Originally published at The Telegraph
It’s been a long time since I was blown away by a restaurant, but on a recent business trip to New York, I really was.
I went to Manhattan for a meeting with the CEO of Portmeirion Pottery – you know, the quintessentially British dishes that we all collect. His office was next to the hottest new restaurant in New York, Eleven Madison Park. When I arrived we were still on the waiting list for a table, and there seemed no hope of getting in. I was so disappointed that I dared to call them myself, expecting to be dismissed.
To my surprise, I was successful. Either the maître d’ took pity on me or he just wanted to get me off the phone – but he charmingly told us to arrive at 1pm.