Pétrus
“[D]espite all the Michelin ponceries – the fancy freebies, the absurdly lavish floral displays, the phalanx of nattily dressed tray-wielders approaching tables in battle formation”, the Ramsay group’s latest restaurant “needs sharp improvement to merit even a single star”, says the critic. “The room squeaks inaudibly beneath the weight of ambient cliché, with lush carpets, armagnac trolley, riot of creams and beiges”, and the food is “as bland as the room”. The experience is somewhat redeemed by “unforgettably magnificent” puddings, yet “[o]ases of brilliance simply aren't enough, and this lazy reinvention places him even more firmly in Wareing's shadow than before.”
Tangerine Dream
John Walsh, The Independent (Rating: Food 3/5 stars, Ambience 5/5 stars, Service 5/5 stars)
High praise for this Chelsea restaurant, in London’s oldest botanic garden (est. 1673). From a “small” menu which “offers no starters and far too many cakes for pudding but has a nice, relaxed feel about it”, the critic enjoys mixed salad offering a “cornucopia of tastes” and “as perfect a duck confit as I've ever come across.” Prices are “astonishingly cheap”, service is “charm on legs” and the “lovely, peaceful” garden setting leaves the critic “sighing with pleasure that such a lovely garden restaurant existed in the heart of London.”
Guerilla Burgers
Lisa Markwell, The Independent on Sunday (Rating: 13/20)
The critic visits the flagship outlet of the new burger chain, near Selfridges, where “the burgers are the worst thing” about the restaurant: “[t]he buns are small, seeded and a bit flimsy. The crispy bacon on the BLT and Rodeo burgers is anything but. The size, modest. The taste, meh.” Nevertheless, the critic concedes that she likes the “genuinely helpful” staff, the “great” music and “perky” décor, and concludes that “if you want cheap and cheerful in W1” this may not be such a bad place after all.
The Red Fort
A critique of the recently rebuilt Soho Indian of long standing, where the head chef's “determination that this old Soho institution is not just a curry house” results in “imaginative” and “amazing” cuisine.
Terre a Terre, Brighton
AA Gill, The Sunday Times (Rating: Food 5/5 stars, Atmosphere 3/5 stars)
“Terre à Terre’s food has enormous, sometimes incoherent flavours and a jumble sale of textures and temperatures. It’s overcomplex, a Babel of ideas, an argument on a plate, and it’s as camp as a Brazilian trannies’ chorus line, but it is also exciting and fun, and it’s somehow held together with sound technique and a generous soul.” High praise for this Brighton vegetarian (long lauded in Harden’s), where “[n]othing on the menu is anything you’ve eaten elsewhere.” “This is most probably the best vegetarian restaurant in Britain...It is singularly and eccentrically marvellous.”
Buon Apps, Otley
A review of a West Yorkshire Italian, where “[n]othing was thrillingly different” but “there are…some thoroughly pleasing, very solidly prepared dishes.” Special mention is reserved for ravioli of lobster and ricotta, tiramisu “that did honour to the name”, and the wine list - a “particular joy”. “Mostly, there was just the gentle thrum of a restaurant which has found a way to make things stack up, and an experienced chef to help them do it.”
Vanilla Pod, Marlow
Jasper Gerard, The Telegraph (Rating: 7/10)
Despite an “utterly excruciating” starter of onion and vanilla velouté, the critic is largely impressed by the cuisine on offer at this well known Thames Valley restaurant. Pan-friend sea bream is “perfectly executed”, rump of lamb is “a beautifully presented dish of complex construction”, and puddings are “better still.” The bill is inflated by “needless” extras , but “Marlow is lucky to have a “local” of this quality.”
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