October 2011 Archives

Gordon Ramsay's latest restaurant, Bread Street Kitchen, is the kind of place only its mother could really love, according to Jay Rayner.

The Observer's food critic says that while the restaurant at the One New Change development in the City of London may be big, brash and bold, the penthouse pricing, dysfunctional service and pedestrian cooking are a letdown.

Meanwhile Giles Coren, writing in the Times, says Lussmann's Fish & Grill in St Alban is everything a modern restaurant should be, serving great food and having a serious commitment to sustainability.

The interior but definitely not the food at Busaba Eathai in Bicester Village, Oxfordshire, dazzles Zoe Williams of the Sunday Telegraph, who says the Thai menu simply isn't good enough. 

The Sunday Times' AA Gill leaves Hedone in Chiswick with a rounded sense of satisfaction and replete wellbeing, scoring Mikael Jonsson's cooking a perfect five, while the Independent's John Walsh utterly, utterly, utterly, utterly loves the old-fashioned virtue of Rules in London.

Fay Maschler of the London Evening Standard doesn't enjoy her lunch at Assemblage in Shoreditch but applauds James Knight-Pacheco, a former TV star from the Restaurant with Raymond Blanc, for opening up on his own.

Finally, Time Out's Guy Dimond enjoys the tapas at Copita in Soho, the second outlet from the team behind Barrica, so much, he eats his way through the entire menu.

Thomas Keller's French Laundry and the Restaurant at Meadowood in Napa Valley in northern California have remained the only restaurants to hold three stars in the Michelin guide to San Francisco, the Bay Area and Wine Country.

The 2012 edition of the famous guide has awarded two establishments in San Francisco their second stars: Asian restaurant Benu and the American eatery Saison, as well as modern French restaurant Baumé in South Bay. The Californian guide now features six two-star restaurants including David Kinch's Manresa in Los Gatos in the Santa Cruz mountains, Daniel Patterson's Coi in San Francisco, and Cyrus in Sonoma.

Meanwhile, 20 restaurants celebrated their first Michelin star, bringing the total of one-star establishments in the guide to 39.

Now in its sixth edition, the Michelin guide to San Francisco, Bay Area and Wine Country, which was released yesterday (25 October), identified 77 restaurants as Bib Gourmands (19 new) - offering two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for less than $40 (£25).

It is one of three US guides, including New York, which recently awarded two new three- and two new two-stars, as well as Chicago, which will be released next month.

Earlier this month, San Francisco began discussing implementing a mandatory 25% service charge.

Brett Graham's two-Michelin-starred restaurant the Ledbury in London has won yet another award after being named the top restaurant in the UK in the Sunday Times Food List.

The award comes after the Ledbury recently topped both the Zagat and Harden's surveys for best food in London and after Graham earlier this year won the prestigious Chef of the Year Catey.

The Sunday Times Food List is based on food quality alone, chosen by 8,000 restaurant goers from across the UK and compiled by Harden's Restaurant Guide in conjunction with Rémy Martin.

Graham commented: "It's a huge honour to top the list, especially as it comes from such a broad base of customers. This is a testament to everyone in the extremely talented and energetic young team here at the Ledbury."

Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons in Great Milton, Oxfordshire, came second in the Food List while last year's winner, Gidleigh Park, placed third. 

Gidleigh Park also won the Rémy Martin X.O. Excellence Award for Best All Round Restaurant, while Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley picked up the Coeur de Cognac Award for Best Dessert, and Heston Blumenthal's Dinner at the Mandarin Oriental received the Rémy Martin V.S.O.P Best Newcomer Award.

Other findings from the Sunday Times Food List, which will publish the top 100 restaurants in Britain in full on Sunday (30 October), include that half of the top 100 restaurants are outside London (up from 40% last year); while Asian restaurants have fallen by half; and there are 31 new entries.

The food at US celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck's first European venture Cut in London may be very special but the prices are ridiculous, according to both the Times and Daily Telegraph food critics.

Located at the Dorchester Collection's newest hotel, 45 Park Lane, the restaurant is modelled on the original Cut in Beverly Hills serving a menu centred on steaks.

