This is MiMi of meemalee’s kitchen keeping the Grubworm’s blogging seat warm for him as he wends his way around the world …
A while back, there was some discussion on Twitter as to whether you should cut a restaurant some slack if the head chef was off that day. Metro critic Marina O’Loughlin had reviewed Koffmann’s and had found it lacking – turns out Chef Pierre was at Noma in Copenhagen.
Some people argued that it was unfair to expect the food to be as good as usual if he wasn’t in the kitchen; I was on the side of those who maintained it shouldn’t make a difference.
Someone then said to me that they’d gone to Launceston Place on two occasions, the first when head chef Tristan Welch was there and they’d had a wonderful meal, the second when he was away and it had been decidedly un-wonderful.
Now, I don’t tend to review a restaurant more than once unless I feel I have something to add, but I do revisit the ones I like, and Launceston Place is definitely in that category.
I have to admit though that it had been a while since we’d gone back to visit, so, concerned by this complaint of inconsistency, my husband and I trotted over to South Ken and popped in for lunch unannounced.












