Kitchen W8
Nicholas Lander, Financial Times
On the basis of a duo of visits, the critic hails this Kensington “neighbourhood” newcomer for its “compelling” menu… “full of contrasting flavours and textures”.
“Kitchen W8 proclaims itself a neighbourhood restaurant, and I suppose it is, but only if you live in the sort of neighbourhood where everybody can afford to wear mink-lined knickers”, the critic tells us “[s]o their version of low key – either in terms of price or execution – may not be yours or mine”. He proclaims this a “soothing” room, with staff who are “well drilled without being dead eyed”. The food, though, “needs fine tuning” – some dishes were “fantastic”, but others were “bewildering”.
Dean Street Townhouse
Toby Young, The Independent on Sunday (Rating: 15/20)
“Talk about the right DNA. The Dean Street Townhouse is the brainchild of Nick Jones, the entrepreneur who founded the Soho House Group, and Richard Caring, the owner of Le Caprice, the Ivy, J Sheekey, Scott's, Annabel's, Mark's Club, Harry's Bar and dozens of other top-flight restaurants and clubs. Caring became the majority shareholder in the Soho House Group in 2008 and this is their first big joint venture in London.”
The critic finds a “buzzing” place with the “appearance of a luxurious gentlemen's club”, and “crisp and efficient” service, offering a menu “like a stripped-down version of the Ivy’s”. The pricing, though, suggests that “the Dean Street Townhouse is aimed at a slightly more cost-conscious demographic than the Ivy… It's Caprice Holdings' diffusion line, if you like… It may not attract as many A-listers, but I suspect it will be no less popular for that”.
La Poule au Pot
The critic admits he was looking for somehwere “Christmassy and romantic”, to review, and happens upon the “most venerable and consistent of Belgravia bistros”, which turns out to be “as thriving as ever it was since opening in 1962”, and still serving “big helpings of plainly delicious food”.
Ashmolean Dining Room, Oxford
Zoe Williams, The Telegraph (Rating: 7/10)
The reviewer secures our respect by (substantially) correctly summarising the Oxford dining scene – “for casual eating there’s Jamie Oliver; for non-event eating there’s pretty much everywhere else”. She visits the café of this recently relaunched musuem, where she finds staff who are “keen, beautiful, charming and a bit clueless”. The food was very up-and-down though, so the positive grade awarded must reflect other factors.
The critic has a dismal meal in an overloaded restaurant, which he describes as “slow torture”.
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