The Staff Canteen look at the weekend restaurant reviews week ending 15 April 2012
What the Papers Say by Chefbennett01
Reviewer Name – Jay Rayner
Location/contact details - New Sum Ye, Arcadian Centre, 70 Hurst Street, Birmingham (0121 622 1525).
Jay wheels his way to Birmingham on the recommendation of an internet blogger for some Cantonese roasted meats, which he describes as his guilty pleasure 'I love char sui pork, the outside that violent shade of red that simply cannot be good for you. Obviously, I love the belly pork – the skin crisp, the fat yielding and the meat still with bite. Best of all is the duck. Chef Simon Hopkinson swears the Chinese are the best at roasting ducks, and I won't argue.'
Despite New Sum Ye's basic decor, and the telly on the wall, Jay isn’t disappointed in the food, in fact he says it really is very good. So good in fact, that he polishes off a whole jar of chilli oil mean but as a condiment, as if it were a side dish. They also enjoy seafood noodles, but the meat is the star.
The Independent on Sunday full review
Reviewer Name – Tracey Macleod
Location/ contact details - Petersham Nurseries Café, Church Lane, Off Petersham Road, Richmond, Surrey (020-8940 5230)
Tracey decides the best way to review the new chef at Petersham nurseries (Greg Malouf recently took over from the departed Skye Gyngell) anonymously and without bias, is by going for lunch with his ex-sister in law. hmmm....
Much of the review goes into details of Gyngells legacy at Petersham, the Michelin star she never wanted and the natural style of her food, but when Tracey eventually switches to discussing Malouf and his australian/lebanese heritage the food sounds great, if a work in progress. bold flavours, with much of the produce still from the nurseries get the thumbs up. As Macleod herself says, 'There's something wonderful about eating fresh, green, unmessed-about-with food in an al fresco setting. ', and there is a lot of charm in Petershams dining room/greenhouse which will draw people to sample the new chef's wares a lot this summer I’m sure.
The Sunday Telegraph full review
Reviewer Name – Zoë Williams
Location/ contact details - Crussh 4 Millbank, London SW1 Contact: 020 7233 2099
Zoe visits the branch of this juice bar near the houses of parliament, and amongst the flax seeds, goji berries and low fat zero carb reduced protein sushi and shakes, sje discovers that healthy food can be tasty (so she says, who wants to check??)
some of the names are a bit of a marketing departments wet dream- 'O-Me-Good salad' anyone? but they are using all fresh ingredients, and balancing flavours well, so I’m sure that the demand for such things is there, and from this review, you have to feel that Crussh will catch on.
