Aqua Nueva hails from an era before the recession, says food critic

The Hong Kong-based Aqua Group’s first London outlet, Aqua Nueva, is a restaurant with a ton of money spent on its design at the expense of the kitchen and the concept, according to Jay Rayner.

The Observer’s food critic says the restaurant atop the former Dickins & Jones building on Regent Street is from a different era – “the era that ended a year ago when Arctic winds suddenly blew through the City”.

“Recession? What recession? Look at the Aqua group: they have just invested the GDP of a small African nation in opening a pair of fancy, shiny, look-where-all-the-money-went restaurants,” he says.

“What they don't have is a kitchen or a concept firing on all cylinders.”

The Sunday’s Times’ AA Gill is impressed with Tom Kitchin’s Michelin-starred restaurant The Kitchin in Edinburgh, where he enjoyed the best and most agreeable dinner he has eaten all year.

The Independent on Sunday’s Lisa Markwell is unsure about the artwork, but says the food is sublime at Mark Hix’s new venture, Hix Soho, while the Daily Telegraph’s Jasper Gerard finds a lot to like about John Torode’s new restaurant, The Luxe, but quibbles about the prices.

For these reviews in full and more see What’s on the menu? To book a table and view the latest restaurant deals visit Caterer Eats Out. Visit Guide Girl for the latest gossip from the fine dining world.

Aqua Restaurant Group’s London outlet is the “Rainforest Café for grown-ups”, says critic >>

Just opened: Aqua Nueva >>

Torode’s new venture “blah verging on inept”, says critic >>

By Kerstin Kühn

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