AA Gill has a miserable evening at Japanese restaurant Sake No Hana

01 November 2010 by
AA Gill has a miserable evening at Japanese restaurant Sake No Hana

AA Gill has a miserable evening at Japanese restaurant Sake No Hana in London where he finds no atmosphere and food made without poise or skill.

Scoring it just one out of five, the Sunday Times food critic gives the restaurant a disparaging review, describing its sushi as "supermarket sushi, from a supermarket in some landlocked central European city".

"The sushi was badly made, clumsy, flabby and too warm. The tuna had the whiff of cat food, the proportion of fish to rice was all wrong, as was the rice itself," he complains.

Meanwhile The Observer's Jay Rayner craved nourishment in every sense after the emotional turmoil of losing his mother. And he found it, thanks to Angela Hartnett's skilful comfort cooking at the York & Albany, which she will continue to run until the end of the year.

He says: "Hartnett's food here is very much an extension of her personality. Sure she can do big and solid, but she also has technique by the gallon, which allows her to do serious stuff to ingredients while still retaining their essence."

Writing in The Independent on Sunday, Amol Rajan finds a trendy neighbourhood Italian in Trullo but adds that as far as the menu goes it promises much but delivers little.

The Times food critic Giles Coren says Lumièrein Cheltenham is a well-run restaurant with great staff, good produce and a talented chef who sadly lacks originality.

The Guardian's John Lanchester says Oxford's been crying out for a decent place to eat out for years and now has one in the form of Ben and Hugo Warner'sAshmolean Dining Room, while Tracey MacLeod is impressed with Les Deux Salons, a new Parisian brasserie by Michelin-starred restaurateurs Anthony Demetre and Will Smith.

Profile: Alan Yau >>

Angela Hartnett buys Murano from Gordon Ramsay Holdings >>

Will Smith and Anthony Demetre open Les Deux Salons >>

For these reviews in full and more, see What's on the menu?](http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2010/11/01/335768/whats-on-the-menu-a-round-up-of-the-latest-restaurant-reviews.htm) Visit [Guide Girl](http://www.caterersearch.com/blogs/guide-girl/) for the latest gossip from the fine-dining world.

By Kerstin Kühn

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