Bloomberg, 19 October
Richard Vines at Gordon Ramsay’s new pub The Devonshire
Mark Sargeant, executive chef at Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's, was in the kitchen this week at Ramsay's new venue in the London suburb of Chiswick. Finding out who is actually doing the cooking is a little harder because the Devonshire, which opened on 15 October, is part of a chain of pubs planned by Ramsay, with almost identical menus and uncomplicated dishes that don't require a master chef. If you've visited Ramsay's first pub, the Narrow, you'll be familiar with the concept, the dishes and the reasonable pricing, with mains starting at £10 ($20). The wine list is ungreedy, featuring bottles costing as little as £13.50.

The Devonshire - read full article here >>

Time Out, 17 October
Guy Diamond at Hereford Road in Notting Hill
Lambs' tongues in rhubarb bouillabaisse was a signature dish of Regret Rien, the ill-fated restaurant in Mike Leigh's 1991 film, 'Life is Sweet'. Aubrey, the chef, considered himself a creative genius but failed to understand what customers wanted to eat; his array of hideous dishes had no takers. So it was with some apprehension that I waited for my grilled lambs' tongues in Notting Hill's latest restaurant, hoping I wouldn't regret it. I needn't have worried. A fine-grained meat, there's nothing off-putting about lambs' tongues when they're simply grilled and served with a green bean, anchovy and caper salad. They don't even look like tongue unless you peer closely. But there is a distinctly offally, slightly unsettling aspect to this whole menu, which may seem very familiar.

Hereford Road - read full article here >>

Evening Standard, 22 October
Mark Bollard at Brinkley’s
Sometimes (well, quite often, actually), I'm accused by friends of being too cynical; and on occasion I worry that I am. But last week, all my prejudices were justified when I was talking to an old friend, a well-known public figure. I'd heard him on the radio that morning, talking controversially on a subject about which he seemed to know very little. He'd turned waffling into an art form. I asked why on earth he had elected to appear on the supposedly well-informed Today programme to tackle a topic that seemed completely beyond his remit. 'You're right,' he replied cheerfully. 'Don't really know anything about it. But I have to appear from time to time in order to keep my speaking fees up.'

Brinkley's - read full article here >>

Metro, 17 October
Marina O’Loughlin at Divo
Who knows how many stars to give Divo? I refuse to properly rate it under any kind of comparative system; so sack me. Hear me out. Divo might well be the finest Ukrainian-style upmarket restaurant in the world; similarly, there's every – and I mean every – possibility it's the worst. I simply have no way of knowing. Sure, I've eaten Ukrainian-style food before but this over-the-top extravaganza is a new one on me. So all I can do is tell you what our experience was like – the rest is up to you.

Divo - read full article here >>