Bloomberg, 13 July
Richard Vines at Wild Honey

Wild Honey is the first offshoot of Arbutus, one of the most successful restaurants to open in London in the past year. There's one main difference. It's better.
Arbutus picked up almost every award in sight in its first 12 months, including best newcomer in the Tatler, Time Out and Remy Martin listings, and a Michelin star. The formula was simple enough: excellent food at reasonable prices, decent service and the entire wine list available in third-of-a-bottle jugs.
My main criticism of Arbutus is the room, which is a strange narrow shape, and the decor, which is offensively inoffensive. All the flair is on your plate, which sounds fair enough until you spend a few hours looking at generic modern art on beige walls.

Wild Honey - Bloomberg review in full >>

Time Out, 18 July
Jenni Muir at Le Petite Maison

You'd think Francesco Mattioli would want to stay away from Gordon Ramsay. Having come to national prominence as owner of the troubled Walnut Tree Inn in Abergavenny, memorably featured on 'Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares', the last place you'd expect to find him is right behind Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's. But here he is, manager at this new restaurant, imported directly from Nice by Arjun Waney, principal owner of hotspots Zuma and Roka.

Le Petite Maison - Time Out review in full >>

Evening Standard, 18 July
Fay Maschler at Nincho Yakitori in the Oxo Tower

Among Japanese airline pilots, birds sucked into a jet engine are referred to as yakitori. Since the word means grilled bird it is not entirely inappropriate, even if grimly unsentimental. In yakitori restaurants almost every bit of a chicken is threaded onto wooden skewers before being marinated, grilled and basted. Skin, cartilage, gizzard, liver, oyster, wing and thigh as well as breast fillet get their moment over the coals. At the newly opened Bincho Yakitori in Oxo Tower most of the above are offered. At the foot of the list of possibilities there is an announcement: "Other chicken parts available on request. "Feet, maybe? Beak?

Nincho Yakitori - Evening Standard magazine review in full >>