★★★☆☆ / Modern European / Modernist

Bread Street Kitchen review – food to swear by?

Gordon Ramsay’s casual dining venture goes head-to-head with Jamie Oliver’s Barbecoa Despite his fame, I’ve never had much luck at Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants. I was unimpressed by famed Grosvenor Square stalwart Maze, disappointed by his Versailles venture Trianon and underwhelmed by private dining establishment Sloane Street. Although all of these experiences were admittedly a few … Continue reading

★★★☆☆ / Japanese / Sushi/Sashimi

Satsuma review – currying favour

Stylish surroundings, but is the food any good? Satsuma used to be a by-the-numbers Japanese restaurant that could be depended upon for a tasty bowl of udon noodles but little more. The Soho eatery has now been remodelled and reopened as self-touted katsu curry specialists (long-time Londoners will probably remember the dim sum restaurant that … Continue reading

★★★☆☆ / Modern European / Modernist

Athenaeum Hotel review – food worth getting out of bed for?

Posh nosh or just a load of complete tosh? It must be a hard and unenviable task running a luxury hotel and restaurant in Knightsbridge and Mayfair. No matter what, you will be compared to the big name competition – The Mandarin Oriental has Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, while The Berkeley has two restaurants, one by Marcus Wareing … Continue reading

★★☆☆☆ / Modern European / Modernist

Notting Hill Brasserie – it’s not a restaurant, it’s punishment

Whatever you do, don’t be late. Update July 2013: this restaurant has now closed. One of my favourite pieces of professional restaurant criticism is written by The Times’ Giles Coren. Now only available to Times subscribers, the entirety of the review is dedicated to an excruciating account of the poor service he received at the … Continue reading