Articles by Daphne Colthard
Yesterday I arranged lunch with an old friend – a scion of the advertising industry who is well used to fashionable London restaurants. So I was slightly apprehensive about how he would react to a gastro pub in Sidlesham to the south of Chichester particularly as it was raining. This did not [...]
Stamford
After a relaxing and enjoyable stay with some old friends, I decided to visit for the first time the Lincolnshire town of Stamford. Stamford was originally the refuelling place for the coach and horses trip to Scotland. It also has the palatial home of William Cecil, Queen Elizabeth I’s most [...]
A la Colthard/The Arlington
As the saying goes: “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it …” The Arlington has the same location, decor and menu as La Caprice – the only difference is the name and ownership. It’s the latest venture of Jeremy King, late of the Wolseley. When I went there last Thursday I felt I [...]
A la Colthard: José Pizarro and the Brass Rail
I was in London last weekend and checked out two restaurants with an ethnically gastro theme. The first was José Pizarro at the rear of the Royal Academy. His schtick is Spanish cuisine. I like Spanish cuisine and tapas has created the idea of the shared platter. I invited Alicia who generously [...]
A la Colthard/The Permit Room
The Permit Room on Brighton’s Lanes is part of the successful Ishoom chain with a funky makeover. I went there yesterday, treating my ex-doctor whom I have always liked and dispensed good optimistic advice. In particular, he holds to my own view that – as we approach old age – zest [...]
A la Colthard/ eating out update
Yesterday my accountant invited me to lunch at La Brasseria Milanese an upmarket Italian restaurant in Marylebone High Street. As I was a guest it seems churlish to find fault but it epitomised the contemporary London experience. On arrival at 12-45 the table was not ready (how can this [...]
A la Colthard/The Big Easy
Too many restaurant critics are not considerate, by which I mean they will review the latest opening but not a well-established chain which offers value. Such a chain is The Big Easy which a good friend of mine recommended and we sampled last week. We went to the Covent Garden one in Maiden Lane [...]
A la Colthard: Novellinos and The Regency
Novellinos is a kosher restaurant owned by Tony Bloom and situated in the synagogue at Hove. I had hoped it was a New York style delicatessen but it’s more bistro food. I ordered a salt beef sandwich (£14) and the meat was rather dry. As you might expect, the clientele is almost exclusively [...]
Al la Colthard/both ends of the spectrum.
Last week I was in London which was hellish because of the crowds but had two meals that were memorable for different reasons. The first was in Chinatown at Haozhan with a girl friend of many years. I knew she would offer to pay her share but likes value and Haozhan ticked all the boxes. We had [...]
A la Colthard: Mediterra, Portslade
You need a good excuse to go Portslade, a light industrial place adjacent to Hove, a place of car dealerships and secondary shopping. The reason I took the Number “1” bus from Whitehawk to Portslade was to check out this Turkish restaurant of which I had heard good reports. The lunch [...]