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Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for What the Critics SayGordon 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.

Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for What the Critics SayThe 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.

Gordon Ramsay ends consultancy at Verre in Dubai

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Gordon RamsayGordon 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."

Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for What the Critics SayHoused 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.

Marco Pierre WhiteIt was a match made in heaven. But sadly Norfolk-based turkey manufacturer Bernard Matthews has ditched its Marco Pierre White-branded line of products.

Due to poor sales, the range, which comprised six products - two ready-to-cook joints with stuffing, and four turkey steaks with a crust - has been axed just six months after its launch. Perhaps Turkey Twizzlers would have been a safer bet.

Bernard Matthews is also stopping its "change your meat, not your menu" campaign, which aimed to inspire us to eat turkey always, not just at Christmas, by featuring Marco and EastEnders star and Spandau Ballet bassist Martin Kemp.

But don't despair, Marco will continue to shamelessly promote turkey and remain the face of Bernard Matthews. He is set to take centre stage in its new "lean on turkey" campaign targeting the more health conscious segment of the market.

Thumbnail image for Gordon RamsayFoulmouthed celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay had more reasons to swear this week when the opening night of his new restaurant in Canada turned into a Kitchen Nightmare.

The launch party of Laurier Gordon Ramsay in Montreal was suddenly interrupted when a burst sprinkler system turned it into a wash out forcing the Champagne sipping guests to be evacuated.

Ramsay himself wasn't there to hand out umbrellas but the restaurant's twitter account announced after the mishap: "Due to a problem with our sprinkler, we evacuated the restaurant. The sprinkler is being inspected. Update to follow."

The restaurant later issued a release apologising to customers, adding it "experienced a malfunction with its sprinkler equipment, and the restaurant was evacuated. The situation is under control".

Laurier Gordon Ramsay is a rotisserie and barbeque restaurant managed by Ramsay on a consultancy basis. The 75-year-old restaurant was previously a local favourite, the Rotisserie Laurier BBQ.

Thumbnail image for Thomas KellerIconic US chef Thomas Keller has confirmed the 1 October opening of his French Laundry pop-up restaurant at London department store Harrods.

The chef-patron of the three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Napa Valley, California, will run the pop-up for 10 days in an enclosed space in Harrods' fourth floor Georgian Restaurant. It will be Keller's first venture outside of the USA.

The 70-seat dining room will offer a nine-course tasting menu at lunch and dinner, priced £250 per person. The menu will include French Laundry classics such as oysters and pearls as well as some new dishes created especially for London. Booking lines will open on 1 September.

The kitchen will be headed up by Keller, who will bring 14 members of staff from the original French Laundry with him to run the restaurant.

Keller said he was "extremely excited" about the collaboration with Harrods. "It is for us a first in many ways. We have never ventured to open a restaurant outside of the US, but we realised early on that our philosophies mirrored each other's and we could not think of a better partner for this endeavour," he said.

"It is my hope that each and every one of our guests will leave with a wonderful memory of having experienced the French Laundry while staying close to home."

Paul Goodale, director of restaurants at Harrods, added: "The opportunity to enjoy the French Laundry at Harrods promises to be a truly unique and compelling experience for our diners. 

"Like Harrods, Thomas Keller enjoys a globally renowned reputation and our collaboration is set to be the pinnacle in a year that will witness a number of exciting new restaurant launches and rejuvenations here at Harrods."

Crowds line up for US Master ChefThe producers of MasterChef USA have found themselves with egg on their faces after it emerged that they used computer trickery to double the crowd at the show's auditions.

In the opening sequence of the cookery show, which is presented by Gordon Ramsay, shots of large crowds were shown with a voiceover saying "thousands upon thousands" of hopefuls had lined up.

But an eagle-eyed viewer has spotted a massive blunder as in the scene several groups of people in the crowd can be seen twice in the line-up. Oops.

