Critics' Reviews & Other Goodies: w/c 25 March
Soho rising, critics flock to Arlington searching for the ghost of Le Caprice, and a glowing review for Pearly Queen plus a personal note from me and guide updates.
I’ve spent a lot of time in Soho lately, and it really does feel like the centre of gravity of the London restaurant scene has shifted back there after dwelling for so long in Shoreditch and Hackney. (Do you agree? Reply and tell me.) So let’s kick off there:
Tanya Gold (Spectator) visits ‘happily insane’ Dear Jackie at the new hotel Broadwick in Soho.
Tim Heyward (FT) takes his ex-wife to Gauthier Soho which turned out to be the perfect solution to a challenging brief.
Then there’s the big one: Arlington, the newly re-opened not Le Caprice / Le Caprice by a different name because of bad blood and trademark laws, attracts Jimi Famurewa (Standard), who relishes the ‘sophisticated comfort’ and leaves ‘hoping that I get another chance soon to roll back the years, push aside any misgivings, and party like it’s 1989.’ Giles Coren (Times), after considerable throat clearing declares that ‘the food is great. Just great. The sort of stuff that you really can eat every day. The sort of scran that was newly cool when Jeremy first opened in 1981.’ Is this an endorsement? I think it must be.
Is it Le Caprice? Or Is it Arlington? (Photo by Arlington via Instagram.) Grace Dent (Guardian) falls head over heels for Pearly Queen in Shoreditch. ‘There is two Michelin star-level ingenuity going on here, even when they’re only slinging oysters in the deep-fat fryer or doling out bread.’ Adding later, ‘There will be things at Pearly Queen … that you will never have eaten elsewhere, though that’s not to say you won’t do in future, once other people shamelessly rip them off.’ This one is going on my list.
Jay Rayner (Observer) beats the inevitable rush to Claude Bossi’s new Josephine Bouchon in Fulham to find wine consumption measured with a ruler and fantastic French comfort food. ‘Josephine Bouchon is a hand rested lightly on your back, telling you everything will be all right.’
From Fulham to Lyon. (Photo by Josephine Bouchon via Instagram) Tom Parker Bowles (Mail) hits hot-spot Camille in Borough Market (following last week’s reviews from Jimi, Grace, and Tim) and revels in ‘unashamedly robust, no-nonsense, nose-to-tail stuff, a sort-of tour around France in an old Aston Martin.’ Another one for my list.
Nick Lander (jancisrobinson.com) goes for innovative, fresh Mediterranean delicacies and a whole lot of sherry at Chapel Market Kitchen in Islington.
Andy Hayler (independent critic) visits Bob Bebe in SoHo and pays an awful lot for some chicken.
Charlotte Ivers (Sunday Times) eats ‘New Haven style’ pizza at Gracey’s in St. Alban’s. (Is St. Alban’s in London? Someone help me.)
A Personal Note
First, welcome new subscribers! Thanks so much for coming along and endorsing the idea of getting together more often with colleagues and friends over lunch (or whatever).
I am settling into a routine: Monday will be critics round-up and other tidbits. Wednesday will be the weekly review. Other things will drop in occassionally. And the guide will be updated regularly. (More on that below.)
Second, I want to apologise for the plethora of annoying Substack buttons in last week’s Trivet review. I’m still learning to use the platform. Obviously.
Sometimes, Substack automatically converts ‘Subscribe’ buttons into requests for pledges. That’s beyond my control (I think), and it’s annoying. To be clear: Professional Lunch will always be free. If you see a pledge request, just ignore it.
More importantly, I wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who has sent comments and suggestions, especially good friend and frequent lunch partner James Whatley. Please keep those coming, and I promise to be responsive to them.
Here’s a specific question for you: In a newsletter focusing on enabling quality time with colleagues and friends over a meal, what else would you like to see? Please reply and let me know.
And a Note on Notes
I don’t want to over-burden anyone’s Inbox, and I also don’t want my own social feeds to become exclusively focused on lunch, so I’m posting small tidbits on a more or less daily basis using Substack’s Notes thingy. There’s a link in the nav on the website or you can check it out here. I realise Notes is a little bit walled off, so if you have a better idea, let me know. My Notes over the last few days included a round-up of the inaugural Condé Nast Traveller awards recognising the UK’s best new restaurant. 2 of the 23 they named are in Borough Market.
Improvements to the Guide
I’ve built a custom Google Map with all of the restaurants from the London Quick Reference Guide. You can explore it here. I’ve also added it to the Guide page, and it will be updated anytime I update the Guide. Substack doesn’t allow Google Map embeds, so apologies that the execution of the map on the Guide page is a slightly lame.
Feel Free to Share
If you think this all sounds interesting, and you like what you’re seeing, please do share Professional Lunch with colleagues and friends. Feedback thus far is that the guide is proving a helpful resource for lots of people, which is music to my ears.
Thanks for reading! Have a fantastic week.
Now, time for lunch…