Dining Reviews

Ramsay’s Right-Hand Chef Mark Sargeant Quits After 13 Years Mark Sargeant, who joined Gordon Ramsay 13 years ago and worked his way through the kitchens to become one of the chef’s closest friends and allies, has resigned and will join another restaurant company next month.

London Eateries Slash Wine Prices; Haggis Dim Sum Honors Burns Le Bouchon Breton has joined the ranks of London restaurants lowering the price of fine wines to draw in customers and to get us all drinking again. Among the bargains: La Tache, Domaine de la Romanee Conti 1995, down to 1,293 pounds ($2,150) from 3,900 pounds, and Charmes-Chambertin, Domaine Perrot-Minot 2001, cut to 105 pounds from 220 pounds. Let’s hope our employers appreciate the effort that is being made. Just think: The more you drink, the more you save.

Japanese Curry, Snubbed by Michelin, Finds Fans: Tokyo Dining The Michelin Guide’s list of top Tokyo restaurants features French eateries, sushi shops and even blowfish specialists. Left entirely unrepresented is one of Japan’s favorite foods: curry.

Michelin Guide Awards Stars to Nine Restaurants in Switzerland The Michelin Guide today raised one Swiss restaurant to two-star status and awarded eight more a single star, ensuring Switzerland keeps its rank as the country with the highest number of stars per capita in 2010.

Michelin Guide Gives 3 Stars to 11 Tokyo Restaurants (Update1) The Michelin Guide gave top billing to 11 restaurants in Tokyo, vaulting the Japanese capital over Paris as the city with the most three-star eateries.

Canary Wharf Is London’s Las Vegas -- for Food: Richard Vines Canary Wharf is London’s Las Vegas Strip, not just a place to win (or lose) money, but a culinary destination that draws in chefs seeking a slice of the action.

Hawksmoor Steak House to Open in London’s West End: Food Buzz Hawksmoor owner Will Beckett and his business partners plan to open a second branch of the steak house in London’s West End next May because the original location in Shoreditch is “grossly oversubscribed.”

Michelin Hands Out 24 New Stars in Germany, Lauds Young Chefs The Michelin Guide to Germany added one new two-star restaurant and awarded a further 23 eateries a single star today. The number of three-star establishments stayed at nine, the second-highest in Europe behind France.

A Voce’s $114 White Truffle Pasta; SD26’s Knockout Spaghetti As they say in McDonald’s commercials, prices may be higher in Manhattan.

D&D to Open 80-Bedroom Hotel, Restaurants in London’s Moorgate D&D London Ltd. plans to develop and run an 80-bedroom hotel off Moorgate, in the City of London financial district, with the opening scheduled for 2012.

Mini-Hot Dogs With Brown Sauce Boost London’s W8: Richard Vines Sometimes, a dish may stop you in your tracks for the right reasons: cutting through the small talk, pulling your wandering eye back to the plate and causing an involuntary movement that returns wine glass to table.

Girls Aloud’s Harding Backs City Bar; Squirrel Lunch: Food Buzz Sarah Harding of the pop group Girls Aloud is backing a Polynesian bar in the City of London that promises to transport visitors to an exotic paradise. Kanaloa is the project of Nick House and Piers Adam, the team behind clubs including Mahiki, Whisky Mist and the Punch Bowl.