recently Michelin starred Bingham in Richmond, which has ‘a lovely view of the Thames’, where the dining room feels like ‘being inside a mushroom’ ‘lit with chandeliers’ and the chef’s ‘intuition regarding pairings, troilism and even shotgun marriages of ingredients’ was ‘admirable’.

An amuse-bouche of mackerel tartare was ‘coarse and earthy’ and ‘avoided accusations of mimsy or predictable.’ A cauliflower risotto, the main reason for not giving a higher rating, was ‘a masterful assembly’ and a brill fillet with ricotta gnocchi was ‘rather dry’. A glazed veal cheek with truffle mash and salt marsh lamb with sweetbreads both ‘suffered’ from having many different parts that ‘competed for attention rather than complementing each other’.

A dessert of passion fruit curd was ‘notable’ and the petits fours featured a pâtés de fruits of blood orange and ginger that made Fay ‘want to marry the pastry chef.’ 3 stars out of 5.

Posted on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 12:05 pm under Restaurants .

01 Feb

Bon Vivant’s Weekly Summary of Restaurant Reviews

Photo: Lutyens, Fleet Street, London

Welcome to Bon Vivant’s summary of the restaurant reviews from the weekend’s national newspapers. Enjoy!

Giles Coren, The Times

Giles pays multiple visits to the Dean Street Townhouse and is highly complimentary each time, enjoying the ‘terrific, new-old-fashioned British cooking’ and the atmosphere of ‘Depression-era speakeasy frolics and laughter in the face of Prohibition’. Native and rock oysters were ‘beautiful’, the roast chicken for two was ‘fat and swaggering with perfect stuffing and roast potatoes’, duck eggs on wild mushrooms and toasted brioche were ‘impeccable’ and macaroni cheese was ‘beautiful’. Giles enjoyed everything else on the menu, including the signature dish of mince and boiled potatoes, seared scallops, smoked haddock soufflé and fish and chips, but the caramelised sweetbreads on a Lincolnshire onion tart was ‘quite horribly over-salted’. 8.67 out of 10.

AA Gill, The Sunday Times

AA Gill reviews Cliveden House Terrace Dining Room in Berkshire. After a careful dissection of the menu, a starter of low-temperature cooked salmon with pickled fennel, caviar and cucumber butter sauce was ‘the right choice’, where the salmon ‘was soft and fatty and tasted labially of salmon’ and the sauce ‘had a subtle flavour’. The main of loin of venison with salsify, chicory and a cassis sauce was ‘soft and strongly flavoured of winter fields and hoarfrost, bloody and loamy and slightly dank’. 3 stars out of 5.

Matthew Norman, The Guardian

Matthew visits Midsummer House in Cambridge, where the amuse bouches are ‘sublime’ and the waiting staff ‘leave you in peace’. Scallops with pickled cucumber, radish sorbet and miso soup was ‘wonderful’ and scallops with celeriac, truffle, Granny Smith apple and caramel was ‘beautiful’. A main of turbot was ‘almost great’, an ‘otherwise impeccable’ slow-roasted fillet of pork was ‘oversalted’ and veal kidneys had ‘great’ flavour but ‘they tended towards the chewy’. A dessert of candied ginger parfait was ‘glorious’ and ‘unbelievably delicious beignets’ accompanied the coffee. No rating given.

Jay Rayner, The Observer

Jay visits Dean Street Townhouse in Soho where he finds the menu to be ‘the last 10 years of British food in one tidy list’. A starter of deep-fried sprats ‘with a spiky caper mayonnaise’ and a salad of wild rabbit and black pudding that had a ‘perfect quartered quail scotch egg’ both had high quality ingredients and were executed ‘spot on’. After a long wait, mains of ‘overcooked’ cod and salt-beef with ‘sad, dense, slippery’ caraway dumplings and pickle were disappointing, but desserts of rhubarb and pear cobbler and queen of puddings were ‘great’. No rating given.

