Articles by Daphne Colthard

About Daphne Colthard

After graduating at RADA but finding no roles Daphne went into magazine journalism with Good Housekeeping. Widely recognised as one of the country's leading restaurant and hotel reviewers, particularly by herself, Daphne is the author of "Bedded and Breakfasted", a light hearted chick novel and Grand Hotels DC: the Daffers Dictionary. Daphne lives in West London and is married to an investment banker Oliver. They have 2 boys Humphrey and Tarquin. More Posts

A la Colthard : Fischers

I was talking to Neil Rosen the other day about creativity. I had read his comment that Kubrick is forever experimenting but Scorsese plays safe. The same applies to restaurants. Some restauranteur stay within their name and brand. This is not necessarily to criticise. 28/50 is always reliable in [...]

June 13, 2014 // 0 Comments

a la Colthard: Stanmer House

I call Sussex the new Rust Belt. Robert Tickler has acquired a pile on the cliffs by Roedean School, Alan Tanner is more downmarket with a bungalow he has bought in Worthing, whilst Nancy Bright Thompson has been a resident of East Sussex for many years. We all convened for tea at Stanmer House, [...]

May 31, 2014 // 0 Comments

A la Colthard : Kazan Wilton Road.

I have a problem with Mediterranean cuisine, by which I mean Greek, Turkish and Levantine – namely, its lack of range and of diversity of restaurant. French food, particularly in France, has its grand foodie establishments; the brasserie ; the neighbourhood restaurant and – at [...]

April 22, 2014 // 0 Comments

A la Colthard: K Hotel West and spa

The K hotel is located in that rather anonymous quarter Estate agents called Olympia Village between Shepherds Bish and Olympia. Its not an obvious place for a cool boutique hotel but for that K Hotel impressed. I went there for a day of spa and lunch treating my godson’s mother. It got [...]

April 2, 2014 // 0 Comments

A la Colthard : The Cherwell Boathouse

My old friend Sebastian, who is an art collector, invited me for a birthday treat to the Cherwell Boathouse in Oxford. He first wanted to view the Henry and Rose Pearlman collection at the Ashmolean: Cezanne and the Modern. Pearlman, an American tycoon, made his money in refrigeration. After [...]

March 20, 2014 // 0 Comments

A la Colthard :Tozi (again)

We restaurant critics rarely review the same place twice twice, let alone within 2 months. At my first visit to Tozi I thought it sensational but my host then had known it well and ordered. This time I was the guest of an old friend and it was his first time. He did the ordering, but the maitre [...]

March 7, 2014 // 0 Comments

A la Colthard

We restaurant reviewers like nothing more than home cooking. Sounds blasé but true. Last Friday Ollie decided to cook the meal. He is not an imaginative cook but prepares simple dishes well, so he went to the wet fish section of Waitrose and bought 2 crabs and some salmon. The salmon he cooked in [...]

March 3, 2014 // 0 Comments

Aqua Shard

There is a saying amongst restaurant reviewers “never trust a place with a great view.” There is another “never accept an invitation from an owner”. I went against both yesterday when I visited Aqua Shard as guest of one of the two owners, Richard Ward. But first the view. [...]

February 20, 2014 // 0 Comments

Greens

Greens at Duke Street, St. James, was a great favourite of mine in the eighties. Owned by Simon Parker Bowles, it epitomised the elegant English fish restaurant but was always more fun than Wiltons or Bentleys. It certainly was not cheap but I took the view that I would pay a subscription if it [...]

February 14, 2014 // 0 Comments

Tozi

I detect something exciting and innovative in the restaurant scene. For the last 20 years it has been driven by celebrity chefs. Now new vistas are opening. I already praised, as have many, Mr Wong for its combination of street food and haute cuisine, in offering Hong Kong Chinese in a new [...]

January 24, 2014 // 0 Comments

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Another felony

July 17, 2018 // 0 Comments

I remarked to a colleague on the Rust who was burgled at 5pm in the afternoon when he was in his home that we need a crime reporter. Last Sunday morning my wallet fell to the [...]
It’s all up in the air and staying there

July 17, 2018 // 0 Comments

My sermon today covers ground far beyond that of my normal brief and in one sense that probably justifies today’s topic (and with bells on) anyway. At some point last year [...]
World Cup and golf

July 16, 2018 // 0 Comments

I predicted the French victory and had a pre-tourney tickle at 13-2. I’m part of my old school footie email group and was asked why I picked les Bleus. They offered the [...]
Is it me, or is this a sub-standard sporting year?

July 16, 2018 // 0 Comments

Pardon for me for saying it, but in recent weeks – and maybe I should be blaming personal reasons or preoccupations for this – I have found myself significantly [...]
India crumble in ODI

July 15, 2018 // 0 Comments

The t20 match that Ivan saw on Friday and the ODI international at Lords I went to yesterday were proof negative that the white ball game can and does produce as many dreary, [...]