Living in London

We have had The Fat Duck on our list of must-visit destinations since April of last year when a reader of our blog pointed out that, if we like good food, we need to make the short trip outside London to Bray. A few days after posting this advice, the Fat Duck was voted the best restaurant in the world. Today we finally ate there.

The Fat Duck has been awarded three Michelin stars. To put this in perspective, consider this explanation, borrowed from the Wikipedia entry for the Michelin guide:

Stars are awarded sparingly; for instance, in the UK and Ireland 2004 guide, out of 5,500 entries, there are 98 with one star ("a very good restaurant in its category"), 11 with two stars ("excellent cooking, worth a detour"), and only 3 with three stars ("exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey").

Here is our review: (5 is the highest, most perfect score)

• The Guardian

We had a terrific sushi dinner last night at Kulu Kulu, a most unusual sushi bar! Stools were arranged at the bar facing a conveyor belt that snaked through the room (think sushi boats without the water).

First, we have never eaten at a sushi bar where not one member of the staff was Japanese. Second the "art" of cutting fish is not what you would call elevated here – it all looks very amateurish. Maki are made at the bar, and nigiri comes from a mysterious window opening onto the conveyer belt.

The ambiance has all the panache of a Detroit strip mall diner, and the service is non-existent. Customers are requested to limit their stay to 45 minutes.

However, none of the above would deter us from a second visit. We had a good meal and recommend Kulu Kulu to anyone looking for good, quick sushi in London's Soho area. The fish was fresh (including the imitation crab ) although we were there at the beginning of the evening so everything was just going onto the conveyer belt as we sat down. There was plenty of variety, and the handrolls – especially the shrimp tempura-salmon rolls – were fantastic.

Thanks to Nicole and Bob for the suggestion.

Ratings (5 is the highest, most perfect score)

Other Reviews:

• London Eating

We have been eager to try some of the gastropubs located in the English countryside. Yesterday, during our driving adventure we made a slight detour to The Greyhound, located in an old coaching inn on the single main street in Stockbridge.

It was lunch, and we dined sans wine, so we did not have the full dining experience – but still found it quite pleasant. The 15th century low ceilings meant that we had to duck on the way to the lady's room but confirmed our presence in a country pub.

Linda had a cauliflower crème soup and a linguine dish that was rich but delicious; Heather’s Scottish rib-eye was the best beef we have tasted since we arrived in the U.K. The chef, Darren Bunn worked at the Criterion Grill in the West End before moving to Stockbridge, and has earned The Greyhound a Michelin star for the past two years.

Ratings (5 is the highest, most perfect score)

Other Reviews:

• The Times

• The Guardian