Michael Winner reviews

Sunday, May 16, 2010 - The owner-chef, Manoj Vasaikar, blends flavours and tastes and textures like a genius artist. Everything is perfect. The decor is simple and welcoming...I nicked some of Geraldine's Karwari fish curry, lemon and ginger rice, unbelievably good poppadoms and chapatis, saffron-flavoured rice, tandoori scallops with onion and tomato relish...I could go on. I dictated, 'Everything is beyond belief tender, effective, sensational blend of whatever he's blending.' Geraldine kept muttering, 'Incredible.'

Sunday, December 13, 2009 - My starter of foie gras mousse with raisin puree, fruit bread and parmesan was highly liquid, served in a steep-rimmed bowl with a fork. Very difficult to eat. Needed a spoon. Not great. My main course was described as 'whole dover sole with lemon and parsley butter'. It wasn't. They do a fantastic whole dover sole at Scalini in Knightsbridge. There you get the side juicy bits, the roe, everything except head and tail. The Kitchen sole was trimmed, had no soft, generous texture. It was dry and shrivelled.

Sunday, October 19, 2008 - Let’s be very clear. Quo Vadis in Dean Street, Soho, is fantastically good in every way. Food, ambience, service. For years it was a dump. Then my friend Joseph Ettedgui (he’s doing up Mirabelle) bought it from Marco Pierre White and promptly sold it on to Sam and Eddie Hart...It really is the new Ivy. I like the Ivy food, but the grub at Quo Vadis is incomparably better.

Sunday, September 07, 2008 - The Ritz grub was impeccable. Marvellous Earl Grey tea; perfect fresh sandwiches; scones with jam and cream; chocolate cake; raspberry rounds; shortbread; fruit in a pastry bowl; gingerbread base with apple jelly on top; mousse; a chocolate macaroon – all stunning. A quality English tea is one of the great meals of all time.

Sunday, March 16, 2008 - Thus Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester, its full name as printed on my bill, charged £252 for a three-course lunch for two, the only alcoholic drink being a bucks fizz. I don’t normally care about bills, even though I pay them myself without reimbursement. But this one had me reeling, and writhing.