Bloomberg, 8 June
Richard Vines finds Skylon so cool it lacks warmth
Skylon has a great view, a talented chef and a prime spot in the Royal Festival Hall, which looks fabulous after a two-year facelift. What could be wrong? Not a lot, yet it's difficult to get excited about this D&D London - ie Conran - venue. While the popularity of the Royal Festival Hall makes it hard to get a table, the cooking and the service struggle for attention in such an extraordinary room. The design is striking, from the dramatic light fittings through to the plates and cutlery to the waitresses' stylish dresses, the work of East-London based NoUniform. The 36-meter floor-to-ceiling windows offer marvelous views across the Thames.
Skylon – Bloomberg review in full >>
Time Out, June 6
Jenni Muir finally gets to experience Rhodes W1
The idea, we were told back in August 2005, when the Rhodes W1 bar and brasserie opened in the Cumberland Hotel, was for a fine dining restaurant to follow soon after - as in: next month. Nearly two years later, what's finally appeared is the restaurant Gary Rhodes 'has always dreamed of' and God it's good. Lavishly and glamorously decorated by Kelly Hoppen, it's secreted behind a foreboding black wooden door that (if you have the courage to push it open) leads along a darkened cellar-cum-foyer that opens to reveal a bright, sparkly world of fun for the moneyed and greedy. Every table has its own Swarovski crystal chandelier; a semi-private dining room with camply decorated antique French chairs is set behind a silky taupe curtain.
Rhodes W1 – Time Out review in full >>
Evening Standard Magazine, 11 June
Mark Bolland finds Gordon Ramsay’s the Narrow lacking
The name Gordon has surged in visibility over the last year. Previously, other than eccentric references to the Gay Gordons (a Scottish dance) or Gordon Bennett (cockney rhyming slang which means I-have-no-idea-what), it was very low profile. But suddenly, two famous Gordons are springing up everywhere. One is the man we hope will make politics more serious and restore some integrity to public life. But others think he likes cooking the books - and I do worry about his belief that he has an unquestionable right to power. The other Gordon is very similar. I'm talking about Ramsay.
The Narrow – Evening Standard magazine review in full >>