Press

Charmaine Mok Jan 17 2012
It isn't hard to decide what to eat at Burger & Lobster, as there are only three choices - burger, lobster or lobster roll. Which focuses your mind on the other variables, such as where abouts in the room you would like to perch. Propped up against the bar on high stools? Ensconced in one of the two tight-fit banquettes in the back, with their view of the kitchen pass? Decisions, decisions. Burger & Lobster

    Fay Maschler, January 2012
No reservations are taken. We were lucky to score a banquette - the best are at the back of the room. Some of the seating is at high tables with high chairs, the point and appeal of which I have never understood. There is also service at the long bar and, what with red leather upholstery, wood panelling, bare tables, filament light bulbs and the hum of contented chatter - no music, which is a huge bonus - it sort of felt like an episode of Cheers, or anyway an episode of Cheers with a cast of hedgies.  Burger & Lobster
 

  Fay Maschler, December 2011
Ollie Couillaund, who was head chef at la Trompette, cites as his mentors chefs Bruce Poole and Phillip Howard. As at Chez Bruce he offers fixed-price menus of basically French food but with thegloss that comes from travelling. In an area that clanks with chains like Marley's ghost The Lawn Bistro has been taken to the heart of the local populcae - but it's also vaut le detour.

Lisa Markwell, 20th November
Open since summer, Roti Chai has been created by Rohit Chugh, who wanted to bring a taste of the all-day street food of India that fuels the bustling country to London. It's like a typical Indian railway canteen – if the trains were run by the staff of Monocle or Wallpaper magazines. Plain refectory tables and chairs are neatly arranged, while across the back wall, a well-stocked bar and view into the kitchen reveal finely choreographed activity.

14th November 2011
“On the other hand, perhaps there is something mildly revolutionary about serving properly vibrant Spanish bar snacks in a setting of such studied sterility. Sat on stools at a long, oval counter, our view through the hanging garlic and herb-filled pots that pass for decor was of Boots and Body Shop.”    Tapas Revolution.

Nov 2011
“Malcolm John’s new offering for Putney looks set to be a complete winner. Diners make their way past a toothsome array of seafood laid out on an icy counter before arriving at the restaurant proper where dark wood & leather, coupled with plenty of daylight & space, make for a very attractive proposition” - Fish and Grill Putney

29th Oct 2011
Interior specialists and last year’s winners of the Restaurant and Bar Design Awards, DesignLSM are currently bringing to life Omar’s ideas for the new Tapas Revolution. The team are creating a sleek modern take on a traditional Spanish tapas bar, which includes an open plan kitchen, a square 30-metre pewter bar that will be surrounded by 40 high stools and there will also be a number of red leather booths for larger groups and families. 

By Fay Maschler , 13 Oct 2011
“Bare tables, minimal cutlery and low-key decoration suggest an aim to be reasonably casual” - Lawn Bistro

 Time Out Editors: Oct 3 2011
“The ex-industrial space is equally appealing, with a separate bar (remodelled in autumn 2011) and a large dining area in white and grey, with oversized lampshades and thoughtfully planned seating. It's smart enough for a special occasion, informal enough for a family lunch.” - Sam's Brasserie

 Andy Lynes - 14th September, 2011  
“The casual room with its simple wooden tables and chairs and exposed, painted steel girders appears designed to lure local workers from their lunch al desko.” - Roti Chai

 Roopa Gulati: Aug 24 2011
“The pared-back decor - a quirky mix of industrial chic contrasted with cleverly presented Indian groceries - is laden with nostalgia appealing to wistful Indians. Cartons of mango juice, glucose biscuit packets, retro advertising logos and bottles of rose-scented squash add an air of corner-shop-cool to this trendy and spacious all day cafe” - Roti Chai

Jo Fernandez 21 Apr 2011
The last time I visited Runnymede-on-Thames I said it resembled the Crossroads Motel, purely for its unappealing 1970s low-rise red-brick exterior.  A recent visit to the now revamped hotel revealed a whole new look. The uninspiring exterior remains but Design LSM, the genius team of architects behind the jaw-droppingly beautiful and award-winning Galvin la Chapelle restaurant in Shoreditch, has worked wonders on a hotel that had many redeeming features but desperately needed some style. 

 Marina O'Loughlin, 30 March 2011
"..the new look, from designLSM, the team behind the striking Galvin La Chapelle, is hot stuff – I love the steampunk-esque animal-headed portraits, starlet light bulbs and gilded-mirror ceiling."