Two of London's more high-profile restaurant openings not well received by critics

Two of London's most high-profile restaurant openings - Silvena Rowe's Quince at the May Fair Hotel and Jason Atherton's Pollen Street Social - are not well received by the critics this week.

Giles Coren discusses the moral dilemma of reviewing a restaurant owned by someone he's friendly with but says the food at Rowe's Quince is "catastrophic".

The Times critic says that because he likes Rowe (pictured)  he has been nicer in his review than he would have been had he not met her but adds that he has to search for something good to say. "It truly makes my heart ache to say so, for I'm sure Silvena can cook. But there is sure as hell someone in that kitchen who can't," he says.

Meanwhile the Metro's Marina O'Loughlin says Pollen Street Social is hit and miss and finds it hard to work out what all the fuss is about. "When he's [Atherton] being straightforward his food is entirely successful. But some of the experimentation and tricksiness just grates," she says.

The Sunday Telegraph's Zoe Williams complains that from décor right down to seasoning, Provençal bistro Cassis by the Marlon Abela Restaurant Corporation seems too hung up with not causing offence to be exciting.

Witing in the Observer, Jay Rayner says the Royal Academy restaurant, which is run by Peyton and Byrne, manages to make dinner into a fine art, while Tracey MacLeod finds a really special restaurant in Simon Rogan's Roganic.

Filling in for AA Gill in the Sunday Times, Rod Liddle experiences rotten service and a restaurant he doesn't like at the Leconfield in Petworth, West Sussex.

In London, both the Evening Standard's Fay Maschler and Time Out's Guy Dimond are impressed with the creative menus at Hedone, which Dimond describes as one of the most interesting and accomplished restaurants to have opened in the capital for a long time.

For these reviews in full and more, see What's on the menu? Visit Guide Girl for the latest gossip from the fine-dining world.

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By Kerstin Kühn

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