St. John's Founders Retire. New Column for Famurewa. Hit in Shoreditch. Critics & More.
Sitwell rates Rosi. Coren stalks Kudu. Ellis loves Bistro Sablé.
Greetings everyone. I hope you had a great weekend. This Thursday, people in and from the U.S. will celebrate Thanksgiving. In my case, that means a big night out at The Park in Bayswater who is doing the traditional dinner with all the trimmings. Then, on Saturday, we have a bunch of friends coming over for turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and more. In other words, it’s a big week for food, and I’m looking forward to it. I hope you’ve got something to celebrate this week, too.
On another topic, there has been a lot of conversation in recent months about em dashes. For a while, some people thought that seeing one suggested the copy had been produced by an AI tool. You might have noticed that I use em dashes reasonably frequently — they can be helpful for setting off or emphasising a stand-alone thought. But I do not use AI in the preparation, writing, or editing of these updates except occasionally to shorten headlines. The prodigious number of typos confirms that there is a mistake-prone human behind the keyboard.
For my Thursday review, I’m back in the City, checking out one of London’s top spots for professional lunch. For now, let’s get to this week’s news. We start with a big change in Smithfield.
Fergus Henderson and Trevor Gulliver to End Day-to-Day Involvement at St. John’s
Tim Hayward breaks the news exclusively and with appropriate reverence in the FT. (Gift link because you absolutely should read the whole thing.)
In 1994 Fergus Henderson and Trevor Gulliver opened St John on the edge of London’s Smithfield Market, creating one of few restaurants in the UK whose cuisine, design and philosophy have had global influence. Now, 31 years later, the charismatic founders are stepping aside. Henderson and Gulliver are announcing their retirement from the day-to-day running of the business.
Back in 2002, I remember watching Anthony Bourdain recount his visit to St. John’s in an early episode of A Cook’s Tour. After visiting Smithfield Market together, Henderson takes Bourdain on a tour of nose to tail eating. The episode changed my whole view of food, and especially British cuisine. I moved to the UK just six years later. You can watch the whole episode here, and the St. John’s bit starts at 6:37.
Commenting on a plate of ox hearts that are headed to Bourdain’s table, Henderson tells the camera that, “A heart has the essence of the beast.” Henderson and Gulliver are the heart of St. John’s. I have no doubt that it will continue on for many years to come, but the beast will never be quite the same without them.
Famurewa Launches New Column
At the start of September, I judged that Jimi Famurewa might be moving more permanently into the critics chair at the Observer. It’s been about 10 weeks, and it’s clear that my guess / hope was incorrect.
This week, he announced a new weekly column for Broadsheet, an Aussie-originated digital publisher that’s making a big push into London and the UK. It’s heavy on food and drink news, along with other cultural stuff, though not much hard news.
In his first edition, he turns his attention to the substantial volume of openings in London in 2025. In a launch announcement, he says we can expect, “A direct line to my restaurant-obsessed brain.” I’m looking forward to it. Jimi remains one of the top food writers in the UK, and I’m glad he has a regular spot. Though his seemingly more permanent attachment does renew the question for the Observer: What are they going to do with the restaurant critic post? The rotating approach doesn’t really work.
Hit (Again): Duchy
I wrote a full review of Duchy, in Shoreditch, shortly after it opened. But the review wound up being more nerdy history lesson than a deep exploration of the restaurant’s dishes.
I returned last week for a professional lunch, so let’s play it straight this time: The food and drink are outstanding, and you should go.
On this visit, we opted for Duchy’s 3 course set lunch menu. The opener was pear and walnut salad with gorgonzola and croutons made from the restaurant’s superb homemade bread. The gorgonzola added zip, and the pears were perfectly autumn-ripe.
My main was Ox tongue with a garnish of creamed spinach and some crispy potatoes. It was simple, almost throw-back, but the tongue was perfectly cooked and full of deep, meaty flavour. I really enjoyed it.
Front-of-house guru Alex Grant and his team kept things flowing smoothly, and dealt really well with a slightly tricky allergy at our table. And the bright space with its big windows and modern decor helps make every lunch a pleasure.
Duchy is a Shoreditch gem that continues to improve. It’s a top place for professional lunch.
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.
