Bayswater, French Restaurant Guide

“God, it’s wonderful to have Jeremy King back in action”, sigh the many fans of this year-old, Manhattan-inspired haunt at the top of Queensway, across the road from Kensington Gardens: “an American-style grand cafe” where, they say, “you can breath easy with its pale wood, smooth surfaces – all the tables are good – and booths abound”. Many of our reporters have followed Jeremy for decades, through the rise of Corbin & King… boardroom battles over The Wolseley… his sudden departure from the group… and now his triumphant comeback (alongside The Arlington, and Simpsons on the Strand, see also). Once again they feel at home in this “luscious location”, socialising with the smart crowd (but also quite a lot of tourists) over “US-tinged food that can be anything from a hot dog to a three course blow-out”: simple, but tempting fare that “like the great man himself is well cut, well-suited and comfortable”. Long-term followers know better than to expect culinary pyrotechnics – it’s not King’s style – “a bit formulaic but very pleasant” is what to hope for, alongside an acceptance that it may be “no more than average” (and “if you order what you really want – rather than merely what you can afford – the bill can be a shocker”). Servicewise – “The Park is still in the ‘learning’ phase”, but for the most part hitting the “welcoming and highly professional service” that’s his hallmark, and from the get-go it’s been “a top venue in an area of London that lacks any good eateries”.