Giles Coren of the Times is so abhorred by the prices he talks about the bill before the food. "Sorry. I don't normally mention the money before I've got to the food," he says. "But this was ridiculous. Half a grand for a steak and a glass of red. If ever I could get a swearword past the Times censors, this is where I would try."

The Daily Telegraph's Matthew Norman is equally baffled by the bill: "The proprietor is clearly a talented chef and clever businessman, and doubtless also a splendid chap. But is this Puck, we wondered as we left, a robbin' goodfellow?"

Meanwhile the Observer's Jay Rayner says that Simon Rogan sets very high standards at his Michelin-starred L'Enclume in Cartmel, Cumbria.

Writing in the Independent, Tracey MacLeod dines the Asquith, the latest venture from Michelin-starred chef and Great British Menu winner Glynn Purnell in Birmingham, and says the only thing the restaurant is missing is customers.

The Sunday Times' AA Gill reviews the Gallery at London's Westbury Hotel, which he says is a restaurant designed to appeal to everyone that doesn't please anyone, while the Guardian's John Lanchester quite likes the gimmick of DC Diner in Coventry being housed in an old plane, until the food starts to arrive.

In London, Time Out's Guy Dimond says Abbeville Kitchen doesn't court bloggers, has no well-placed friends in the media, and - because it places the customer first - is all the better for it.

The Evening Standard's Fay Maschler says the Lady Ottoline's decent cooking is hobbled by otiose detail and fancypants presentation particularly unsuited to the context of a pub, while the Metro's Marina O'Loughlin says Bread Street Kitchen, Gordon Ramsay's new restaurant in the City, is no more than a one-night stand for her.

Michelin has today released its 2012 guide to the Kansai area in western Japan and has promoted three restaurants to its top rating of three-stars.

Covering the cities of Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe and for the first time Nara, the new guide features a total of 15 restaurants with three stars across the region. These include newcomers Fujiya 1935 and Koryu, both in Osaka, which have been promoted from two-star-status, as well as newcomer Wa Yamamura in Nara, which debuted with three stars.

Michelin also promoted 13 restaurants to two-star-status, bringing the total of two-starred establishments in the guide to 59.

A total of 222 restaurants hold one star in the new guide, with 61 restaurants celebrating a star for the first time.

In the 2012 guide to Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe and Nara 90% of the selection is made up of Japanese restaurants ranging from traditional Japanese to contemporary restaurants, while the remainder comprises steakhouses, French, Italian, Chinese and fusion restaurant.

Commenting on the new guide, Bernard Delmas, president of Nihon Michelin Tire said: "Japan is a unique country where many cities have a very high level of cuisine. This is why, even though we have reached the fifth anniversary of the Michelin guide in Japan, we continue to discover new stars to introduce to our readers."

Next to the guide to Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe and Nara, Michelin also publishes a guide to Tokyo, which will this year be extended to include the Shonan area, south west of the Japanese capital.

We all know that tipping policies in the USA are very different to those we Europeans subscribe to across the pond.

But now restaurants in San Francisco, California, are taking things a step further: They're discussing implementing a mandatory 25% service charge.

Apparently the easy-going Californians in San Fran are so tight, they're the worst tippers in the USA, so the move is designed to force them into leaving adequate gratuity. However, with average tipping rates at around 15-20%, 25% may seem a tad overzealous.

The move has already got the support of some high-end restaurants in the city, which is home to some of the USA's most acclaimed restaurants like Coi, Chez Panisse and further afield the French Laundry.  

Good idea or awful display of greed that will drive customers away? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Daniel Clifford's cooking at Midsummer House in Cambridge is an almost faultless parade of beautifully crafted plates, according to the Independent on Sunday's food critic Amol Rajan.

The critic is impressed not only by the high standard of the cooking at the two-Michelin-starred restaurant but also by the remarkable absence of pretension.

"The menu is cleverly balanced, with a gentle rhythm between strong and soft flavours uniting each offering," he enthuses.

