What’s on the menu? - A round-up of the latest restaurant reviews

Metro, 25 June
Marina O’Loughlin is distinctly underwhelmed by Osteria Stecca

There are some restaurants that remain resolutely critic-proof. You can knock Nobu till you're purple in the face, lay into San Lorenzo, carp about Asia de Cuba or bitch about Cipriani; none of it will make the blindest bit of difference. Some of it is explained by a love of seeing and being seen. Often it's because the critical fraternity are, by definition, pickier than yer average punter. Sometimes I have a violent urge to grab customers piling into the likes of Bella Pasta or Prezzo and point them towards somewhere of real value and quality. Even in London, the two are not mutually incompatible. This is not condescension, honest, more like evangelism. Osteria Bloomberg review in full >>

Evening Standard, 25 June
David Sexton is impressed with Francesco Mazzei’s L’Anima

The economy is on the slide. Bills are soaring, house prices falling. Strikes are on the way. Yet London is enjoying a wave of new restaurant openings - restaurants of considerable lavishness, moreover. Ayaa, Kyashii, Brasserie St Jacques, Quo Vadis - they keep coming. Some, like Kyashii, may be aiming for customers so rich that employment prospects and property prices mean nothing to them. But the backers of others must now be looking at the possibility of recession with near panic. L’Anima – Evening Standard review in full >>

Time Out, 26 June
Sally Peck finds excellent food and value for money at Baozi Inn in China Town

The revolution continues apace in Chinatown, and the future looks bright. Where once we suffered with tired Anglo-Canto greasy spoons in sad need of a makeover, now the hub around Gerrard Street is a destination for quality food. Searches for light, handmade Chinese noodles served in a broth tasting of something other than dishwater for years proved futile. But finally, the folk who brought us Bar Shu, the temple to Sichuanese cuisine in Soho, have offered up Baozi Inn (‘People’s Commune’ – in Chinese), an excellent purveyor of Beijing and Chengdu street snacks.
Baozi Inn – Time Out review in full >>

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By Kerstin Kühn

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