The Sunday Times, 2 October
AA Gill dines in the basement restaurant that is Le Gavroche in London
I had a nice piece of turbot, then a grouse, which they say is served in the English manner, but only in the sense that crème anglaise is the same as custard. It was a young grouse, barely hung, roasted bloody, with bread sauce and game chips that were grown-up variations on a childish theme. Breadcrumbs came as a sauce. How did you manage to get liquid breadcrumbs, I asked in wonder. "With melted butter," said the waiter. The great Fernand Point said that the secret of haute cuisine was butter, butter, butter and lashings of time. It's a truth that Le Gavroche has taken to its heart. The chef provides the butter; you have to allow lashings of time. Rich is a foodie word that has reversed its meaning: it's now a warning, a sickly no-go. But here, they imperiously maintain the ancient, glorious sense of richesse. (Lunch for three: "Quite a lot, but nothing like as much as I had expected")
The Observer, 2 October
Jay Rayner finds confident and robust cooking at Galvin in London
Curiously the room - dark slate floors, conker brown wood panelling - reminds me most of an American eating house. But the menu clearly bows the head towards the other side of the channel, much as cardinals do to the Pope. There is among the starters a terrine of pork and foie gras, coarsely made and served at room temperature. There is an autumn soup of pumpkins and girolles, and a lasagne of crab, in which the white meat has been set within a warm seafood mousse. There is a pithivier of shredded pigeon with glazed chestnuts. The cooking is so confident and robust that the name of the dish on the menu makes adjectives redundant.
The same applies with the mains, but I like my adjectives.
A large veal daube was deep and dark and unctuous. A parmentier of oxtail with black pudding came in the reverse formation to that served at Chez Bruce, the silky mash beneath a ripe cake of shredded meat. (Meal for two, including wine and service, £90)
The Sunday Telegraph, 2 October
Susannah Herbert heads for Galvin, too - and can't wait to retur
I won't waste superlatives, because I need to keep some in reserve for the outright winner among our plats principaux: the best grilled calf's liver (£11.50) I have ever tasted. It's incredibly hard to do calf's liver well; I've had versions in well-regarded restaurants which resist both knife and teeth. But this one was immaculate, expertly sauced and seasoned, timed to perfection. Unfortunately it wasn't mine, and the neighbour's husband had learnt how to eat to beat my wandering fork. I chose off-menu: a thick chop of something introduced as "black pig from the Pyrenees" (£13.50) which, though excellent, had been left just a fraction too long on the grill, giving the first mouthful an intrusively strong charred flavour. Pork chops are often dry, but this one wasn't. It had been slow-cooked at a very low heat before its final flaming and was robust and moist; the accompanying morels had been marinated in port and were sweet and musky. (Dinner for one, £35.36 with coffee and half a bottle of house wine)
The Independent, 2 October
Terry Durack questions whether Wagamama in London's Streatham Street deserves its title of Zagat's most popular London restaurant
The edamame are pale, yellowing and tired-looking. Gyoza are awful; uncooked and chewy at the joins, with a pasty, tasteless filling. The Wagamama ramen contains a large hank of "crabstick", one of the most odious euphemisms of modern culinary practice. The broth is a million miles from the single-minded, clear-tasting broths of Japanese ramen houses. The ginger on the yaki udon is dyed an alarming fire-engine red. The "spicy ground fish powder" on the udon is salty and harsh. Upon ordering the coconut ice-cream, I am told it will take at least 10 minutes, as the ice-cream has to thaw. Desserts - of high-rise Wagamama chocolate and wasabi fudge cake, and lime and stem ginger tart with soft pastry and a sweaty glaze - are very, very sweet. (About £45 for two, including wine and service