The Sunday Times
26 September
AA Gill gives the thumbs-up to pizza at MPW's latest - a co-venture with jockey Frankie Dettori - aka Frankie's Italian Bar & Grill, London SW3
Pizza is what Frankie's specialises in. They're good. I hate to say authentic, because pizza is now a child of the world, but they're crisp, thin, hot and man made, and they cost about £12, which is not at all bad. My porcini, salami and chilli was everything a reasonable man could ask for from porcini, salami and chilli, with a nice mozzarella. The trick with pizza, as with pasta, is little but intense. Like Frankie. Sauces and flavourings should be sparse but brilliant. Menus are one of Marco's strengths, so I expect it will get better.
The Observer
26 September
Jay Rayner takes a trip to the Cotswolds to check out 5 North Street in Winchcombe
Marcus Ashenford's food is evolved and refined, in the way of small restaurants which have sought and gained a Michelin star. There are all the flourishes you would expect at this level, but also a certain butchness, a willingness to engage in bold flavours and textures. It was there in the squares of dark, spicy Welsh rarebit, which hid a layer of sticky, sweet rhubarb compote over the toast, served as a canap‚, and again in a doll's house cup of creamy white onion soup with cŠpe oil. (Dinner for two without wine, £50-£70)
The Daily Telegraph
25 September
Jan Moir finds extreme inconsistency at L'Ortolan, Shinfield, Berkshire
Half of my grouse is raw. It is not slightly underdone. It is - how can I put this - not cooked. So not cooked that, if you gave it the kiss of life, it might flap up from the plate and fly around the room. This is disappointing, considering it costs £33 and is accompanied by delicious-sounding cider fondant potato, braised salsify and blackberries... [but] Alan Murchison's menu has some flashes of real brilliance. A duck tasting plate has a tower of well-prepared confit, a disc of foie gras terrine topped with golden jelly, plus some smoked duck slice with sharp pickled cabbage and cinnamon-spiced cherries. It's really terrific... After this, more disaster. A ballotine of "organic salmon rolled in herbs" has been quite possibly wheeled up the gravel drive instead. The fish is so well past its best that it is amazing that the kitchen sent it out. (Dinner for two, excluding drinks and service, about £95)
The Independent
25 September
Caroline Stacey, on the other hand, has no complaints at L'Ortolan
At lunch, a bargain at £21, cooking and service didn't miss a beat... Smoked haddock risotto with peas and a poached egg coated with crisp breadcrumbs was a really clever reworking of familiar bedfellows. A riff on a sheep started with a tiny lamb cutlet at one end, worked its way through a couple of organs on to tender, gamey braised shoulder offset with peas and green beans. This must be the best food for miles and miles. (Lunch menu from £21 without wine or service)
The Guardian
25 September
Victor Lewis-Smith goes for pie and mash at Manze's, on London's Tower Bridge Road, SE1
The recipe for the pies is a closely guarded family secret, but I'd bet my testicles that they're made with cold water pastry and baked in the traditional style... As with the best feu de bois-cooked pizzas, the perfect meat pie should be slightly burnt on the outside and slightly doughy on the inside, to the point that the uninitiated might think that it should have been cooked slightly longer at a lower temperature. Served with lumpy mash and parsley liquor, the contrast in flavours and textures is always a winner. Eaten in situ with a fork and spoon, pie and mash is best consumed on a cold day, with the windows steamed up. True, it polarises, but if you've never tried it, then do so soon, because these unassuming and ludicrously low-priced shops are rapidly dying out. (Meal for two, including Tizer, £6)