The Independent, 22 April
Brighton's Pintxo People surprises John Walsh with its traditional tapas and attention to detail
We selected one seafood, three meat dishes and one vegetable. They were, in the best sense of the word, revelatory. The lamb was coated in coconut crumbs and served with a fruit chutney of pumpkin, carrot, mango, apricots and sour yoghurt. It sounds awful - like a really pretentious Moroccan tagine - but tasted fabulous. A touch of cumin in the yoghurt responded to the coconut and danced among my taste buds like Zizi Jeanmaire. The black pudding surprise in morcilla filo parcels was a yummy quartet of party sociables perched on a spinach purée, the earthy whiff of pig's blood sweetened by apple sauce. (Dinner for two excluding drinks, £55. Four out of five stars)
The Times, 22 April
Giles Coren creates his own dish at the Thomas Cubitt, London SW1
I have not many times eaten a better steak than the fat, grilled fillet of grass-reared, rare-breed organic Norfolk beef. It was as thick as my wrist and, ordered rare, came with a gorgeous black crust no more than half a millimetre thick on red, red flesh that had aged long after death and, judging by its perfect, almost human temperature, had stood away from refrigeration plenty before cooking. I asked for it to be served with the smoked bacon risotto and poached duck egg that would have come with the organic salmon had the fish not run out, and thought it made a marvellous pairing, or tripling. I shall call it "Tournedos Giley" and let Rossini keep his nasty foie gras. (Dinner for two excluding drinks, £75; 7.33 out of 10)
The Scotsman, 22 April
Gillian Glover is horrified by the transformation of Cosmo in Edinburgh
I had "bagged" the langoustines. In best bygone nouvelle cuisine style, my plate held a rectangle, two-and-a-half inches by one-and-a-half maximum; this, the Stasi waiting person told me, was "the West Coast langoustines, the crisp pork belly and the shellfish sauce". And I was glad that she told me, because otherwise I may have kept looking for my starter. What was there was pleasant enough - though I wasn't too keen on the souffléd-crisp fat of the pork belly, which was a bit too redolent of Barnsley pub pork scratchings for my taste, but so arty-farty minimalist that it was an irritation to someone so hungry. (Dinner for two excluding drinks, £97.50)
The Daily Telegraph, 22 April
Jan Moir heads to Moro, in London's Clerkenwell, for some much-anticipated sausages
Part of Sam and Sam's [Clark] great success is that they have somehow managed to make the unfamiliar unthreatening and there's always something interesting to try: sweetbreads with preserved lemon and cardamom, or a richly-flavoured mutton tagine sticky with pears, figs and prunes. Here, too, are sharply executed tapas, such as squares of fine, firm tortilla, bowls of almonds roasted in a smoked paprika. Glossy pardon peppers with a chilli hot kick and... sausages. Well, yes, and they are rather wonderful. Moro takes smoky, fresh chorizos, splits them lengthways and tosses them on the charcoal grill until the edges turn crispy black and beg for mercy. (Dinner for two excluding drinks and service, £57)
The Independent on Sunday, 23 April
Terry Durack delights in the simple French cooking at La Brasserie Ma Cuisine Bourgeoise, Twickenham
The meal kicks off in traditional style with a basket of freshly cut baguette and fruit bread, and bite-sized gougère-like cheese profiteroles. Then it is straight to the Big White Tureen, which tonight holds a thick, bisque-like Mediterranean fish soup laced with crab. The waiter ladles out a generous bowlful and assures me that he will be back with les seconds. He leaves small bowls of rouille (spicy mayonnaise), grated cheese for spreading on little toasts, and some terrific pickled garlic cloves for nibbling on between spoonfuls. The soup is full-bodied and long-flavoured. There is no way you could knock back an offer of more. An artichoke and truffle salad is a simple enough idea with its mix of watercress, asparagus, new potatoes, little black coins of truffle and marinated artichoke hearts. (Dinner for two including wine and service, £95; 14 out of 20)