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Review of the Reviews - London

Yalla Yalla

Marina O'Loughlin, Metro (Rating: 4/5 stars)

The critic delights in “finding somewhere small and independent that’s got it all so right” – a Lebanese “gem of a joint up a hidden alleyway” in Soho. The “tiny” restaurant is “bustling and immensely attractive”, with a “consise” menu that includes all “the greatest hits” of Lebanese cuisine. The dishes she samples are “exactly as they should be”, and – to top it all off – it’s a “[b]argain”.

Charmaine Mok, Time Out (Rating: 4/5 stars)

This “sweet little place” in Soho combines “striking” design and “cheap, delicious and fast” food. The critic deems it “a perfect little hideaway for friends and fans of solidly good Lebanese cooking.”

Feargus O’Sullivan, The London Paper (Rating: 4/5 stars)

The critic soon forgives this “back-street stunner” for the “swelteringly hot” temperatures inside on his visit. He finds “real love and attention lavished” on the classic Lebanese cuisine, décor to match the “honest and straightforward” food, and “unfussy”, “cheerful” service.

Eastside Inn

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

The “formula” of Bjorn van der Horst’s City restaurant – “a formal room and a bistro, right beside each other” – is, for the critic, “not ideal”, “but the cooking generally carries it through”. He is impressed by the “quality and variety of the cooking” and the “luxury ingredients”, but the prices seem out of tune with the current climate, and he opines that “[t]he challenge van der Horst faces is to downsize the cost of his inspiration.”

Naru

Judy Joo, Time Out (Rating: 4/5 stars)

This “cosy” new Korean restaurant in Covent Garden is judged “classier than most neighbouring Korean cafés” by the critic. On her visit, the “loving care” that goes into the “food and service is apparent”, and she enjoys some “beautifully executed dishes”.

The Brill

David Sexton, Evening Standard (Rating: 2/5 stars)

There is “obvious commitment” at this gastropub in an “ambitiously converted” Victorian building in Kings Cross. The cooking is “based on good ingredients and natural flavours” and the kitchen “doesn’t try to exceed its limitations and delivers a lot for the price.” However, the service – whilst “welcoming” – is “a bit stretched”, the atmosphere is “noisy” and “too close”, and the place suffers from its “scummy” location, with “trippers stumbling by [and] sirens going off”.

The Crabtree

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

The critic discovers an ideal ‘barbecue summer’ pub in Hammersmith, with a “huge sprawling garden” and “spectacular position” by the Thames. The food is a little up-and-down, and there are some “long wait[s]”, but the gesture of a bottle of wine on the house “repair[s] the yawning gaps in service”. On her second visit, the extensive barbecue is “going great guns” and she concludes that this is “somewhere rather spiffing to go when the sun does put his hat on.”

Tamada

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

“[G]et your drink order in first” advises the critic, as the service is “slow and unpractised” a this Georgian restaurant in St John’s Wood. Fortunately, the Georgian wines offered are “characterful, and not expensive”, and the food – when it arrives – is “unusual” and “very well-made”.

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