The London Evening Standard's Fay Maschler enjoys former La Trompette, Tom's Kitchen and Bord'eaux chef Ollie Couillaud's thoughtful, complex cooking at his new restaurant Lawn Bistro in Wimbledon.

"To find an independent venture [in Wimbledon] offering dishes like sweetbreads with sauce ravigotte, grilled calf's kidney with wild mushrooms and braised ox cheeks a la Bourguignonne is reason to rejoice - and for Andy Murray to move there and practise until he wins," she says.

Meanwhile Brunswick House Café may be housed in an architectural salvage shop in a Georgian building in south London, but there's nothing old-fashioned about the food, according to The Guardian's John Lanchester.

Zoe Williams of The Sunday Telegraph says Cây Tre in Soho is neither expensive nor cheap, exciting or awful and best-described as 'meh', while The Times' Giles Coren likes the idea of Meatballs in Farringdon but says its niche idea is not done quite well enough to suggest it will last through the winter.

Writing for The Observer's Jay Rayner visits Australasia in Manchester and once again leaves the city feeling disappointed.

Finally The Metro's Marina O'Loughlin says Elliot's Café next to Borough market is a blast of fresh air - unpretentious, unassuming and bristling with youthful, food-fanatic enthusiasm, from the totally charming staff to the wittily assembled wine list.

Restaurant group D&D London, which runs eateries including Launceston Place, Skylon and Pont de la Tour, has continued to grow despite a tough economic backdrop.

The company has reported a 5% increase in turnover for the 12 months to 31 March to £73.7m, compared with £70.4m last year, while earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by more than a quarter (27%) from £6.6m to £8.3m.

D&D London, which was formerly called Conran Restaurants and is still 51% owned by Sir Terence Conran, operates 30 restaurants in London, Paris, Copenhagen, New York and Tokyo.

The group said that during the financial year its Avenue restaurant in St James was the best performing site increasing profits by 13%. This was closely followed by the Royal Exchange in the City, where profits rose by 12%, and Bluebird, which was up 11%.

Gordon Ramsay is to end his involvement in his restaurant in Dubai after more than a decade.

The celebrity chef opened Verre at the Hilton Dubai Creek hotel as his first overseas restaurant consultancy in 2001.

The restaurant, which was first headed up by Angela Hartnett and then Jason Atherton, has won numerous awards. It is currently being overseen by executive chef Scott Price who will stay at the restaurant after working with Gordon Ramsay Holdings (GRH) since 2003.

It is unclear whether the restaurant will change its name.

A spokeswoman for GRH confirmed that the consultancy agreement between the company and Hilton was coming to an end.

"After a regular review of our commercial operations we have decided with Verre, Dubai, that the time is right to end our consultancy agreement with them.  We would like to thank the team at  Verre for the partnership, it's a superb restaurant and we wish them all the best for the future."

Stuart Gillies, managing director of GRH, added: "We have had a good look at the business and what's not working. We're now focusing on what will work pound for pound."

Michelin has released its 2012 guide for Great Britain and Ireland and has promoted the Hand & Flowers and Restaurant Sat Bains to two-star-status.

The new guide, out today, marks the second release for Michelin this year after the guide brought forward its publication date from January to October.

Michelin awarded a total of 11 restaurants in London and England with their first stars, as well as three in Scotland and one in Wales. There were no new additions in Ireland and eight establishments lost stars.

The results bring the total of Michelin-starred restaurants in Great Britain and Ireland to 151, the highest number in the guide's 38-year history of awarding stars.

A total of 28 new restaurants were named Bib Gourmands offering good food at moderate prices.

Great British Menu winner Tom Kerrige's Hand & Flowers in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, has been named the first two-Michelin-starred pub in the country. 

Michelin's new editor Rebecca Burr said: "This is a good news story for the British pub industry and confirms our view that pubs serving good food are the ones that continue to thrive."

Meanwhile Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms has finally reached its second star after years of the industry calling on Michelin to recognise the Nottingham restaurant.

