Grace Dent paid a visit to York for The Guardian, and the new restaurant from Tommy Banks, “posterboy for British hospitality”, winner of The Great British Menu and chef-patron at the much-loved Black Swan at Oldstead. She declares Roots, in a vast converted Victorian pub York’s “new star attraction” – better even than the Jorvik […]
Kerridge’s Bar & Grill, London SW1 Grace Dent in The Guardian is the latest critic to visit Tom Kerridge’s long-awaited London home, and she “was delighted with everything”, even the fish ‘n’ chips which cost almost £33 but came with “special, once-in-a-lifetime chips… triple-cooked with an ethereal, golden shimmer”. Kerridge’s is “a big, broad and brassy […]
Jimi Famurewa in ES investigated the “impressively long culinary shadow” of Rita’s at their new home in Bethnal Green’s Redchurch Brewery – the original Rita’s “refined deep-cuts from American diner menus” and “a ‘why not?’ embrace of knuckleduster Asian flavours” are now “part of the general lexicon of eating out in London”. The new incarnation, in a […]
Grace Dent in The Guardian visited Hot Manchester Newcomer Tast Cuina Catalana, one of the ” delicate, thoughtful, educational places” that is aiming to bring a true taste of Spain to Britain. It’s “forward-reaching”, “high-end, imaginative, occasionally edgy” – and huge: there’s three “capacious” floors to fill, each offering a different level of formality and adventurousness. […]
In The Guardian, Jay Rayner was searching for somewhere easy to eat near the Royal Albert Hall, and stumbled upon a gem in Tozi, a Venetian cicchetti (small plates) spot that’s attached to the Park Plaza Hotel (he wasn’t aware of this when he booked). It’s unmistakably ‘London’ – “an echoing space of huge white-washed […]
Jay Rayner in The Observer reviewed United Chip in Clerkenwell. But make sure you also check out his defence of restaurant pricing below… “…the bravest restaurant opening in years. “United Chip stands out for attending to practically every modern bell and whistle it can find, while still caring about the essentials.” “…be in no doubt: this […]
Jay Rayner in The Observer reviewed Farm Girl Cafe, the third branch is now open in Chelsea for dinner [and it’s safe to say he DID NOT like it…] “The menu at the Farm Girl Café features lots of initials. There’s V for Vegan, GF for Gluten Free, DF for Dairy Free…. There should be TF for Taste […]
Nicholas Lander in The Financial Times reviews Kai Mayfair, Grand Imperial at Charing Cross Hotel and Four Seasons on Chinatown’s Gerard Street, in anticipation of Chinese New Year (the Year of the Dog begins on 16 February)… “The long-established Kai Mayfair has a menu that is well attuned to wealthy clientele. While the high prices could, I suppose, […]
Marina O’Laughlin in The Sunday Times is baffled by the existence of Beach Blanket Babylon in Notting Hill (as are we all). The venture, with sites in W11 and Shoreditch, has never scored above a 1/5 for food in our survey and has long since been dropped from the pages of the guide… “Today, the […]
Jay Rayner in The Observer falls head over heels for Bertha at Edo, a new restaurant from former Ramsay protégé Jonny Elliot which opened discreetly in Belfast last year. To clarify, Bertha is the name of their wood-fired oven. You weren’t expecting her to be the waitress were you? “One of the issues with somewhere like […]