I was going to answer properly but I thought better of it.
Category Archives: ★★★☆☆
April
28
Jikoni. Coming in from the cold.
posted by Nicky Richmond
Is that the Italian? I am asked this question each time I mention I am going to Jikoni. Full disclosure: I am asked it four times. This puts it into the category of a slight issue. Try saying it next to “Cecconi”. See?
August
03
Blandford Comptoir.
posted by Nicky Richmond
Did you enjoy it? Asks the waitress, for what, by this point, is the third time. I’m not enjoying your service style, I don’t say, even though I’m getting steadily more irritated as the meal progresses.
June
09
Bacco. A mid-town Italian adventure.
posted by Nicky Richmond
“God, the pressure, choosing for you, you have no idea what it’s like,” says M, Head Clerk of an cracking set of barristers’ chambers we use all the time. “Honestly, I’m sure it will be absolutely fine, really”, I say, not sure about any such thing.
May
28
Six Portland Road. It’s the real thing.
posted by Nicky Richmond
Foreword: I’ve been told by an eminent QC that I’m losing my touch and am being too nice in my reviews. “I like the ones where you hate it”, he says, “far more entertaining”. I cited in my defence a number of my less than glowing reviews but to no avail. Whilst he was only half […]
May
13
Coya. Peruvian/Japanese Roka-style mashup.
posted by Nicky Richmond
I’d tried to get into my standby, Roka Mayfair and the voice-without-warmth on their reception told that I might be able to get a walk-in, if I was lucky. It seems that even if you go somewhere at least once a week and you and your colleagues take clients all the time, well, they still […]
April
13
45 Jermyn Street. The Fountain Room gets a facelift.
posted by Nicky Richmond
I once bunked off a school outing to that London. We were meant to be seeing the Treasures of Tutankhamun at the British Museum. My partner-in-crime Jacques, so much more sophisticated, not to mention three years older, took one look at the snaking queue and suggested hot chocolate and an ice-cream sundae at Fortnums. I’d never […]
March
10
Chutney Mary: the makeover.
posted by Nicky Richmond
My first impression is that they have spent a small fortune on the fit-out and my second is that I want to stay in the bar. Chutney Mary is the pimped-up reincarnation of the original restaurant of the same name which, until very recently plied its trade at the bottom end of the King’s Road. […]
January
20
The Quality Chop House. It’s on my list.
posted by Nicky Richmond
You can’t really write about The Quality Chop House without talking about its history. I was just going to mention that it had been a restaurant since 1869 and leave it at that. Thing is though, as a property lawyer by profession and an historian by education I can’t quite leave it there. So, combining […]
November
26
Sexy Fish. Wear your best trout pout.
posted by Nicky Richmond
In the end, I had to put my splayed fingers on the glass, covering the faces of the paparazzi, their noses pressed to the window. Hoping to catch a glimpse of Rita Ora, I can’t imagine that they were particularly interested in Piers Morgan, sitting a couple of tables away. If you’ve ever been to Las Vegas, you will […]
The Food Judge 