Inviting You to Lunch. Return of Simpson's. A Hit in Peckham. Critics Wrap & More.
Giles follows me to The Park. Tim Hayward heads for Origin City. Grace isn't won over by Chez Roux. Nick Lander heads back to Bellamy's, 20 years later.
Well. That was a fun week. Thanks to everyone who sent birthday wishes. It was a fantastic celebration, which culminated with drinks in Peckham at The Sourcing Table following by dinner at the epic Akuri. More on that below. There was also cake and fizz and golf. A great day. No doubt.
How are you? How are your lunches? Been anywhere interesting? I’m eager to hear about it.
But first, let’s start this week’s update with my first ever proper partnership…
An invitation to lunch. Seriously.
I’ve been thinking about more ways to turn the purpose of this site into action. And then, last week, one landed in my lap. Let me explain:
I've been part of the One Question community for a few years. Led by the amazing Sarah Parsonage, One Question brings together people from across a range of industries and backgrounds to discuss a big topic. This year, the theme and focus is leadership.
Sarah has long practiced the premise of Professional Lunch — that conversations are better and more fruitful when there is food and drink involved. She has organised brilliant salon dinners since the very beginning of One Question a few years ago. And recently, she suggested we start convening conversations over lunch. So…
I'm really excited that we are launching a series of events called "Conversations Over Lunch."
The idea is pretty simple: I'll pick an interesting place, and we'll gather a group of 6-8 engaging people drawn from all sorts of fields for 90-minute (or slightly longer) lunch.
We'll do these about once a month. Tickets will be available through One Question, and will range in price depending on the venue.
The first one will be at LeRoy in Shoreditch on 18 July. (You can read my review of LeRoy here.) Tickets for this one will be £75.
If you're interested, please click here to join us at LeRoy or to register your interest for a future lunch.
Our One Question for discussion at LeRoy: “Is how we lead determined by how we are led?”
We’ll schedule more in due course, at a range of price points, and I’ll let you know about them here.
I hope to see you at one of these in the coming months.
Breaking news: Timing on return of Simpsons
Simpson’s in the Strand was a favourite of my grandfather and my parents. So much so that it took me years to convince my dad to try other places.
Simpson’s is an institution. First opened in 1828, it carried on with traditional carvery service from stunning silver trolleys long after trends had moved on. It’s been a key venue for London’s chess lovers for more than a century. And it features in this iconic H.M. Bateman cartoon from 1928:
The restaurant’s decline and closure — no doubt accelerated by COVID and the resultant loss of its tourist trade — was a sad moment which attracted precious little comment from the foodie cognoscenti.
But now, there’s news.
There had been some reports, subsequently confirmed, that Jeremy King was planning to take over Simpson’s.
During my visit to The Park, a senior member of King’s team confirmed those reports and told me (unofficially) that they were aiming for a February or March 2025 opening.
Simpson’s is a listed building, part of the Savoy Hotel estate, so renovations and modernisation are exceedingly difficult. The space is huge. In addition to the dining room, there’s a stunning upstairs bar, plus function rooms. And King being King, he and his team will want to make sure they get it right.
I’m thrilled that Simpson’s might soon return, and in such capable hands.
Dinosaurs and wine?
Great headline from the Times: “How the death of the dinosaurs led to birth of wine.”
[New] research describes the oldest fossilised grape pips to be found in the Americas. They date from about 60 million years ago and, according to the scientists who found them, they bolster the theory that grape vines were able to take root around the world only after the large dinosaurs had perished.
Thank goodness for that asteroid.
Hits & Misses
Mini-reviews of places that were either (a) good, but not quite good enough to do a full review and add to the Guide, (b) had a flaw or two, or (c) that I revisited following a prior review.