Among those operators celebrating their first star are newcomers including Heston Blumenthal's first London restaurant Dinner at the Mandarin Oriental hotel, as well as Jason Atherton's first solo venture since leaving Gordon Ramsay Holdings, Pollen Street Social, and Chinese restaurant Hakkasan's second outpost in Mayfair.

In England Restaurant John Campbell at Coworth Park near Ascot has been awarded a star, as well as Matt Gillan's the Pass at South Lodge near Horsham, Sussex, and the Black Swan in Oldstead in Yorkshire.

Tassili at the Grand Hotel on Jersey has become the third Michelin-starred restaurant in the Channel Islands, while the Checkers in Montgomery won a fourth star for Wales.

In Scotland, Martin Wishart was awarded a star at his restaurant at Loch Lomond, his second after his eponymous restaurant in Edinburgh, while Dominic Jack at the Castle Terrace in the Scottish capital converted the rising star he won in January and Adam Stokes at Glenapp Castle won his first star.

London restaurant Pied à Terre has lost one of its two Michelin-stars following the departure of former head chef Shane Osborn earlier this year, while Tom Aikens has lost his star following his restaurant's three-month closure for a refurbishment.  

Michelin has awarded two new restaurants in New York with three stars, bringing the total of restaurants holding its top accolade in the US city to seven.

Eleven Madison Park in Manhattan and Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare have joined the elite ranks of three-star restaurants, which also include Daniel, Jean-Georges, Le Bernardin, Masa and Per Se.

Restaurateur Danny Meyer's Eleven Madison Park, where chef Daniel Humm is in charge of the kitchen, was the biggest winner, jumping from one to three stars in the guide. Meanwhile Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare, an 18-seat restaurant housed within a Brooklyn grocery store, jumped one after having been awarded its second star only last year.

SHO Shaun Hergatt and L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon were awarded two Michelin-stars each, extending French chef Robuchon's lead as the most starred chef in the world, with 27 in total. A total of nine New York restaurants now have two-stars, including Gordon Ramsay at the London hotel.

Meanwhile 10 establishments celebrated their first star bringing the total of Michelin-starred establishments in New York to 72, including 46 with one star.

The losers were Picholine, which lost one of its two stars, and Shalezeh, a Persian restaurant on the Upper East Side, which lost its single star.

The 2012 Michelin Guide to New York also identified 31 new restaurants as Bib Gourmands (offering two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for less than $40), bringing the total to 114.

Michelin's generous handing out of stars in New York gives hope to the UK, where only one restaurant - Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester - has won new three stars in the past seven guides. The 2012 Michelin guide to Great Britain and Ireland will be released tomorrow (6 October) at noon. Look out for full coverage on catererandhotelkeeper.com.

Housed inside department store Harrods, Thomas Keller's French Laundry pop-up restaurant may be a far-cry from the rustic original in sleepy Yountville, California, but food is sublime, says Fay Maschler.

The three-Michelin-starred US chef is running the pop-up restaurant for ten days, serving a nine-course tasting menu including some of his most iconic dishes such as salmon cornet and oysters and pearls.

"No ingredient is repeated within the lengthy parade of tastes," says Maschler, food critic for the London Evening Standard. "Some are sublime, such as the Salad of Hawaiian Hearts of Peach Palm, which includes imported radishes surely showing the biggest carbon footprint for an eentsy vegetable ever recorded."

Meanwhile, fellow US chef Wolfgang Puck's first European venture, Cut at 45 Park Lane, a meat aficionado's heaven but the Sunday Telegraph's Zoe Williams find its slick interiors, macho clientele and full-fat menu a bit rich.

The Sunday Times' AA Gill enjoys the food at Nopi, Yotam Ottolenghi's first restaurant proper in Soho, but says the quality of the food can't justify the inflated prices.

Equally the enormous mark -up on the wine leaves a sour taste in the Independent's Amol Rajan's mouth at Galoupet, while The Observer's Jay Rayner's meal at Bistro du Vin is notable for all the things that are wrong, not for all the things that are right.

Finally, riting in the Daily Telegraph, Matthew Norman is impressed by the high-end service and chef James Sommerin's complex but unfussy cooking at the Crown at Whitebrook, Monmouthshire.