We can’t deny that Google is the king of the world (don’t dissent – Google is listening), but all that pesky typing and clicking is exhausting and certainly not the best way to summarise the critical reception of London’s latest restaurants: this is. We’ve done the groundwork in compiling critical musings on the capital’s dining debutantes, so you don’t have to. We want you to add your opinions to the mix too: check out #SMDinerReview on Twitter or click here to find out how.
Café Murano, Covent Garden (above)
Opened: Late June
When Angela Hartnett announces a new restaurant, salivation sets in early for Italian food lovers. In this case however, the first reviews have hinted at a stuttering kitchen, with Bloomberg's Richard Vines bemoaning “underseasoned meat” and overcooked rabbit legs, while Joseph Connolly pointed the finger at “limp” and “underseasoned” fried potatoes in The Telegraph. He thoroughly enjoyed the “fabulous” roast pigeon, however, while both agreed it’s early days for a trattoria destined for plaudits – we had no complaints (aside from some heavily salted greens) and loved the arancini and marinated baby octopus, concluding that the cooking is as accomplished as you would hope for the (high) prices.
Le Chabanais, Mayfair (above)
Opened: Late June
Arriving in London under a weight of expectation, the general consensus here is that the food follows suit, arriving beneath piles of greenery: The Standard’s Fay Maschler (happy 70th birthday Fay) beheld “knackered pieces of mackerel under lovage and samphire”, while Hillary Armstrong encountered tomates farcies with fried minced pork in gazpacho “hidden under a pair of floppy nasturtium leaves” for The Telegraph. Being the sister restaurant to Paris’s revered (and far more casual) Le Chateaubriand, the hype was understandable but the reality underwhelming: Maschler highlighted the “overpriced” food and drinks and incongruous location (“they should have gone east […] to show the esprit they possess in Paris”) and we agree. This is accomplished modern cooking to be sure, but it’s served in a polished environment that may leave many ordinary Londoners distinctly unexcited.
Oldroyd, Islington (above)
Opened: Early July
Anybody who has been to the original Polpo knows that it isn’t a place for cat swinging, and now the group’s former chef director Tom Oldroyd has opened his first, equally cramped, restaurant in N1. “People facing the side walls will feel the presence of the passing waiters, and their chair might bump that of the person sitting behind them” warns Time Out’s Richard Ehrlich, but we think Oldroyd’s size produces a convivial buzz akin to a family kitchen. We are in no doubt this will be a hit and Ehrlich agreed, dubbing it “one of the best new opening of the year, while Fay Maschler gave it four Standard stars for “enlivening food made with obvious knowledge and affection” – better get your skates on and head to Angel ASAP if you’re not a fan of queuing…
Social Wine & Tapas, Marylebone (above)
Opened: Early June
“The best tapas joint I’ve encountered outside Spain”, declared John Walsh in The Independent – high praise indeed for Jason Atherton’s new does-what-it-says-on-the-tin restaurant. Walsh praised the emphasis on the wine here (falling “in love with a 2006 Campanian red”) but we loved the food too: from the first bite of pan con tomate to the last lick of roast milk soft-serve ice cream, there wasn’t one duff dish. David Sexton declared the seafood and rabbit Spanish rice “the star” in The Standard and recommended studying the “fantastic” wine offering online first. Basically, Atherton can sleep soundly on this one.
The Trading House, Bank (above)
Opened: Early June
This City “enormo-pub” (thanks for that Grace Dent) has faced a succession of sneers since opening, with Ms Dent dubbing this a “turbo-Wetherspoons” before downgrading it to “Brewers Fayre territory” in The Standard. She warned that “piddling” portions and a “depressing” dearth of mass production will “sour the soul” (ouch) and similarly, we endured a chorizo pie that was on a par with a supermarket’s ‘upmarket’ line. We conceded that the classic cocktails and interiors were glorious however.
This article was published 5 August 2015