Critics' Reviews: Week of 18 March

Buzz for Camille, Charlotte Ivers loves spicy noodles, Tanya Gold worships Noble Rot, and Hot Dinners checks in on Claude Bossi

As this is my first critics wrap-up, I’m taking some liberties to go back beyond the last seven days. But in general, each week, I’ll try to do a quick summary of the professional critics’ reviews of London-area restaurants plus any others that I think are interesting.

• Jimi Famurewa (Standard), Grace Dent (Guardian), and Tim Hayward (FT) all rave about Camille in Borough market. Dent promises you’ll leave ‘whiffy and unsnoggable,’ while Hayward wonders ‘Why is this the best salad I’ve ever eaten?’ and Famurewa declares, ‘Camille truly is a good-time establishment; a place with a bottle opener in its hand, a song in its heart and wafting escargot butter on its breath. Camille is from the founders of Duck Soup with a Head Chef formerly of St. John, and the food is modernised-takes on classic French with ingredients from the market right outside. I’m going in two weeks. I promise to report.

• Tom Parker Brooks (Mail) visits Cafe Kitty for lunch and luxuriates in the ever-shrinking seedy side of Soho.

• Charlotte Ivers (Sunday Times) is on her third visit to Liu Xiaomian for spicy noodles, and relishing every excruciating mouthful.

• Andy Hayler (independent critic) revisits Sessions Arts Club for a Friday lunch following its recent change of chef, and scores it very well.

• Tanya Gold (Spectator) checks in on the newest outpost of Noble Rot, recently opened in Mayfair, and declares it ‘as good as you will find in London.’

• Lilly Subbotin (Independent) tries Daroco, the new Italian in SoHo and concludes that ‘Although the whole place is pretty OTT, flamboyant, bordering on gaudy, I had a bloody great time and loved all the food.’

• Gavin Hanley (Hot Dinners) tries Josephine, the new South Kensington place from Claude Bossi. ‘A welcoming, lively room combines with some truly great cooking to create a near-perfect neighbourhood restaurant.’ Marina O’Laughlin (independent critic) also has a short write up and photo on her Instagram feed.

Giles Coren, Jay Rayner, William Sitwell, and others were all out of London this week, so nothing from them

Right. Time for lunch

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