What's on the menu: Bruno Loubet's forward thinking Grain Store is big and brave, says Marina O'Loughlin

Following a visit to Bruno Loubet's Grain Store in London N1 the Guardian's Marina O'Loughlin is tickled by the idea "that it's a large Frenchman who's delivering this fresh, almost feminine food".

"It all feels very forward-thinking, rather than rooted in the past," she says. "For Loubet, it's a big, brave move. And it's a big, brave restaurant."

The Observer's Jay Rayner is disappointed to conclude that shameless bandwagon jumping, grievous bodily harm to an entire culinary tradition and atrocious cooking are not yet criminal offences following a visit to the Blue Boar Smokehouse, London SW1.

Provided you're not expecting high-drama or High-Table Italian food, Paesan in Exmouth Market, London EC1, will show you a fine time says John Walsh in The Independent.

Mexican restaurant Taqueria in London W11 offers simple, colourful, cheap and vibrant food that is served with warmth and charm according to Matthew Norman in The Telegraph.

Zoe Williams, also in http://blogs.catererandhotelkeeper.co.uk/blogs/guide-girl/2013/08/what-the-critics-say---round-up-of-the-latest-restaurant-and-hotel-reviews-12.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">The Telegraph](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/10211867/The-Dairy-London-SW4-restaurant-review.html), says the reasonably priced ambitious and successful cooking at The Dairy in London SW4 could be the cream of Clapham Old Town.

Aqua gets some details right but the bigger picture at Aqua Shard is a "confused mess" according to Metro's Andy Lynes, who says a restaurant's location should never be the best thing about it.

Restaurateur Will Ricker's transformation of Great Eastern Dining Room into Casa Negra, London EC2, is a solid sibling for Soho Mexican La Bodega Negra says Emma Sturgess, also in [Metro](http://metro.co.uk/2013/08/08/casa-negra-offers-affordable-mexican-at-a-vibesters-campsite-3915521/).

Japanese food made in the manner of tapas at Kirazu in London W1 is not an improvement on either, says AA Gill in the [Sunday Times](http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/Magazine/article1296908.ece).

Pizza Pilgrims in London W1D is a fun and affordable place but Time Out's Nick Amato is disappointed by the "floppy and naan-bread like" pizza bases.

HOTELS

In The Guardian, Gemma Bowes loves the glamour of the newly opened Great Northern Hotel in London N1, but finds the food on the heavy side.

The new Laura Ashley The Manor hotel in Elstree, Hertfordshire, has eschewed the chintz for an elegant and sleek style, says Tom Chesshyre in The Times.

The Sunday Telegraph's Fiona Duncan describes the quirky and colourful bed and breakfast Dunan House in Aldeburgh, Suffolk, as the "perfect bolt-hole" for any time of the year.

[* visit Guide Girl for a round up of UK restaurant and hotel reviews from the last seven days >>