The Guardian

31 July
Matthew Fort is in heaven at Rasoi Vineet Bhatia, London

This is bravura cooking of the very highest order, creative in a wholly and purely individual way. One dish - wild mushroom khichdi, mini papad and makhani ice-cream - seemed to sum up the force of Bhatia's cooking. The creamy khichdi had something in common with an Italian risotto. The mini papad was a neat, crisp barrier between the hot khichdi and the cold, intense makhani ice-cream. The khichdi proposed a kind of easy-going comfort and the papad released a breath of spice before the rich, creamy tomato base of the ice-cream swept all before it. (Score: 18/20)


The Times

31 July
Giles Coren hates the cheese but loves the rest of the food at Pearl in London

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It was a dog of a cheeseboard. An utter hound of a chariot de fromage... And this was a damn shame because the cooking at Pearl by Jun Tanaka is exemplary. Warm, smoked Anjou pigeon was sliced and then reconstructed and was quite wonderfully sweet, oaky and dense... A ravioli of duck confit was rich and plump (like Charlotte Church), and perched above its bok choi and duck consomm‚ were two wonderful quail's eggs that had (I assume) been briefly poached before being breaded and fried, for a result that looked like a spherical potato croquette from Findus but tasted like eggy heaven. (Three courses, £24.50)


The Sunday Telegraph

1 August
Matthew Norman unearths the perfect neighbourhood Chinese restaurant in Singapore Garden, London NW6

Exactly how to label the cuisine here, I'm not sure... Pan-south-east Asian - or more technically, wok-south-east Asian - is about right, but when the food is this brilliant, who cares what it's called? Three starters - ultra-crispy chicken wings (£6), tangy barbecue spare ribs (£4.95) and the best and crunchiest deep-fried soft-shell crab (£7) I've ever eaten - came prettily on the same platter, and were joined by some fried dumplings (£7), bursting with juice and flavour. (Score: 9/10. Dinner for one, £33.75 with coffee and half-a-bottle of house wine)


The Independent

1 August
Tracey MacLeod is seduced in Constable country at the Sun Inn in Dedham, Essex

The main course dishes we tried combined big, robust flavours with a careful attention to detail. My Moroccan lamb meatballs were just the thing for someone with an anaesthetised palate - and I mean that as a compliment. Juicy minced lamb spiked with olives, apricots and coriander in a smokily reduced tomato sauce, served with herb couscous. A tranche of shimmeringly fresh cod was combined, Spanish-style, with a slice of chorizo that bled orange into a crisp fan of saut‚d new potatoes.


Timeout

3 August
Guy Dimond finds there is still individuality in Islington at Ottolenghi, London

The meat and veg dishes change daily: they could be loosely described as southern Mediterranean, using influences from Iran to Morocco. Freshness and vibrancy of flavour are key to the success of the dishes, whether it's an endive and walnut salad garnished with a gorgonzola and sour-cream sauce, or a leg of chicken marinated in cardamom, chilli, mint and pomegranate molasses, roasted with baby onions. (Meal for two with wine and service, around £45)