Metro, 18 October
Marina O’Loughlin finds frills without thrills at refurbished Restaurant Gordon Ramsay

Gordon Ramsay has totally refurbished his Royal Hospital Road flagship, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. As it’s one of only three eating places in the UK to brandish the full complement of Michelin stars, this is something of a major event. And the refurb? So utterly bland as to be forgettable. Acres of off-white furnishings, Caramac-coloured leather and cream panelling. Ah yes, the food. It’s not bad – of course it’s not – but I don’t think at this level of dining I’ve eaten a more soulless dinner. Obviously, GR is not in the kitchen, so his myrmidons churn out a succession of dishes like so many automata. The cooking is solid, Francophile, classic, based mostly on luxury ingredients. Every now and then, a little contemporary flourish is chucked in – Space Dust in a coconutty cocktail, dry ice under a long-standing petit four of strawberry ice-filled chocolates – but it’s derivative stuff. Oh sure, there were good things – that ripe, truffle risotto; sea bass with a heady morel sauce – but there was nothing that made me purr at its deliciousness. Where’s the excitement? Where’s the original vision? It goes without saying you can eat better abroad, but hell, you can eat better here in London: Le Gavroche, Pied à Terre or Tom Aikens. (food rating: two out  of five. Meal for two, seven-course “Menu Prestige” £460 with a couple of bottles of wine and supplement).

The Independent on Sunday, 15 October
Down in the West Country, Terry Durack visits Blackstones and luxuriates in a warm Bath restaurant

Local shopkeepers and office workers come and go, lunching on onion tarts and fish cakes, while silver-haired day trippers gossip over pots of tea and muffins. Only restaurant critics trying to stay out of the rain do the full three-course thing with wine and stay for hours. Blackstones is fresh, modern and good value, with easy-to-love staff, easy-to-take prices, and easy-to-eat food. It is not sophisticated, or overly professional - heaven forbid - but a few more places like this in town and we'll soon be going to Bath for more than just water. (Rating: 13 out of 20. Meal for two, £65 including two drinks)

The Observer, 15 October
Jay Rayner likes the eco credentials but is disappointed in the cooking at Bordeaux Quay brasserie in Bristol

Too much of the cooking missed the mark. The chicken-liver parfait was bland. The lamb "tagine" was a sprightly stew, but it was completely one note and lacked the play of sweet and salt which makes a real tagine what it is. Worst of all was the fish stew, which, while generous - a trio of clams, a couple of mussels, a prawn and various cuts of fish - had a broth with no depth of flavour. It didn't help that the small tranche of monkfish was undercooked - read raw - or that we heard nothing by way of apology when we pointed this out, via the waitress, to the kitchen. (Meal for two, £70)

Time Out, 17 October
Guy Dimond is "invited" to check out the Rochelle Canteen, in Bethnal Green, east London

Margot Henderson, co-proprietor with Melanie Arnold, told me on the phone a few months ago: "It's a private canteen for the new arts studios. However, outside people can visit, as long as they're invited." When I visited this summer, being "invited" merely involved pressing the doorbell. Rochelle Canteen's dishes range from chorizo and potato soup through quail Caesar salad to strawberry ice-cream. Portions were good, prices low. That was back in June. On my return visit it felt like a different chef was working there. Welsh rarebit was slightly grey-looking, a result of Guinness used in the mixture; but both texture and flavour were unappetising. The meal was saved by two savoury dishes: linguine with bottarga and parsley, plus a stew of lamb's heart. (Lunch for two with coffee and service, about £35)