Thankgiving. Death of Small Plates? A Hit in Chiswick. A Big Miss in Borough. Critics & More.
Gold goes to Dover. Ellis like Anglo Thai. Wilson climbs a Hill. Hayler all-in on Cornus.
Happy Thanksgiving! As I’m sure you’re aware, Americans celebrated with a big feast on Thursday or, if you’re ex-pat living in the UK, on Saturday. We had an excellent evening with friends and the usual spread of roast turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, various other goodies, and lots of good wine.
As part of the festivities, it’s traditional to give thanks for the blessings of the previous year.
So if you’ll forgive a moment of earnestness, I wanted to say thank you for reading my little missives each week. Having this outlet for my writing and interest in food has proven a tremendous blessing for me in 2024, and I am really thankful for that opportunity.
Housekeeping note: I’m going to do shift my Review e-mail to Thursday for a couple of weeks to see if works better for all of you. Watch for my review of Ibai this Thursday morning.
Is this the End of the Small Plates Trend?
I have a good friend who loves to eat out, do his part on a bottle of wine (or three), and is always up for dessert. But he hates small plates. Despises the “sharing” concept. He’s annoyed by the mess of plates and platters on the table. He can’t understand why are the tables tiny, ensuring there never enough room for everything. He just wants the kitchen to make him a starter, main, and dessert, and have them delivered in unison per the conventional formula.
Food writer
has been considering whether my friend’s views are experiencing a resurgence, even as it seems more and more difficult to find a many restaurants doing conventional service.Andy concludes that, if anything, the small plates thing is continuing to pick up steam, driven by practical economic and operational considerations as well as diner preferences.
I go back and forth on small plates in general, but for a Professional Lunch, I think we need to acknowledge that the concept can be damned awkward. Sharing with someone you don’t know very well always requires some courage. Using your fingers calls for a level of familiarity that may not come naturally in a business lunch. You have to be sensitive about not eating more than your share. “We bring the food as it’s ready” can mean long lags between servings. And the chances of wearing your food seem dramatically greater when sharing dishes, at least in my case.
On the other hand, it can be a lot of fun, and a good way to find grow closer with someone that you don’t know very well.
For me, the best places offer the option. Sure, we can share. But please don’t force us. If we each want something of our own, please accommodate us, and serve us in the conventional way. I don’t want to be sitting with food for twenty minutes while my guest has nothing.
What’s your view? Would you take a colleague or client that you didn’t know very well for a shared-plates meal?
Sandwich Revolution Sweeps London?
If you’re going to write about Professional Lunch, sandwiches are a vital topic. I’ve railed against Pret, praised a few local joints, and begged for something better.
It seems I might have been ahead of the trend again.
Proper New York bagels arrived recently at Kleinsky’s and It’s Bagels.
Leading Milanese sandwich shop De Santis just announced that they are opening in London.
The same week, the Observer called big-filling, restaurant-quality sandwiches a growing “national obsession.”
Although I hated Sandwich Sandwich, it’s set to expand to a second London location soon.
Hackney joint Rogue Sarnies is so busy that you really have to pre-order a couple of days in advance.
I’m really pleased to see this development, and I hope more made-to-order sandwich places open and do well. Any challenge to Pret is a good thing.
Where you finding a good, full, fresh-made sandwich these days?
Need a New Gig? NYT Hunting for a Restaurant Critic
Following Pete Wells’ departure a few months ago, the New York Times has formally begun its search for a new restaurant critic. (HT: Eater.)
The job pays between $122k and $170k, which is more than I was expecting. Here’s a little sampling from the listing:
The ‘preferred’ section is even more interesting. The Times is eager to account for the ways in which people “find and use restaurant content” so social media fluency is a must.
You can read the whole listing here, though it may well disappear when the role is filled.
And before you ask: No. I haven’t replied. Along with being obviously unqualified, I’m not a big fan of New York. I love to visit, but have never particularly aspired to live there. Plus, the job comes with ill-health and probable obesity. Not ideal perks.
Michelin Guide: November Additions
The inspectors went a bit crazy in November, adding 23 new places to the Michelin Guide across the UK and Ireland. In London, new additions included Ambassadors Clubhouse, Cornus, Sael, and Paulette, a little French bistro near Paddington that wasn’t on my radar at all. There was also a flock of Asian and South Asian places. You can see the whole list here and click on to the inspector’s profiles of each place.
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, (b) had a flaw or two, or (c) that I revisited following a prior review.
Hit: The Hound
We had to go to Chiswick for an errand, and, following my lovely afternoon at La Trompette, I thought it might be nice to have lunch. Two local friends sent recommendations, and from their lists, we decided on The Hound.
