Palm’s food and prices disappoints critic

Tracey Macleod finds hefty prices and disappointing food at the newly-opened Palm restaurant, the first British outlet of the 27-strong New York steakhouse chain.

The Independent’s food critic laments the quality of the food and wonders whether this can really be the food on which an empire was built?

“Fried calamari – a hangover from the original Palm's Italian menu – were light and crisp, but piled on a pointless bed of iceberg lettuce, and served with a revoltingly sweet tomato dip reminiscent of a cook-in pasta sauce,” she says.

Meanwhile the Guardian’s Matthew Norman enjoys outstanding food served with unaffected charm at The Carpenter’s Arms in west London.

“Although the chef shows real delicacy in balancing flavours so they complement rather than swamp or confuse each other, the portions tend toward the rustic, and we'd have needed a tapeworm to cope with a pud after that lot,” he says.

The Sunday Telegraph’s Zoe Williams says that with a bit of fine-tuning, Bjorn van der Horst’s Eastside Inn could be a smash hit, while the Daily Telegraph’s Jasper Gerard finds the food at San Lorenzo Fuoriporta lacks the lightness and freshness he now expects from an Italian restaurant.

For these reviews in full and more, see What’s on the menu? To book a table and view the latest restaurant deals, visit Caterer Eats Out. Visit Guide Girl for the latest gossip from the fine dining world.


Palm’s hospitality impresses critic >>

Menuwatch – Palm >>

Critic finds prices at Eastside Inn extortionate >>

By Kerstin Kühn

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