⦿ Jay Rayner of The Observer reviewed The Holy Birds in Shoreditch, which serves duck, goose and guinea fowl, “but mostly, to be honest, chicken“. The quality of the poultry was not to be questioned, but he was far from impressed by the cooking. “Sure, the skin is dark, but only in places. Elsewhere it’s soft and floppy. […]
Theatreland favourite Joe Allen is to celebrate its 40th anniversary with an appropriately star-studded line-up of alumni and guests on Sunday January 29. Rowley Leigh will return to the pass in the kitchen where he started out, flanked by food writers Gizzi Erskine and Lisa Markwell, with TV personality Christopher Biggins meeting and greeting on the door and […]
⦿ Jay Rayner of The Observer reviewed Veneta, just off Piccadilly, which, while “not an actively bad restaurant”, brought his culinary year to a disappointing end. “I long ago stopped taking notes in restaurants, figuring that if I couldn’t recall what I’d had for dinner that spoke volumes. With this one I had to dig out the […]
⦿ The Observer’s Jay Rayner found himself in heaven at Temper, barbecue specialist Neil Rankin’s “shot at the big time in Soho, with big London money, and bravado and punch“. “Temper is brilliant. I love the fact that you can smell the wood smoke and the rendering meat from the door. I love the way that smell […]
⦿ The Observer’s Jay Rayner reviewed Sambal Shiok, Mandy Yin’s Malaysian evenings-only pop-up at Blend café in Harringay, where he was impressed by the Singapore-style laksa. “Boy, is it good. The broth is thick, making it more a stew than a soup. It is the Fisher-Price Activity Centre of food, with just so much to see and do and […]
⦿ Jay Rayner of The Observer reviewed The Jetty at the Harbour Hotel in Christchurch, Dorset, a “place where land meets sea”. “A starter of octopus three ways is a master class in how to take a blunt object and bend it to your will.” “The Jetty mix fish grill…. is one of the prettiest platefuls […]
⦿ AA Gill of the Sunday Times opened his review of The Magpie Café 5/5 in Whitby with the bombshell that he has cancer, an announcement that – uniquely perhaps for a restaurant review – was trailed by a front-page report. “I’ve got an embarrassment of cancer, the full English,” he wrote, promising to let his readers know […]
⦿ Jay Rayner of The Observer reviewed Margot in Covent Garden, a “fancy Italian” where dinner-jacketed waiters have “that easy, relaxed style around food which really pisses off the French because they haven’t a clue how to do it.” “At Margot they can offer you a special of tagliatelle with white truffles for £55 and not even raise their […]
⦿ Jay Rayner of The Observer reviewed Jaya in Llandudno, where he found “cracking Punjabi food by way of East Africa”. “From the specials there are lamb chops, marinated in their own lime pickle, which is all fire and acidity. The heat of the oven has mellowed the punch a little but turned it into something deeper […]
⦿ Jay Rayner of The Observer hit the jackpot with a visit to Riley’s Fish Shack, “two full side-access shipping containers fitted out steampunk-style” overlooking St Edward’s Bay in Tynemouth, near Newcastle, which he declared “the eating experience of the year”. “It is the pristine quality of fish cookery you always hope to find in one of those fancy, raised […]