Following a recent redevelopment by JKS restaurants, the creators of Hoppers, Bao, Berenjack, and others, The Hound is a comfortable spot on the high street with real evident history. It calls itself a “coaching inn,” and it has the feel of a big place that once dealt with all manner of comers, sometimes in substantial numbers.
These days, there’s a nice pubby bar in the front and a well appointed dining room in the back.
It was a quick lunch — mains only — and my Venison Pie was lovely. An excellent crust topped an overflowing wealth of meat, mushroom, and pearl onions in a rich gravy. There was creamy mash and well cooked cabbage on the side. It was top-flight pub food. We also tried the seasonal “Turkey Toastie,” which was a hit. Turkey, Cheddar, stuffing, red cabbage between bread then fried and served with “gravy mayonnaise” and cranberry sauce. Excellent.
There was a tolerable California Cabernet Sauvignon by the glass and friendly, funny staff.
Both of my local friends said it was a little pricey, and it was. But the food and vibe were so pleasant that we didn’t really mind. And I took a nap on the District line back to town.
(Big) Miss: Quill
There’s a new wine bar 3 minutes from my office, on my way to the station, so I felt I must try it. Quill is the third in a family of reasonably successful spots elsewhere in town, so there was some reason to hope it might be good.
It wasn’t.
These were the cushions we discovered when shown to our table:
Beyond the questionable decor, the wine list was mediocre, and the charcuterie board seemed straight from a Tesco package. Service was poor.
Oh well. One less temptation on the way to the station.
Critics Wrap-Up
✍🏻 indicates a review that you should read for the writing.
🍽️ indicates a place that sounds excellent and is probably worth a try.
✍🏻 🍽️
(Bald Flavours) has my favourite review of the week, featuring brilliant writing and a fantastic history lesson. “Hill & Szrok have managed to create an atmosphere that’s somewhere between a Speakeasy and a blacksmith.”✍🏻 Lewis Basset (Vittles) offers a brilliant (definitive?) reflection, by way of review, of St. John as it celebrates its 30th anniversary. “I scrape out the marrow, arrange and season my toast. In this moment, the point at which tradition and invention overlap doesn’t really matter: the dish will always belong to Fergus Henderson and his remarkable legacy.”
🍽️ Tanya Gold (Spectator) reviews the Dover in Mayfair. “It is Italian-American comfort food, and in winter what is better than that? What is better at any time?”
🍽️ David Ellis (Standard) heads to Anglo Thai in Mayfair. “The aubergine was a sign that, when bold, when John lets loose, AngloThai can astound.”
🍽️ Andy Hayler (independent critic) returns to Cornus in Pimlico to try the full tasting menu. “Cornus is shaping up to be the best restaurant opening in London in 2024.”
🍽️ Catherine Hanly (Hot Dinners) tried Amélie, a new Provencal place in Belgravia. “Amélie has one of those menus that isn't trying to do anything particularly inventive or clever, but it's an easy-pleaser.”
Nick Lander (jancisrobinson.com) offers a helpful overview of four interesting pubs, starting with the Harwood Arms in Fullham. “Old buildings may charm restaurant customers but often present major challenges for the restaurateur and their team.”
“Christina” (LOTI) checks out Bun House Disco in Brick Lane. “In keeping with the disco theme, they’re dishes that go really well with drinks, so prepare for umami by the bucketload.”
Marina O’Loughlin (independent critic) enjoyed truffle season at Boca di Lupo.
Jay Rayner (Observer) tries Desi Yew Tree in Wolverhampton. Tom Parker Bowles (Mail on Sunday) ate burgers in New York and Cheltenham. Lily Subbottin (Independent) heads to the Unruly Pig in Suffolk. Richard Milne (FT) reviews three Michelin starred Geranium in Copenhagen.
Grace Dent (Guardian), Charlotte Ivers (Sunday Times), William Sitwell (Telegraph), Giles Coren (Times), and Tim Hayward (FT) didn’t write reviews this week, offering mostly holiday things instead.
Thanks for reading Professional Lunch. I hope you’ll subscribe if you haven’t already.
That Venison Pie looks like a pot pie, not a real pie.
A real pie has three sides. Bottom, one long side around the edge, and of course a lid. The lid on its own - in a pot - is a pot pie (and arguably not actually a pie). Some people get cross about this kind of thing.
Not me. No... OK maybe.
Am also surprised (but glad) the NYT is willing to shell out mid100s for an important job. The thing I wonder about for about jobs like that -- beat writer covering a major league baseball team, or even head of comms for a top-flight sports team -- is whether they are more attractive in theory than in practice. Those types of jobs, as you suggest, are often very demanding, and it would be sad to spoil the satisfication over finding a great meal, or even warning people away from a lousy one, because it became a chore instead of an avocation.