Critics' Reviews w/c 29 April
Japan is the theme the big theme this week. And Charlotte Ivers goes to Geranium.
Hello everyone. I’m on holiday this week, so it’s a short one. Full service will resume next week. And this Wednesday’s review tackles one of the great challenges for Professional Lunches in London: Where to eat near Paddington?
Critics’ Wrap-Up
Giles Coren (Times) gets drunk and noisy at Juno Omakase in Notting Hill. “The Mexican-accented Japanese cooking was wonderful.” Editor’s note: The I’m-sorry-what-did-you-say
Lots of conversation about Japanese among the critics this week. Photo from Juno Omakase via Instagram. Andy Hayler (independent critic) tries Jeux Jeux, the more casual sister restaurant of omakase spot Hannah, which he reviewed a couple of weeks ago. “Okonomiyaki is a savoury pancake dish cooked on a hot plate (a teppan). There are various styles of this dish but it is particularly popular in Hiroshima and Osaka. A buckwheat pancake is loaded up with cabbage, spring onion, beansprouts, yakisoba noodles, red ginger and a fried egg.” Sounds excellent. He also checks out 1890 by Gordon Ramsay.
Tom Parker Bowles (Mail on Sunday) checks out Yang Guo Fu Malatang, which “is a chain of Chinese-hotpot restaurants with over 6,000 branches across Asia, Australia and North America.”
Jimi Famurewa (Standard) is the latest to tackle Lita in Marylebone. “If the tyre-kickers at Michelin have anything about them then I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see it get a star before too long.”
Charlotte Ivers (Sunday Times) picks up on our Copenhagen theme from last week and visits Geranium in Copenhagen. “Among the besuited super-rich, I spotted one man with long scruffy hair and a denim jacket. He had to be the richest person in the room to have the confidence to be that casual. There’s a metaphor there for what Geranium is doing. ‘You’re not to think you’re anything special’ is the rule. These guys are special.” If I had Charlotte’s job, I would do this every week: Use my position as a reviewer for the Sunday Times to go to the best places in the world. I hope she’ll do this more often.
Lilly Subbotin (Independent) tries Farzi in Piccadilly. “Overall, Farzi is fab – particularly if an old fashioned arriving in a dome of smoke is your thing; very generous; and there’s no doubt that the kitchen is talented and highly knowledgeable.”
Hot Dinners has two reviews this week. Gavin Hanly writes up TT, a rooftop restaurant in Shoreditch that’s gone up market. Catherine Hanly checks out Niju, a new place from the team behind Endo. This sounds like one to watch.
William Sitwell (Telegraph) was in deepest, darkest Kent, loving The Cloudberry. Tim Hayward (FT) checked out the Windmill in Brighton. Jay Rayner (Observer) was in Manchester. Grace Dent (Guardian) had a not-great meal in Canterbury.
Thanks for reading. I’m off to the golf course… 🏴🏌🏻