City AM reviews

Tuesday, October 21, 2008 - The room looks like the former Petrus; dark, opulent, oozing and tinkling with the expensive things in life, from the finely turned glass on the liqueur tray to the quiet rattle of the petits fours trolley to the mellow rumble of cheese chariot to the pop of vintage champagne corks…My companion and I were treated perfectly by the staff, and soon found the courage to roll up our sleeves and dive into Wareing’s high-octane, deeply foodie menu.

Tuesday, October 07, 2008 - Some of London’s top restaurants are in hotels these days. Some of them have opened recently and have got away with being unabashedly pricey – Helen Darroze at the Connaught, Angela Hartnett at the Murano and Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley have all triumphed. So it’s hardly surprising that there’s a restaurant at the St James’s. Andaman is a jewel-like, lacquered black and yellow affair, with 1940s German paintings on the wall and the three Michelin-starred chef Dieter Muller in the kitchen. Andaman means well.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - I’ve yet to hear of anyone else being wildly impressed by a proper Turkish restaurant in London. Kazan would appear to be an exception. Its Pimlico location is an institution with a passionately loyal following. Hardly surprising, then, that Kazan’s owners spotted profit in expansion. Hence the opening of a new restaurant in Houndsditch Street…Kazan was humming at 8pm on a Thursday night, and was full to the gills with well-clad young people, making a lot of noise and having a good time. The Ottoman-style furnishings create an atmosphere of louche and the bar area is truly inviting with its cushions, deep chairs and golden light.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - Min Jiang commands one of London’s top pieces of real estate – of that there is no doubt. On the tenth floor of the Royal Garden Hotel on Kensington High Street, it’s an elegant, windowy box of contemporary laquered Chinoiserie with astonishing views of Hyde Park and the London skyline. In the wake of Hakkasan, London’s first Michelin-starred Chinese, and Yautcha, Alan Yau’s dim sum haven, Londoners no longer laugh at the idea of a gourmet Chinese restaurant.

Tuesday, August 05, 2008 - As with houses, so with restaurants: location is the thing, and the owners of Devonshire Terrace have found a good spot to reel in City workers. Just off Bishopsgate and only a couple of minutes’ walk from Liverpool Street station, it’s in a prime position.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - Some people are snooty about restaurants in venues that also have a trendy bar, believing somehow that the agitating of cocktail shakers, the thumping of loud music and people under the age of 30 having an alcohol-assisted good time somehow detracts from the chef’s dedication to food. It’s a mistake that people are all too likely to make about Kyashii.