Critics' Reviews & Goodies w/c 22 April
Grace Dent offers a fresh take on Arlington. Tim Hayward goes all in for kaiseki. I hit Brigadiers in the City. Noted local chef offers travel guide for Copenhagen.
Critics’ Wrap-Up
Tim Hayward (FT) tries Hannah, which Andy Hayler visited two weeks ago, and which I had never heard of before. “This is the best kaiseki in London. Go immediately.” So now I definitely want to go.
Gavin Hanley (Hot Dinners) checks out Thirty7 in Covent Garden. “We think there's plenty of room for a proper classic bistro in Covent Garden, and this really delivers, offering pretty decent value.” I’ve got my own full-write up of Thirty7 coming on Wednesday. Spoiler: I liked it.
Catherine Hanly (also Hot Dinners) hits Lita and pronounces that it is “already a bona fide scene in Marylebone.” Not sure what a Marylebone scene looks like, but sounds like a compliment.
Jay Rayner (Observer) also visits and is “besotted.” “Lita, which is a shortening of Abuelita, a Spanish term of endearment for your grandma, sells itself as a sweet neighbourhood bistro.” … “If Lita is anyone’s grandma, she’s dressed in Chanel, wearing sunglasses like hubcaps and sipping Leclerc Briant Rosé Extra Brut. And it suits her damn well. All things considered, forget the coffin. Just inter me here.”
Grace Dent (Guardian) goes to much-reviewed Arlington and finally (thank the Lord), finds a fresh take.
You might well order [the bang bang chicken] as a starter before the salmon fishcake with sorrel sauce entree and a bowl of rhubarb crumble with custard to finish. Jerry Hall’s next husband could manage almost the whole menu without putting in teeth. That isn’t a criticism, but more a note on the misapprehension that, back in the 1990s, the moneyed and marvellous swarmed the Ivy, the Wolseley, Le Caprice et al for the complex cooking.
They did not. They chose these Coutts-standard canteens for their exclusivity, for the shield they provided from the hoi polloi and for the menus filled with risotto nero, dressed crab and chocolate mousse. They still do. Arlington is a place for people who want tablecloths, lemon wedges wrapped in muslin, endive with roquefort, and all-day poached eggs on muffins. Basically, this is good-quality, spruced-up nursery food for those who find mastication arduous.
…
There are certainly better restaurants, dining-wise, in St James’s, but few are as interesting or infantilising to spend time in. Arlington is a new place doing the same old things. It ain’t broke, and neither is its the clientele, so nobody needs to fix it.
Tanya Gold (Spectator) and Josh Barrie (Independent) also get to Arlington, write the same review as everyone but Grace, and promise that you will leave happy. That presumes you can get a booking.
More sex this week. This time it’s Jimi Famurewa (Standard) at Crispin in the Studio Voltaire in Clapham which is an “elegant, candlelit life raft amid an unforgiving sea of identikit brunch spots.” He left “feeling that Hamdy and his team have done the unthinkable: brought cool, swagger and weapons-grade restaurant sexiness to an area that even locals are prone to decry as a culinary tundra.” I think Jimi is being hard on Clapham, but I don’t live there.
Charlotte Iver (Sunday Times) goes to Akara in Borough Market — which I am dying to try — and describes it as “A new, very terracotta opening by Borough Market that is doing a roaring trade among the business lunch and romantic dinner crowds.” Sounds like a good sport for a Professional Lunch. I’ll go as soon as I can.
Andy Hayler (independent critic) tries The Cocochine in Mayfair. I suspect we’re going to see a lot more reviews of this place. “The ingredient quality here is impeccable, a rarity indeed in London even at multi-starred restaurants. The standard of cooking at The Cocochine is high and the restaurant is impeccably fitted out, with the wine list an unusual bonus in this part of the world. I will certainly be back.”
William Sitwell (Telegraph) reviews Pollini at Ladbroke Hall and isn’t bowled over. Giles Coren (Times) was in Chester. It was his first time in Chester. Tom Parker Bowlers (Mail on Sunday) was in Petersfield, nearly.
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 or (b) Had a flaw or two.
Hit: Brigadiers
I’m way behind the buzz on this one, mostly because I haven’t tried that hard to get a booking, but I finally made it to Brigadiers in the City (Bloomberg Arcade, to be exact.) I feel foolish for not going sooner. Michelin’s summary captures the vibe nicely: “BBQ and street food from around India is the focus; with ‘Feast’ menus for larger parties. Beer and whisky are also a feature. The atmosphere is predictably loud and lively.” There were a myriad of TVs all showing IPL, excellent food, and a buzzy atmosphere. It’s super-photogenic. A restaurant for people who love to Instagram and those who want to do a deal over a private chat. I appreciate that curry for lunch is a stretch for some people, but Brigadiers will help you overcome your hesitation. And the Indian food experience is naturally social, lending itself to sharing and well-stuffed debate. I’ll definitely return — if I can ever secure a booking again.
Chef Rasmus Munk on Copenhagen, His Home Town
The Alchemist in Copenhagen is one of at least three, and I would argue four, local restaurants that are among the world’s best. There’s Noma, which was named World’s Best so many times that they changed the rules to “retire” it from the competition. There’s Geranium, which started winning when Noma was no longer eligible, and locals prefer. And there’s Kadeau, which has attracted fewer accolades so far (although it does have two Michelin stars), but offers some of the best food I’ve had anywhere.
This concentration of talent has created an ecosystem of legendary restaurants and dozens of merely fantastic ones, often from veterans of the top tier places. For example, there’s Sanchez, a first-rate Mexican joint from a Noma alum. The ecosystem extends across the bridge, too. The food scene in Malmo similarly vibrant and energetic, although more affordable and accessible.
But the Alchemist is the most experimental and groundbreaking of all. 20+ course tasting menus in an indescribable atmosphere that makes each meal a multi-sensory, multi-media experience. (More from Michelin or from the FT.)
I acknowledge this may not be your cup of tea.
But it’s fair to say that Chef Rasmus Munk, the genius behind Alchemist, knows a thing or two about Copenhagen and food. So his run-down of his favourite Copenhagen spots is well worth reading and filing away as a reference for your next visit.
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