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Review of the Reviews - London

Gauthier Soho

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

[T]here you have it: a two-star dinner, a four-star lunch, so a three-star grade. But do hurry along. Gauthier Soho is sort of thrilling and not too expensive.” After a disappointing first visit to the Soho newcomer (“[s]o many of the dishes we tried were insipid or actually completely tasteless”), the critic returns for lunch, and enjoys a far more successful meal from the “admirably fluid” menu. The chef's “appreciation of vegetables and his artist’s eye” attract particular praise, alongside the “nervy enthusiasm” of the staff and “canny guidance” from the sommelier. The premises, however, are “hopelessly unsuited to a restaurant.”

Bar Boulud

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

“For cooking this exceptional, with such attention to detail and at such reasonable prices, this is an instant hit.” A rave review of the new Knightsbridge outpost of the famous New York chef, where the dining room is “beautiful” and service is “well-informed, well-mannered and utterly professional.” Menu highlights include “mouthwatering” charcuterie, “sublime” burgers and a “masterpiece” of an île flottante.

Pétrus

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

A review of Gordon Ramsay's Belgravia restaurant where the cuisine is “well executed and there are good dishes, particularly among the starters and the desserts.” As for the decor, “if you were being kind… you might say it offers understated glamour. If you were being unkind, as some people have been, you might find it too understated in a beige sort of way.” The critic concludes that “[i]t’s difficult to imagine London diners getting excited by any of this”, but if Ramsay “sticks with his current prices...and keeps up the level of service, Petrus is an acceptable option if you’re in the area.” Does this really sound like a restaurant worth three out of the maximum possible four stars? We're not quite sure it does.

8 Station Terrace

Guy Dimond, Time Out (Rating: 3/5 stars)

The critic visits a Kensal Green newcomer, where the “brief” menu is “modern without being slavish to fashion.” The wine list is “perhaps too brief”, but dishes sampled follow “the simple-but-satisfying route.” All in all, “it's affordable and has a good atmosphere, helped along by smiling but rather amateur service...it's a neighbourhood place you're happy to linger in.”

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