Marshall Manson

Bibendum Stunning Closure. My First Live Tonight. August Michelin Updates. Hit in Liverpool. Critics & Lots More. Famurewa's pasta Bath. Rayner glows about Baccalà. Sitwell's slightly naughty news.

Here’s the link to this week’s update:

professionallunch.substack.com/p/bibendum-s...

This week’s Professional Lunch update includes news about the shock closure of Bibendum, a slightly naughty announcement from William Sitwell, and good news for Ploussard and Duchy. Link in the first reply. Hope to see you this evening! (2 of 3)

Reminder: I’m doing a Substack Live with food writer Andy Lynes tonight at 6p BST. Please do join us for good chat about restaurants, great lunches, food writing and a lot more. And it’s a busy week! (1 of 3)

Superb. One of my favourite places.

There is some really interesting data on this from the Mayor’s office. Will try to find it. I think Will is exaggerating a little, but only a little.

Tree Trouble. Miss at Wildflowers. Hit at Saint Jacques. Critics & More. Rayner finds a great place to eat before a show at Albert Hall. Grace backs Ukrainian.

This week’s update includes a disappointing experience at much-praised Wildflowers and a better evening at Saint Jacques. Critics have first visits to the new Ukrainian spot in Shoreditch. Jay Rayner found a good place near Albert Hall, finally settling London’s most difficult dining conundrum.

Weekly Review: Kiln Quick hit: Counter dining for the modern age.

I love counter dining. And Kiln offers greater counter dining with a Thai kick. The Soho join is the subject of my review this week, and the product of a fantastic lunch with the excellent @baldflavours. Is it for professional lunch? Absolutely.

My Return to High Road Social. Would it Still be Shambolic? Plus Critics & More. Hello, everyone.

Last time I went to High Road Social, it was a shambolic disaster. Would it be any better this time around? Find out in this week’s update. Plus another really poor celeb guest review in the Observer and some other updates.

professionallunch.substack.com/p/my-return-...

Weekly Reviews: The Andrew Fairlie & The Strathearn at Gleneagles World class, featuring the best of Scotland by land and sea. Plus a classy throw-back with great food where everyone is welcome.

This week, I get a little personal, exploring my family connection with Gleneagles in Scotland as I review The Andrew Fairlie and throw-back gem, The Strathearn. Link in the first reply.

professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...

Market volatility and macro economic mayhem have officially surpassed my economics expertise, acquired through undergraduate courses in micro and macro economics. 😁

Croque Comp. Dead on Friday? A Hit on the River. Critics & More. New posh vs. cheap feature from The Independent. Lander loves Polish. Preston bites bagels. Ivers hates NY.

After 17 years living in London, I finally made it to the River Café. Plus a fun charity event at Marceline and an interesting week for the critics, with the Independent launching a new feature and the Observer’s celeb guest review thing not working.

professionallunch.substack.com/p/croque-com...

Weekly Review: Homies on Donkeys Fantastic tacos with a sense of humour.

Fantastic tacos and an authentic Tijuana experience at Homies on Donkeys in Leytonstone. My review this week…

professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...

Weekly Review: AngloThai Fresh, zingy, and different, Chef John Chantarasak plots his own appealing course.

It’s AngloThai this week, which I found inventive and surprising. There are bursting flavours and just the right amount of spice. And it’s all intensely colourful. Plus, the £55 lunch tasting menu is affordable for a professional lunch.

professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...

Milestone AI moment: I participated in a conference in Paris in person but in French. I don't speak French. I kept up thanks to live translation in Teams. It wasn't perfect, but it was incredible. Even as societies break into smaller bits, we still find ways to overcome barriers that keep us apart.

Chat Over Lunch: Claire Thevenot Wine detective and Master Sommelier, her relentless drive helps fill our favourite restaurants with some of their best and most interesting wines.

Claire is discoverer of great wines, supplier to great restaurants, warm, witty, driven, determined, and brilliant. It was a pleasure to have a chance to Chat Over Lunch with her.

professionallunch.substack.com/p/chat-over-...

I'm not aware of any. Through the Cold War, especially in the '70s and early '80s when the Royal Navy was strong, there was a clear role for them defending the western approaches to Europe from Russian subs so reinforcements could reach a ground war. No one ever suggested UK would fight on its own.

A year of Professional Lunch. Keller makes an omelette. Another fake controversy. Critics & more. Grace gets Arthurian. Lander strolls memory lane. Ivers goes for wings.