William Sitwell (Telegraph) follows Ellis and Coren to Rosi in the Beaumont Hotel, and has a considerably better reaction. “[Chef Lisa] Goodwin-Allen’s venture at Rosi is as fine an entrance to the capital as a returning conquering emperor might hope for, for which she should be duly garlanded.”
Giles Coren (Times) tries the new Kudu in Marylebone following its move from Peckham. He objects to the pricing, but concludes, “Kudu is a big, beautiful, brilliant restaurant where you’re bound to have a fantastic time.”
David Ellis (Standard) checks out Bistro Sablé is Islington. “Don’t like comforting French classics? Sablé’s not for you. But in that case, food generally might not be, either.”
Charlotte Ivers (Sunday Times) is the latest critic to visit Lilibet’s in Mayfair. “They really smash the classics here too: the no-notes Dover sole and the luxurious crab thermidor are top tier. The side of potato mash with shellfish bisque and lobster chunks scattered on top, meanwhile, is an absurdly hubristic item.”
Grace Dent (Guardian) isn’t bowled over by the Shaston Arms. “The biggest issue with the cooking here, though, is that the Shaston Arms is very keen to be an old-school boozer at the same time as being a cool restaurant that serves food at premium prices. Service-wise, however, in the restaurant at least, there was little or no hospitality at all, because they’ve seemingly not employed a single member of staff who is able to provide any of the standard niceties of a restaurant’s front of house, such as checking if a customer wants another drink, changing cutlery or side plates between courses, asking if everything is OK, making eye contact, explaining what the dishes are or even noticing when a passing bartender says loudly, ‘God, it’s cold in the restaurant bit, isn’t it?’”
Catherine Hanly (Hot Dinners) heads to Poon’s at Somerset House. “Whether you’re here for a hit of childhood reminiscing (like our dining companion) or from the perspective that you want someone else to cook you gorgeous homemade Chinese food, then Poon’s should hit the spot.”
Andy Hayler (independent critic) revisits Gymkhana, which received its second Michelin star in February. “It is clearly doing very well, but the second star seems hard to really understand if you compare the cooking here with the food at, say, Benares (one star) or Koyal (no stars).”
Andy also tries Garum, an Italian spot in Bayswater. “Garum was a rather mixed bag, with some nice arancini and pasta let down by some other dishes and lacklustre service.”
Gavin Hanly (Hot Dinners) test drives Maset, a new French place in Chiltern Street from the team behind Lurra. “It’s a warm, welcoming place, the menu works incredibly well, and there are plenty of outstanding dishes.”
Richard Crampton-Platt (The Greedy Dick) tries Crisp Pizza in Mayfair. “The pizza is tasty, expert and a fabulous twist, but the overall effect is far too indulgent, and without my being too grim, my belly has been complaining the rest of the day.”
Dominic Preston (Braise) digs into breakfast at the Billingsgate Cafe near the fish market in east London. “Alongside all the usual greasy spoon suspects you’ll find plenty of seafood. The pick of the bunch has to be the bacon and scallop sandwich.”
Anna Selby (The Arbuturian) reviews Junsei, a Japanese joint in Marylebone. “As the temperatures drop what could be better than Japanese comfort food?”
Fiona Maclean (London Unattached) returns to Wilton’s in Jermyn Street. “Wiltons remains a restaurant for special occasions, where the finest fish, the immaculate service and the quiet confidence of a restaurant that has survived the centuries combine to create a meal that leaves you satisfied in ways beyond the palate.”
Tom Parker Bowles (Mail on Sunday) didn’t write a review this week.
Beyond London
Jay Rayner (FT) is in Milan to try Ratanà, a wine bar. “Risotto Milanese is one of those dishes that is easy to cook, but very hard to get right.” … “The Ratanà risotto Milanese really is everything.”
Columnist Seamus O’Reilly takes the Observer restaurant review this week, visiting Assassination Custard in Dublin. “Having sampled everything on the menu, including wine for two and a generous tip, our bill came to just over €100 a head. A treat? Yes. A marvel? Most certainly.”
Thanks so much for reading this week’s update. I hope you found something useful or even interesting. Please do subscribe if you haven’t already and let me know what you think in the Comments.
I have only seen what Jimi wrote in his first Broadsheet review about Shaston on his Insta stories, but good to see Grace and him taking opposing views. I side with Jimi, and find Grace's review mostly framed around her personal distaste for pub reinventions. I say bring it on.
Do we still not know who the Obs critic will be?