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Review of the Reviews - London

Polpo

Guy Dimond, Time Out (Rating: 4/5 stars)

TO’s long-established head critic can see “influences from both Venice and London” in Soho smash-hit of the moment (Curiously, he seems to have missed the, in our view, screamingly obvious New York influence to which proprietor Russell Norman happily admits.)

Wine, we read, comes from “four good importers”, but are dispensed – “disingenuously” – into tumblers, not wine glasses. (Eh?) On the food front, he discerns “an almost Protestant simplicity and intensity”.

Overall, however, we do know this is a “favourable” review, because the critic tells us so. It must have been a good experience, because he forms this benign opinion even though he was seated in Siberia. Not, of course, that he uses such a New York-esque term for the concept.

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

“The menu at Polpo is made up of about 40 dishes, which start at 1.20 pounds ($1.91) for potato- and-Parmesan croquette and rise to 6.90 pounds for grilled sliced flank steak and flat mushrooms”, the critic tells us. “Chuck in a wine list with about 25 options available by the quarter or half liter, a cool-looking room and service that’s friendly and you have a winner.”

Marina O'Loughlin, Metro (Rating: 3/5 stars)

“Sigh… It's Bocca di Lupo all over again – a good, mid-range Italian elevated to superstar status in a matter of minutes due to Reasonably Priced London Restaurant In Decent Food Shock. Well, that and the manipulation of social media.” From the beginning of this review of the Twitterati hit of the moment, you know that she’s going to end up a little underwhelmed.

“It does look fabulous”, she concedes, and the fact the her server is probably “the world’s happiest person” makes the “long wait for food” no real hardship.

The food isn’t that special, though, and she seems to object to what she sees as a lack of authenticity. “It reminds me of similar joints in New York – Bacaro in Chinatown, maybe – more than places in Venice… If anything, it's like a chic, Soho take on (whisper it) Jamie's Italian.” Touché.

Hix

Fay Maschler, Evening Standard (Rating: 3/5 stars)

One of those Ms Maschler reviews – they do sometimes happen – when it’s only the overall rating that really gives you some clue of what the doyenne of critics really thought. The review itself is largely taken up with description of the unforgiving interior, and of the dishes eaten and their prices.

Quality seems to have had its highs and its lows, and we have to presume that – at the (not inconsiderable) prices – the overall experience was weighed in the balance, and found somewhat wanting.

The Luxe

David Sexton, Evening Standard (Rating: 1/5 stars)

“The Luxe is a well-presented restaurant and as you sit down you feel sure you’re going to have a good time there, albeit at a steepish price. Then the food starts to arrive ...” – an extract which tells you all you need to know about this first review of the upstairs dining room at John Torode’s Shoreditch newcomer.

Might it just be ‘early days’? Doesn’t seems so: “as one dish succeeded another, it all began to seem too consistently ill-conceived and heavy-handedly executed to be just a chapter of accidents”. Ouch.

“The Luxe has been long in preparation. But if this really was the food that Torode wants to serve, then the idea that he has a starry career on TV assessing the cooking of others is a bit of a joke.”

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