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Review of the Reviews - London

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David Sexton, Evening Standard (Rating: 3/5 stars)

This “highly promising” South Bank newcomer turns out to be that latest venture from Theodore Kyriakou, who created The Real Greek and Livebait (both of which started off very well indeed, and ultimately became typical mediocre chains after Mr K had sold out). The aim is to “create a neighbourhood feel”, and the menu is a “cheerful mélange” of Mediterranean and Modern British cuisine. Delivery, in the early days, “seems a bit approximate”, though, and service also needs to “bed in”.

Palm

Feargus O’Sullivan, The London Paper (Rating: 3/5)

The critic visits the first London branch of “one of America’s top steak chains”, in Belgravia, and finds that, “[d]espite its dull frontage... [i]t has its charm” thanks to the “old-school American decor”, and is “already busy with casual but minted-looking Yanks”. He notes that while the “US Department of Agriculture prime-graded steaks start at £31... you can get a generous two-course lunch for £15”. Comparing a USDA filet mignon with a cheaper, British version, he considers them to have “equal flavour”, suggesting the differences may only be appreciated by “a beef fetishist”. However, the “quick and friendly” staff “know their meat”, and deliver “exactly what we asked for”. “If you fancy an occasional meaty blow-out”, he concludes, “Palm’s formula works a treat.”

Richard Vines, Bloomberg (Rating: 3/4 stars)

Not quite a normal review, as the critic was interviewing one of the American steakhouse chain’s bigwigs, but the financial service’s man remarks that the establishment’s “accomodating” staff serve “big portions” of “generally good” food. The steaks, however, “fail to deliver the knockout blow you might expect at these prices”, and the chips are a “disappointment”. Though the restaurant’s main pull may not live up to the hype, such value-attractions as the £15 two-course set lunch and some “inexpensive” wines are noted with approval.

Villiers Terrace

Jenni Muir, Time Out (Rating: 4/5 stars)

The critic enjoys her meal at this new Crouch End gastropub. The food shows some “true class” and staff are “friendly, sweet and mostly on the ball”. However, while it ticks almost all the gastropub boxes, there are “no real ales”, which leaves her “feeling a bit bitter”.

The Commander

Marina O'Loughlin, Metro (Rating: 2/5 stars)

Marina finds a “suffocating smugness” at this Bayswater spot, which is full of “laboured conceits” – from the references to “vintage American steak-n-seafood houses” (“loads of dark, pubby wood panelling” and waitstaff in full “white apron drag”) to the menu. “So much attention is being given to pointless details that essentials are overlooked” – resulting in a meal that ranges from “bearable” to “revolting”.

Serpentine Bar & Kitchen

Charmaine Mok, Time Out (Rating: 3/5 stars)

None of the previous caterers at this Hyde Park café “have seemed able to match the standards of the food to the delightful setting.” Can the latest incumbent, Benugo? It would appear so, as, according to the critic, it “has worked its magic with its signature quirky styling” and has a menu that “reads well, with plenty of appetising seasonal items”. Indeed, some dishes “go well beyond the park café norm”, but standards start to slip during the course of her meal and one dish is “forlornly overcooked”. She speculates that the “heaving crowds” may have “stretched the patience of the kitchen” and suggests an off-peak visit as “the ingredient quality is high”. And, situated next to “the glorious Serpentine lake”, this is “a lovely place to perch”.

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