Hit: Artusi
I was back in Peckham again last week, and had dinner on my actual birthday at the outstanding Artusi — thankfully, open on Monday. Specialising in homemade pasta and delicious Italian treats, I’m definitely not cool enough to hang out there, but they occasionally let me eat. There’s a great wine list with a pleasant mix of classics and the trendy, gross stuff that some people inexplicably like. The vibe is very Peckham hip. The menu changes all the time, so you can always discover something new. Service was mostly attentive, and the food was yummy. The best dish was the ravioli with ricotta, but the peach with ricotta, linguine with boar, and the lamb were all fabulous. If you can go a little early, make sure to visit superb local wine bar, the Sourcing Table, just across the street.
Hit (Again): Akara
I loved my first visit to Akara a few weeks ago, and this week, I had a chance to return to check out a couple of dishes that I missed the first time. There was a crab akara — which I described as stuffed fritters earlier — and it was lovely. Accompanying spicy sauce was mind blowing in large quantities, but just right in moderation. Mains and rice were once again fantastic.
So why am I writing about it again? Because the food is so good that it should be packed every day and night, but as I work nearby, I’ve noticed that it isn’t, and so I’m just encouraging you to book and go. If you’re worried about spice, don’t! There’s something for everyone. And if you’re worried it’s too exotic, don’t! It’s a wonderful accent on food that you will mostly recognise. And the rice is the best I’ve ever had.
Critics Wrap-Up
✍🏻 indicates a review that you should read for the writing.
🍽️ indicates a place that sounds excellent and is probably worth a try.
Giles Coren (Times) checks out The Park, which I reviewed here last week, and loves it. The review is mostly a love letter to Jeremy King, and Giles wound up reviewing the brunch menu, which is weird, but he concludes, “everyone will love everything.”
🍽️ William Sitwell (Telegraph) visits Kolae, the new Thai place in Borough Market. “The exquisite torture obviously crowded the subtler flavours, but it was merry, noisy fun.”
✍🏻Tim Hayward (FT) goes to Origin City in Smithfield Market. His review is wonderfully written, but his conclusion is complicated: “I can’t say that Origin City doesn’t trouble me. There were so many weird quirks in the set-up; the decor, the odd drilled precision of the service. The strange narrative of the ‘Family’, who turn out to be the Landsbergs, a British/Russian/Ukrainian family based predominantly in Luxembourg who decline to give their first names to press. … A glueing together of expensive components where the overarching aesthetic is just faintly askew. And yet, and yet. The food is superb. The ingredients are amazing. The craft skills in the kitchen are matchless, and what arrives on the plate is a celebration of delight in both things.”
Grace Dent (Guardian) reviews the new Chez Roux at the Langham Hotel. “Somewhere out there, the great Michel Roux Jr was lying on his sofa, watching telly, eating snacks and nowhere near his restaurant. His was by far the better evening.”
Nick Lander (jancisrobinson.com) returns to Bellamy’s in Mayfair, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary. He suggests that it offers “a manner that is increasingly rare: of quiet service that is smooth and drama-free. Another 20 years for Bellamy’s, please.”
Jay Rayner (Observer) visits Gada in Finchley where they roast whole lamb in the front window. “There is a certain swagger and fun to what’s going on here.”
Andy Hayler (independent critic) heads to Aragawa in Mayfair, which specialises in top-end Japanese Wagyu. “Aragawa serves perhaps the costliest beef on the planet, and to those that can afford it, that is worth something in itself, if only once. It was certainly a rather special experience.”
Tom Parker Bowles (Mail on Sunday) finds Wild Honey in St. James growing a bit tired and falling behind newer French spots.
Jules Pearson (LOTI) is the latest to check out The Hero in Maida Vale. There’s not really a new angle here, but Jules labels it “insanely good.”
✍🏻 Jimi Famurewa (Standard) didn’t write a review this week, and instead focused on his recent trip to Nigeria, and pegs his perspective on the rise of West African restaurants here in London. It’s a lovely and provocative piece, and you should read it.
Charlotte Ivers (Sunday Times) was in Bristol, trying a place that got big on Tik Tok.
Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this week’s update. Please do share Professional Lunch with friends and make sure to subscribe if you haven’t already. Thanks!