Russell Norman's third London restaurant, Spuntino, impressed the critics this weekend

Russell Norman's third London restaurant, Spuntino, impressed the critics this weekend, with both Giles Coren and Zoe Williams giving it positive reviews.

Writing in The Times, Coren finds great hangover food at Spuntino but adds that while über cool and trendy, Norman's restaurants' kitchens aren't great on consistency. "But," he adds, "consistency is what you go to boring Michelin restaurants for, not fun places."

The Sunday Telegraph‘s Williams very much enjoys the food at Spuntino, which she says is a don't-stand-on-ceremony ‘finger food' restaurant that is all very Depression-era, but in a good way.

Meanwhile London's Riding House Café, the latest venture from the team behind the Garrison and Village East on Bermondsey Street, divides the restaurant critics. While the Guardian‘s John Lanchester enjoys small plates of great food at the restaurant, the Metro‘s Marina O'Loughlin says the food doesn't reach the same standard as its glamorous interiors.

The London Evening Standard‘s David Sexton says Madison, the latest restaurant from the Inc Group located atop the One New Change development in the City, is astonishingly bad. Giving it just one star, he suggests the bravest plan for it might be to close quickly and start again.

According to Tracey Macleod, writing in TheIndependent, the food at Quince, Silvena Rowe's new restaurant at the Mayfair Hotel, isn't quite the draw she hoped it would be.

The Sunday Times‘ AA Gill finds good quality ingredients and cooking at the River Café in Glasbury-on-Wye, Hereford, while according to the Observer‘s Jay Rayner, the Bishop's Dining Room & Wine Bar in Norwich is the perfect middle-class fantasy of a restaurant.

Time Out‘s Guys Dimond is impressed by the excellent French cooking at Medlar, where the entire menu sounds delectable, and every dish exceeded his expectations.

For these reviews in full and more, see What's on the menu?](http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2011/06/20/338812/whats-on-the-menu-a-round-up-of-the-latest-restaurant-reviews.htm) Visit [Guide Girl](http://www.caterersearch.com/blogs/guide-girl/) for the latest gossip from the fine-dining world.

By Kerstin Kühn

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