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Articles by Daphne Colthard

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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/Marriott and Shangri La Hotels

Marriott This is part of an international chain .Sometimes this can lead to a formulaic hotel. I was initially concerned when I saw a large sixties style block but inside there was some deference to Sri Lankan arts and crafts.  The room was large with a balcony over looking the Indian Ocean. We [...]

November 11, 2018 // 0 Comments

A la Colthard / The Westbury and Goring Hotel

Over the years I have been contributing to the Rust I have often reviewed restaurants and sometimes hotels but never their bars so today’s piece is on the latter at two of London’s most underrated hotels. I was meeting an old friend in the property world so the Westbury in Conduit Street [...]

October 18, 2018 // 0 Comments

A la Colthard/The Ram at Ferle

There is a disconnect between restaurant critics’ reviews, almost invariably metro and new, and restaurants that the vast majority of diners want to visit. That is why diners rely on the internet search engines. A good example of a popular restaurant is a decent country pub but when was the last [...]

October 13, 2018 // 0 Comments

A la Colthard/ Lasan/ Birmingham

I stand rightly accused of only leaving the South East for foreign parts and rarely visiting the gastronomic world of the entire UK. So here I am in England’s second city, Birmingham, a place I have barely visited or know. My preconception is that architecturally it is still in the sixties, all [...]

September 15, 2018 // 0 Comments

Royal China Club

The Royal China Club in Baker Street is their posh high-end restaurant in the well-known Royal China chain. The decor is more up market, the service excellent, the prices high. My only problem – and this applies to all Asian and Indian cuisine – is that gastronomically I cannot tell the [...]

September 12, 2018 // 0 Comments

A la Colthard/Sartoria and the decline in the middle ranking restaurant.

The title of the post is not intended to confuse so I will begin by stressing that Sartoria in Savile Row is not a middle ranking restaurant. It is expensive and sets high standards of  cuisine, decor and service but it is not for the financially challenged. Years ago a group of us ladies -who [...]

August 29, 2018 // 0 Comments

A la Colthard: Rick Stein/Sandbanks

My readers know how mistrustful I am on restaurants with views. I also believe reputations are there to be punctured not lauded. So when Bob Tickler’s godson aunt and uncle Hattie and Tom booked the Rick Stein overlooking the bay at Sandbanks I was sceptical on both counts. In fact it proved a [...]

August 23, 2018 // 0 Comments

Home cooking

Yesterday I was invited to lunch in a nearby town by a couple I recently met. It’s so rare to receive such an invite and I reflected upon a new Rust debate on home cooking versus restaurants. Recently I have been irritated by poor service in restaurants. At one which I use a lot in Chichester we [...]

August 16, 2018 // 0 Comments

The George at Rye

It was Nancy who when I told her I had yet to visit Rye and suggested I did so. I heard from a friend of mine who had a good trip ashore in property that rich London townies attracted by the fast communication by rail to Ashford International were now buying up second homes there and for golfers [...]

July 31, 2018 // 0 Comments

A La Colthard/ Goring Hotel and Outlaw at the Capital Hotel

Having recently been critical of Brighton restaurants I was pleased to dine elegantly at two London  hotels. The Goring in Victoria is one of the few London hotels still in private family hands. It’s agreeably old fashioned with a comfy bar and a good dining room and a garden too. The dining [...]

June 17, 2018 // 0 Comments

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