The Daily Telegraph, 29 April
Jan Moir feels the heat at Sichuan restaurant Bar Shu in London's Frith Street
We try a starter of Numbing and Hot Dried Beef, which is marinated until it's almost solid, then sprinkled with Sichuan pepper and chillies; Fragrant and Hot Crab, showered with garlic cloves and chillies; a dish of pork slices marooned in a porridge of spring onions, garlic, ginger and - yes - chillies; and some sweet prawns gently sauced and served with cherry-sized pickled chillies. Many locals come just to have a small bowl of the delicious, spicy Dan-Dan noodles, a traditional, irresistible street snack. In short, Bar Shu is exausting but thrilling. Without doubt, the most excitng restaurant to open in London in an age. (Dinner for two, excluding drinks and service, £63)
The Guardian, 29 April
Matthew Norman finds a slice of heaven at Olga Polizzi's Hotel Endsleigh on the banks of the Tamar river in Devon
This is easily the best new restaurant I've come across in ages. Organic salmon with potato gnocchi, shiitake mushrooms, baby squid and kaffir lime was "out of this world", according to my wife, and a small boy of our acquaintance not known for his appetite rattled down his saffron linguine with Cornish crab, raving about both the "beautiful taste" and the texture. My glazed pork belly, with green beans, a poached egg and a subtle foie gras sauce, was as sweet and melty as that princely cut should be. (Rating: 9.75 out of 10. Average cost: £38 per head including wine)
The Sunday Times, 30 April
AA Gill clearly isn't a fan of the determined Scottishness at the Dorchester Grill Room in London
The first thing that strikes you, like a chilli-dipped tranny's finger in the eye, is the 20ft-high Scotsman on the opposite wall, a riot of biscuit-tin camp played with the mien of a ravenous rent boy. We can only wonder at the planning meetings that came up wth frescoes of Gay Gordons and big Bessies. There was food, of course there was food. But for the life of me, it all passed in a bland blur. No kitchen could compete with the achingly bad taste of the décor. I do remember thinking it wasn't terribly good, and I noticed from the bill that it's very expensive. Dover sole for £30, smoked salmon for £18, a roast pear for £10.50. (Rating: one star out of five)
The Independent on Sunday, 30 April
Terry Durack applauds the Italian-ness of La Collina in London's Primrose Hill
Good olives arrive, then a basket of focaccia and Sicilian crispbread, follwed by a small bruschetta of grilled aubergine, courgettes and mozzarella, warm from the grill. It's a good sign, showing respect for both the diner and the food, and augurs well for the meal to follow. A starter of ox tongue with salsa verde is just that: half a dozen fine slices of overlapping tongue, lean and meaty rather than flabby and fatty, topped wth a mossy puddle of powerful, astringent herb sauce. A carpaccio of octopus is a curious thing to do, although when I see the plate covered in tiny cross-sections of tentacle that fit together so snugly they look like a mini terrazzo floor, it makes sense. Rocket leaves and thinly sliced raw artichoke heart add freshness to the gentle, olive oily, seaside flavours. The all-Italian wine list is sensibly priced, without the wham-bam of the Supertuscans to drag prices up. (£22.50 for three courses)
The Observer, 30 April
Jay Rayner isn't convinced by the food at Village East in Bermondsey, London
The food is modern eclectic, which this year means unexpected outbreaks of wasabi and yuzu, as in a starter of ceviche of sea scallops sliced in half to look like five, then drenched in a sauce with a faintly medicinal taste. It wasn't nice. Most successful was a mound of well-seasoned confit rabbit with a smooth celeriac purée, ribbons of crisp cucumber and some crunchy pistachios. There is far less of the wasabi randomness in the main courses, though still very little consistency. The bill for three people, with one bottle of a Kiwi Sauvignon from the lower reaches of the list, was a suffocating £160. Even so I would like to be sympathetic. Village East is trying hard. A couple of the dishes were really very nice and the room looks good. But for this sort of money you have the right to expect more.