John Walsh, The Independent

John visits The Bingham in Richmond, where the atmosphere is ‘dim and churchy’, the bar ‘wonderfully well-stocked and appealing’ and the food ‘lifts the spirits’. A starter of organic salmon with braised octopus was ‘wonderful, the fish so meltingly soft’ and a fillet of brill was ‘a heavenly tranche of fish’. The mains were ‘full’ ‘of heterogeneous excitements’, including a glazed veal cheek that was ‘voluptuously rich, sticky and curiously light in texture’ and ‘gloopy’ lamb that had ‘too much going on’. Puddings, including a jasmine pannacotta and crème caramel ‘showed a similar perversity’ which led John to concluding that the chef should embrace ‘the old-fashioned concept of letting customers have what they actually want’. 4 stars out of 5 for the food, 3 stars out of 5 for the ambience and service.

Zoe Williams, The Telegraph

Zoe visits Lutyens, Conran’s latest venture on Fleet Street, which she finds ‘fun’ and ‘tasty’ with ‘marvellous lighting’ but lacking ‘that extra sparkle’. A fish soup starter was ‘aromatic and classy’ and the crêpe parmentier with smoked salmon was ‘the most appealing disc of starch’ she has ‘encountered this century’. A ‘deftly’ filleted and ‘justly expensive’ Dover sole was ‘perfect, white, delicate, as uneventful as snow’, and the confit of canard with beans and Montbéliard sausage ‘looked spectacular’, but the meat ‘was a bit of a struggle to get into’ and some mouthfuls ‘were entirely fat, with no redeeming meat in them at all’. A dessert of blackcurrant jelly with madeleines was ‘marvellous’ and the madeleines ‘were lighter than air’. 7 out of 10.

Jasper Gerard, The Telegraph

Jasper Gerard visits The Ledbury, a ‘grown-up’ restaurant in Notting Hill, where the dining room is ‘icily urban’ but the menu ‘warmly rural’. A starter of celeriac baked in ash with purslane, hazelnuts and ‘wildly irresistible’ wild boar had ‘a heavenly aroma’, and chestnut and truffle soup ‘tastes powerfully of its core ingredients’ and was ‘tricky to eat but scrumptious’. A loin of Sika deer was ‘so, so tender’ and breaded brill with creamed potato, cauliflower and buttered shellfish was ‘even tastier’. The caramelised banana with salted caramel and peanut ice cream was ‘refreshingly light’ but the chocolate crémeux with walnut ice cream was ‘puzzling’ and ‘splattered’ ‘with indeterminate stuff’. No rating given.

Fay Maschler, The Evening Standard

Fay reviews Wallace & Co, where she finds Gregg Wallace, of Masterchef fame, ‘pandering to the Putney pram set’ with a ‘British interpretation of the first Carluccio’s Caffè’, which she thinks, is ‘similarly destined for roll-out’. A mackerel escabeche was ‘properly done’ but the ‘flesh was a bit creaky’ and ‘lacking’ ‘suppleness’, a homemade Scotch egg was ‘high quality’, the Imam bayeldi had ‘an overdose of tomatoes’ but ‘had lively spicing’ and a Jerusalem artichoke frittata was ‘more of a depressed soufflé’. The steak, mushroom and ale pie was ‘most satisfactory’, the monkfish skewer with salsa verde and salad potatoes was ‘an unqualified success’ but chicken with ‘unannounced’ breadcrumbs was a ‘shock’. 3 stars out of 5.

Posted on Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 11:22 am under Restaurants .

25 Jan

Bon Vivant’s Weekly Summary of Restaurant Reviews

Photo: The Criterion, Piccadilly

Welcome to Bon Vivant’s summary of the restaurant reviews from the weekend’s national newspapers. Enjoy!

Giles Coren, The Times

Giles visits Pearl Liang in the Paddington basin, which he describes as ‘posh, quiet, cosily lit’ and ‘nice’. Prawn cheung fun and scallop dumplings were ‘well-made’, paper-wrapped sesame prawn rolls were ‘exemplary’, and soup-filled Shanghai dumplings were ‘brilliant’. The lobster noodle was ‘perfectly cooked’ with ‘firm, straggly, munchable noodles’. 8 out of 10.

