Bloomberg, 4 September
Richard Vines enjoys the flamboyant menu, over-the-top room and charming service at The Criterion, London W1
There’s a starter of grouse and pea risotto with goats curd and broad beans. That, sadly, replaced my favorite: Kashmir saffron risotto with Parmesan ice cream. It sounds like a car crash, yet the flavors work and I hope that dish returns. Another starter of soya-and-ginger marinated, hand-cubed British beef fillet, cucumber, salty caramel, quail eggs (12.50 pounds) is a winning Asian take on steak tartare, again showing that the chef -- Matthew Foxon, 27, formerly of the Rosendale -- doesn’t shy away from bold combinations. It’s a similar picture with the main courses, which include a dukkah-crusted Kezie farm ostrich fillet, sweet potato, beef bobotie -- a South African dish with curry spices served in a little pot. (Dukkah is a nut-and-spice blend in which cumin was predominant here.) This isn’t subtle, and the meat gets lost in the spices, though if you like big flavors (as I do) this may be a dish for you. (Lunch and dinner set menu, £23. Rating: 2/4)
The Criterion – review in full >>
Metro, 9 September
Marina O’Loughlin finds the first London branch of Jamie’s Italian in Canary Wharf, London E14, to be a reasonably priced, quality chain product, despite the gimmicks
The menu is extraordinarily comprehensive, staggering wildly from chickpea 'popcorn' through antipasti, pastas and salads to more elaborate main dishes. It defies anyone not to find something they like. Sure, there are niggles – some of the pasta ('Jamie's Italian Spaghetti Bolognese'; as opposed to what? Latvian?) is way beyond al dente; some of the dishes (that 'popcorn') are pointless gimmickry; there are errors of judgement such as cannellini beans over-rosemary-ed into air-freshener astringency. Portions, some sweetish pumpkin-stuffed caramelle, tend towards the bijou. And gimmickry continues with presentation: a board of excellent antipasti – silky San Daniele ham, finely ground schiacciata Romana salami, mortadella, pecorino cheese with a slick of sugary chilli jam – is balanced on two tins of plum tomatoes. But the bill is gentle and quality is light years ahead of the price-comparable likes of Bella Pasta and Zizzi. (A meal for two with wine, water and service, costs about £50.)
Jamie’s Italian - review in full >>
Time Out, 3 September
Guy Dimond finds the New York bistro-inspired Lower East, in London’s Canary Wharf, lacking authenticity
Westferry Circus is that bit of the Docklands on the riverfront just west of Canary Wharf. Now, the site that used to be a branch of Jamie’s wine bar has been turned into this ‘liquor bar and bistro’, ‘inspired by the neighbourhood restaurants of New York’s Manhattan’. The can-do, smiling service might be evocative of Manhattan, but the brief menu is a very loose interpretation. Our ‘clam chowder’ was a good dish, but really a seafood soup, not a New England chowder, let alone the tomato-rich Manhattan version. This soup contained peas and smoked haddock, and wasn’t as dense as the real thing. There weren’t too many clams, but at least they didn’t come from a tin, as they do in inferior versions.
Lower East - review in full >>