Producers have now been forced to apologise for doctoring the shots of crowds. Reveille Productions, who produces the series along with Shine TV, told Entertainment Weekly: "We have reviewed the footage and it's clear that the scene was enhanced in post-production. We sincerely apologise to our viewers and hope that they still enjoyed the show."

Meanwhile, Gordon Ramsay's film debut has been rather poorly received by the critics. The film, Love's Kitchen, which sees the celebrity chef star as himself, has been widely panned by the critics, with the Metro describing it as "deliciously bad"; the Independent calling it "amateurish"; the Guardian labelling it "a grisly, unfunny mess"; and the Daily Mail saying it's a "Kitchen Nightmare".

Probably best if Ramsay sticks to barking orders in the kitchen than making appearances in lame films.

Ferran Adrià teams up with PepsiCo

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Thumbnail image for FerranAdria.jpgFerran Adrià may be closing his legendary restaurant El Bulli this month but this doesn't mean he's taking time off.

It was announced this week that the world-renowned chef has teamed up with PepsiCo - owner of brands like Frito-Lay, Quaker, Tropicana and Gatorade - lending his creative, culinary genius to all of the company's brands worldwide.

Adrià has been linked to PepsiCo for a while through other partnerships including the Lay's Craft 100% olive oil or cream Alvalle. This time round the Catalan chef is to create a line of new "snack products", breakfast options and convenience items with a special focus on healthier choices.

Located on the Costa Brava, 100 miles north of Barcelona, El Bulli will close this month for two years and reopen in 2014 as a private, not-for-profit organisation.

The elBullifoundation will allow up to 30 scholars to work alongside the restaurant's creative team. El Bulli will retain its dining, where a certain number of customers will be able to taste the Foundation's creations.

Adrià recently opened two new restaurants in Barcelona together with his brother, Albert. The duo launched tapas bar 41 Degrees in the Catalan capital as well as tapas restaurant Tickets.   

Alain Ducasse at Taste of London

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Thumbnail image for Alain DucasseTaste of London played host to a very special guest last night, multi-Michelin-starred super chef-restaurateur Alain Ducasse. I caught up with the iconic French chef

What do you think of the idea behind Taste of London?
I think it's an excellent idea. It's great for all the restaurants and exhibitors. There is nothing like it in France at this time. It would be great to have a Taste of Paris.

What do you think of the London dining scene?
It's fantastic and so cosmopolitan. It compares to New York. London is a very dynamic city and so is the restaurant scene and there's so much variety. It's also very competitive because there's so much on offer.

How important is it for you to have a restaurant presence in London?
It's very important. London is the biggest capital in Europe.

How much of a milestone was it for you to win the three stars at the Dorchester?
It's always difficult. It's difficult to get them and to retain them. But it's very important for my ego to get the three stars. We changed our proposal in London. Spoon was very contemporary restaurant. Now we are at the best address in London and I prefer that.

What are your plans for the future?
Last week we opened our first restaurant in Russia at the W Hotel in St Petersburg and in a few months we will open a restaurant in Doha at the Museum of Islamic Art. We have also just opened our second training school in Brazil. We opened a school in Rio about five years ago and now have about 1,000 trainees learning the art of French cuisine. Last week, we opened a school in Sao Paolo. In Brazil they don't have the know-how and the basic techniques of cooking.

You teamed with France's top chefs to launch the Collège Culinaire de France lobbying group. Where did the idea for this come from?
We all decided to gather to promote French gastronomy around the world. I don't think there was a specific need for it, it was more an idea that we had. Between me, Joël Robuchon and Pierre Gagnaire, we have restaurants all around the world. My main competitors are the French chefs - and Gordon Ramsay.

Who - other than Gordon Ramsay - do you think is a big talent in the UK?
Tom Kitchin. He is a great chef, who has developed a local cuisine with real passion.

Taste of London runs in Regent's Park until Sunday 19 June.  

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