Martin Ivens, The Sunday Times

In AA Gill’s absence, Martin reviews The Pearson’s Arms in Whitstable, Kent, where he finds the interiors ‘quaint’ and ‘warm’ and the English menu has ‘good pub gusto to it’. A starter of jerusalem artichoke soup and truffle oil was ‘exquisitely balanced’ and a main of British cassoulet ‘began well’ but the ‘goose fat rendered it overly rich and heavy’. 3 stars out of 5.

Matthew Norman, The Guardian

Matthew visits Faanoos, a ‘surreal Persian wonderland’ near East Sheen. The starters were ‘delicious’, including a ‘delectably smoky’ mirza ghazemi, ‘impeccably fresh’ hummus, a ‘gloriously zingy’ salad shirazi and ‘gorgeously unctuous’ savoury stuffed vine leaves. A main of chelo kebab sultami was ‘fine’ with a ‘marginally overcooked’ skewer of lamb, but a joojeh kebab was ‘magnificent’. No rating given.

Jay Rayner, The Observer

Jay is convinced that his visit to The Criterion in Piccadilly, London, will be one of his worst meals of 2010. It all started badly with a ‘thick, tepid gloop’ of an amuse bouche that ‘was so sweet’ that it made him ‘wince’. A starter of Cornish crab risotto ‘brought a tiny heap of bright orange and undercooked rice glued together with an overload of cheese’ and a bouillabaisse resembled a ‘vinegary broth’ with ‘a few prawns’ and ‘pieces of something unidentifiable’. The disappointment continued with the mains, with a rack of roast venison that ‘came swamped with a sticky mahogany sauce’ and an ‘overcooked’ sea bass that ‘lay in a deep puddle of unsalted, melted butter’. No rating given.

Tracey MacLeod, The Independent

Tracey reviews Tamada, a Georgian restaurant near Kilburn, North London, where ‘Middle Eastern influence is at work’ and the service ‘intuitive and sweet-natured’. The vegetarian starters tasted ‘hugely better than they looked’ including fried slices of aubergine that ‘had a blowsy depth of flavour’. The borsht was ‘oily’ and ‘watery’ and the lamb casserole ‘had an interesting otherness about it’. Tracey concluded that the food was ‘fresh, authentic and often really good’ and a must for anyone with ‘the slightest curiosity about the culinary properties of the walnut’. 3 stars out of 5.

Lisa Markwell, The Independent on Sunday

Lisa has a ‘near-holy’ experience at the ‘turbo-charged’ and ‘glossy’ Galvin La Chapelle in Spitalfields, London. A lasagne of ‘delicate’ Dorset crab was a ‘wobbly, gently flavoured soufflé-type affair’ and a tagine of squab pigeon that Lisa ‘adored’ consisted of ‘very rich, superbly tender meat’ accompanied by a ‘viscous, intensely savoury sauce’. Lisa’s husband reports that both the foie gras and veal were ‘exemplary’. 16 out of 20.

Zoe Williams, The Telegraph

Zoe visits Babbo (no relation to the New York favourite) in Mayfair, and finds it refreshing that the clientele have ‘more sense than money’. A starter of panzanella with tuna belly, lobster and tomato was ‘good overall’, although ‘underseasoned’ and ‘almost entirely bread’, while the snapper ravioli with mascarpone sauce was ‘absolutely fabulous’. The rib-eye steak was ‘succulent’, ‘well presented’ and ‘incredibly meaty’, and the pistachio ice cream was a ‘masterclass in frozen goodness’. 7 out of 10.

Fay Maschler, The Evening Standard

Fay finds ‘tacky cabaret with cornbread’ distinctly underwhelming at Circus, a new entertainment focused restaurant in Covent Garden. The cornbread with marinated plum tomatoes ‘delivers what it says it will’, while fried baby squid has ‘vivacious spicing’. The Wiener schnitzel and deep-fried onion rings are ‘too greasy to be enjoyable’, and the smoked chicken wings ‘seem to have flapped through a bath of all-purpose BBQ sauce’. 2 stars out of 5.

Posted on Monday, January 25th, 2010 at 10:37 am under Restaurants .

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