Evening Standard, 30 April
Fay Maschler finds the vegan fare at Saf Restaurant lacking excitement
There are branches of Saf in Istanbul, Bodrum and Munich. Executive chef is American-born Chad Sarno who, the press release reveals, is known worldwide as The Raw Chef. Woody Harrelson, one of his fans, describes him as “the Michael Jordan of living foods”. Unfortunately this living legend was not in the restaurant on the evening we visited as he was apparently having problems with his visa.
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Metro, 30 April
Marina O’Loughlin is less than impressed with Apsleys
So, here we are, under that painting, pondering the Lanesborough hotel restaurant's reincarnation. It is quite spectacularly ghastly. Star US-based designer Adam Tihany (responsible for legendary Stateside names such as Per Se and Le Cirque as well as Knightsbridge's Foliage) has spent a reported £2million to strip it of anything resembling charm and personality. Previously, it was an endearing Regency pastiche, a verging-on-the-camp romp of potted palms and Chinoiserie. Now we've got what appears to be a job-lot of furniture from one of those shops that taste forgot on the Edgware Road. On shagpile.
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Bloomberg, 25 April
Richard Vines gives Maze Grill top marks
Jason Atherton, 36, may be one of the most talented British chefs you've never heard of. He's the man behind Maze, which has been packing in London diners for three years with tapas-sized dishes of Asian-influenced French food. There are now branches in New York and Prague. He's also doing more television work, which is raising his profile. Atherton has just added the Maze Grill next to the original, a stone's throw from the US embassy on Grosvenor Square. The focus here is on steaks, and as steak joints go, I enjoyed Maze Grill as much as any I've visited, and it's the first restaurant I'm giving top marks to since we started awarding stars in January.
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Time Out, 24 April
Guy Dimond at Osteria Stecca
Chef-proprietor Stefano Stecca was in jovial mood on the evening we visited. As charismatic as a much younger (and bearded) Silvio Berlusconi, he was clearly delighted to be meeting and greeting most of his customers in person. In fact, he was spending more time arranging complementary glasses of sparkling prosecco than supervising the kitchen. But Stecca has good reason to be jolly, and confident of his kitchen.
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