The Times
Following her debut review of London’s oldest restaurant (Rules), new Sunday Times restaurant critic Camilla Long turned her attention to one of its newest, a “high-concept, Japanese-adjacent” venture from Victor Garvey, “a wild-eyed, tattooed, drama-dogged, Michelin-starred Californian/French/Spanish chef”.
After the collapse of Garvey’s sumptuous operation at the Midland Grand hotel last year, his new project is a minimalist 16-seater with a “fascinatingly self-flagellating and penitential” vibe; Camilla felt the bailiffs could arrive at any time, and “the whole thing could be gone by next week”.
The 12 (or was it 16?)-course tasting menu was a frustrating experience: the first half dozen dishes were “confident, exciting, beautiful”, and included an “incredible” king spider crab “presented in its own echidna-like hull, served with an unforgettable crab emulsion — like fishy Marmite — and roasted rice (basically medieval Rice Krispies)”. Halfway through, though, “the whole thing collapses. It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just not there… as if the chef’s mind has drifted, is bored, or can’t focus, has moved on to the next restaurant, and the service goes too.”
Camilla Long - 2026-02-15