Today is the first anniversary of Professional Lunch. I can’t believe it’s been a year. More than 64,000 visits and nearly 700 subscribers. I’m grateful to everyone who has subscribed, shared, and commented. And if you haven’t, please do subscribe!

professionallunch.substack.com/p/a-year-of-...

Weekly Review: Row on 5 Wit, stories, accessible luxury, technical brilliance, meticulous attention to detail, and fantastic experiences that Thomas Keller would admire.

As a big fan of Thomas Keller, I loved sitting down to Oysters & Pearls in my first course at Row on 5. The restaurant is a gem, with a sense of humour, meticulous attention to detail, aspiration, and luxury that even Keller could admire.

professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...

Fair. She spends lots of time talking about sushi, so I assume it’s implied, but I don’t know how to manage the seating challenge.

I like how it gently flies in the face of longstanding convention.

Rayner & Haywood Sign Off. Perils of left handed dining. Hit in Islington. Critics & More. Ivers Skofs in Manchester. Hayler buys a House. Giles sells the Cotswolds.

Big news in this week's update as both Jay Rayner and Tim Hayward step down from their critics roles at the Observer at the FT. Plus a great piece about eating left handed, and a particularly good week from other critics. Please do check it out, and please subscribe if you haven't already.

Weekly Review: Dining Room at The Goring Following refurbishment, the place favoured by royals continues hitting the heights.

When the Dining Room at Goring re-opened last near after a major refurbishment, hardly anyone reviewed it. I thought the Michelin-starred royal favourite deserved some attention. If you’re looking for a setting for professional breakfast, drink, or dinner in a rich, classical setting, it’s great.

PowerPoint's grammar checker believes I should replace "jacket potato" with "baked potato," and I don't even know where to start with that.

AI-driven homogeneity on the horizon? Or can I teach PowerPoint to advise for obscure languages and dialects, like Geordie?

Pre-Pay Trend. Me in GQ. Matt Abé gets Gavroche. Guide Review, Critics & More. Rayner doesn't worship Gilgamesh. Hayward follows that cab. Ivers scores the hardest seat in London. Preston loves Dom's Subs.

In my update this week, I dig into the news that Matt Abé will be leaving Restaurant Gordon Ramsay to open a new fine dining spot in the Le Gavroche space. There’s also a review of the Anchor & Hope in Southwark and some thoughts on restaurants requiring pre-payments to reduce no-shows.

The best Michelin-starred restaurants in the UK to try this year Over two hundred restaurants in the UK and Ireland were awarded stars last week, including 22 newbies, Cardiff's debut, and the first vegan restaurant. Here's our pick of the best.

Me in GQ. No not because of my good looks. But I was very pleased to be asked to contribute some words to GQ’s round-up of the most interesting Michelin star places announced last week:

www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/best...

New Michelin Stars, Me in GQ, Critics & More Ellis in bar horror. Preston loves Scottish food. Hayward feels snobby. Sitwell goes solo for vegan.

Some fascinating outcomes in last week’s Michelin announcements. I reflect on that — and my predictions — in this week’s update. Spoiler: I didn’t do that well with my predictions.

I’ve also got a new feature. Check out this week's update here:

professionallunch.substack.com/p/new-michel...

Weekly Review: Luc's Brasserie Leadenhall Institution is optimised for a professional lunch.

Leadenhall institution Luc’s in the spotlight for my professional lunch review this week. Traditional city brasserie vibes, great wine list, and solid food with choices for everyone.

professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...

YouTube video by MICHELIN Guide Discover the MICHELIN Guide restaurant selection in MICHELIN Guide Great Britain & Ireland for 2025

If you're as nerdy as me, and want to watch tonight's Michelin ceremony for UK&I live, they are streaming it on YouTube:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=115U...

Michelin Star Predictions. Critics & More. Ellis moves to French House. Preston questions The Brave.

With new Michelin stars for UK being announced tonight, I offer my predictions, and I’d love to hear yours in the Comments. My boldest stab: Row on 5 straight to two stars. Second boldest: Roe in Canary Wharf wins a star.

professionallunch.substack.com/p/michelin-s...

Also, some news from my dinner at Josephine Bouchon. The second location, planned for Marylebone in the coming months, will NOT carry on the Lyon concept. The new location will instead deliver a more Paris experience.