If you’ve ever checked out #SMDinerReview on Twitter, you’ll know that we love seeing your opinions on the capital’s restaurants and that we’re always giving away prizes to our readers, ranging from the finest Champagne to the latest cookbooks. Each season, we also name our amateur Critic of the Quarter in association with Lavazza. This time around, Lauren M has taken the crown as our favourite reviewer of the past quarter, so she’s won a Jolie Lavazza coffee machine and a £200 SquareMeal voucher. Want to be in her shoes next time? Read on to find out how you can get involved.
Latest news from our sponsor
Lavazza are proud to continue their sponsorship of Ascot racecourse and are excited to announce the launch of their brand new Tierra Origins Bar.
The Tierra project was launched in 2002 to enhance the living conditions, social development and economic growth of farming communities. Developed in cooperation with Rainforest Alliance, the project is the result of our strong commitment and dedication to the improvement social and environmental conditions.
The bar will be an extension of Lavazza's focus on sustainability and showcases the new Tierra Origins range which is a collection of the finest blends of origins, selected and carefully blended to offer the perfect taste synthesis of a single territory of origin.
The bar will be a permanent installation within the racecourse and will be open for general admission during race meets throughout the year, as well as accessible for guests in the Royal Enclosure during Royal Ascot.
If you'd like to try Tierra at home, you can purchase the A Modo Mio capsules from John Lewis, johnlewis.com and store.lavazza.co.uk for £5.50. Undecided on which model to choose? Meet the newest member of the Lavazza family, the Jolie. The latest in state of the art technology and Italian design, the Jolie brings you peaceful coffee brewing in a super compact package.
This year’s winner is Lauren M, who has been part of the SquareMeal community since the start of 2017. Although only joining us this year, Lauren has already written a handful of reviews and always delivers succinct and informed opinions. Lauren works as a PA and often books restaurants on behalf of her boss; PA’s make up a large part of our dining community and we love that Lauren represents them with her spot-on reviews. On discovering that she had won a Lavazza Jolie coffee machine and a £200 restaurant splurge, Lauren commented: “In my role, I book hundreds of restaurants a year for various clients. I find reviews so beneficial because I can guage from customer experiences the style of restaurants that would suit my meeting or event. I feel that writing my own reviews gives others the same insight to make a decision on booking restaurants."
Here are some extracts from a few of our favourite reviews from Lauren…
Brasserie Blanc Tower of London, City
“Great place for business or client lunches, the fish is cooked beautifully…a good all round spot in the City.”
Searcys St Pancras Restaurant and Champagne Bar, King’s Cross
“I thought that taking away the fab views of the Gherkin would result in mediocre food and drink, but I was pleasantly surprised to find great service, drinks a plenty and divine oysters.”
Aubaine Broadgate, City
“A great spot all times of the year to enjoy a varied and delicious menu, in hot weather it's nice to sit outside and enjoy a drink in the sunshine – they know their wine too!”
And not forgetting the runners-up…
As we’re all about sharing the love at SquareMeal, we’ve also picked a small number of runners up. Congratulations to Sophie W, Sally H and Garry B who all win a bottle of fizz to enjoy at home.
To join in, register with SquareMeal here, search for a restaurant and leave your comments. As you may have noticed, we’re constantly rewarding our diner reviewers with prizes. Next up, you could win a Lavazza coffee machine such as the Jolie (above) and a £200 meal in a restaurant of your choice, if we pick you as our next Critic of The Quarter. Every week, we also pick one comment submitted in the past seven days to win a cookbook, a bottle of Champagne, or something equally fab. So what are you waiting for? Check out #SMDinerReview on Twitter, register with us and get writing.
This article was published 20 June 2017