Critics' Reviews & Other Goodies w/c 1 April
Jay Rayner finds NYC in Hampstead. Tim Hayward and Giles Coren explore Asia. Jimi Famuwera is let down by a Japanese wine bar. Plus Guide updates and Texas barbecue.
Thanks to everyone for subscribing and reading. For those in the UK, I hope you are enjoying a pleasant long-weekend.
Massive thanks also for the various comments, suggestions, and reflections you’ve sent. Please do keep them coming. And I’d love to see more reactions to the reviews. If you’ve eaten at any of the places, please Comment and tell me what you thought! If you like what you’re reading, please do share with others.
Critics’s Reviews
Jay Rayner (Observer) enters this week with one of his most engaging reviews in ages. He sits down at Freddie’s, a NY-style not-quite-kosher Jewish deli and finds, happily, “a menu which recognises that it lives and dies by the Ashkenazi classics.” But he winds up reflecting on his own Jewish roots: “When I first came across Freddie’s I was excited. For all my lack of faith or observance these dishes, kept alive by a vestigial memory of the shtetl, root me. Then I hesitated. Could I really write about a Jewish restaurant given the current political turmoil?” Go and read the rest.
Tim Hayward (FT) visits Donia, the new Filipino place in Kingly Court near Carnaby Street. He loves everything about the food and the restaurant, but hates the neighbourhood, the guys at the next table, and North Carolina (apparently). “If I could find a way, I’d like to be spirited into Donia, possibly through a back door and into the lift, wearing some kind of obscuring bag over my head so I didn’t register where I was.”
Jimi Famuwera (Standard) arrives at Yuri Bar in Hackney hoping for the “modern trope of the natural wine bar through a thrilling new cultural lens; here are luscious Juran reds, sansho-dusted crisps and an atmospheric sweet spot between familiarity and surprise.” But he concludes that “I have to admit I wasn’t wholly convinced by Yuki Bar’s current form.”
The Standard’s whole food team contribute to a listicle of London’s best “chic but cheap” restaurants. There are 25 listed, and it’s a helpful compendium, but I’m not sure that even I could describe Andrew Edmunds as “cheap.” A bunch of my favourites, including Parsons, make the list.
Giles Coren (Times) encounters Malaysian heartland food at “the wonderful Med Salleh Kopitiam,” in Notting Hill and calls it “a mad, gorgeous, nostalgia-driven passion project.” A visit to sister spot Med Salleh Viet yields similar results.
Tom Parker Bowles (Mail on Sunday) writes about the Arlington, once again a week behind his fellow critics, and enjoys himself. I’ll admit, I don’t currently have Arlington on my list of places to visit. Should I? Do you?
Andy Hayler (independent reviewer) published two reviews this week. The first, of 64 Goodge Street, was so cursory I was surprised he bothered to write it but concludes that “64 Goodge Street offers a pleasant experience with quite capable cooking.” The second, of Toba in St. James, in the space previously occupied by Ikoyi, recounts “pleasant” Indonesian that added up to an “enjoyable” meal.
Charlotte Ivers (Sunday Times) heads for Morchella in Exmouth Market to discover fantastic fried pizza and observes that everything “seems to look twice as exciting as it should: bright and hearty and confusingly shaped.”
Gavin Hanley (Hot Dinners) test drives 65a, a new Irish-accented French brasserie in Spitalfields and concludes, “65a is something that seems just right for Spitalfields and the surrounding area - an excellent French brasserie which delivers classic brasserie food with aplomb.”
Marina O’Loughlin (independent reviewer) visited the Sportsman in Kent, which is a priority visit for me for this summer.
William Sitwell (Telegraph) was in Bristol this week, while Grace Dent (Guardian) was in Swansea.
More People Joining the Campaign for Lunch
City notable James Max had a column in Thursday’s FT making the case for spending more time together over lunch. He concludes, “Lunch should be an important part of building relationships. Always offer to pay or, if you want a second meeting, agree to do the next one. And don’t trust anyone who hasn’t got time for lunch. If they’re so busy that they cannot step away from their work for an hour or two, they probably won’t have much time for you either.” And he has a bunch of suggestions for great places to lunch across a range of price points.
I’m glad to see more and more people joining the effort.
Guide Updates
I’ve added Cafe Murano, El Pastor / Casa Pastor, and Brooklands (following last week’s review) to the London Quick Reference Guide. I’ve also updated the Google Map so you can see them all in one place. I may start adding some full reviews to the Guide that won’t be featured in a Wednesday update. We’ll see. If I do, I’ll link to any new ones from here each week. Please do share the guide around with fellow-lunch lovers.
Texas Barbecue in London
I mentioned this on Notes — where I stash interesting restaurant and food tidbits that don’t really fit anywhere else — but there’s an awesome story in Vittles assessing Texas-style barbecue around London. The reviewer comes to the right conclusion, in my opinion: There is Texas Joe’s, and then there is everything else. But it’s a great read, and well worth your time. At some point, I’ll write a long explainer about the regional differences between American barbecue, but that will come later. I’ll definitely review Texas Joe’s as soon as I can get there.
Thanks for reading. See you Wednesday for the wondrousness of a shared Mexican meal.
In the meantime, spread the word about Professional Lunch.
I’m going to lunch.
Med Sellah is a must for anyone yearning for proper Malaysian / Indonesian comfort food and i was delighted to see it get some recognition. Working for an Asia HQ'd business, it is seen by colleagues as a good but quite a bit more expensive than home institution. Their Wok Hei adds the finishing touch