What the experts recommend

The Jolly Sportsman Chapel Lane, East Chiltington, Lewes, East Sussex (01273-890400) I visited this country pub on a weekday lunchtime in the miserable depths of January, says Kathryn Flett in The Daily Telegraph. “Me and the Bloke” made up half the Sportsman’s customers at the fag end of a service – yet our front-of-house welcome didn’t even remotely read as “You want lunch? Now? Really?” On the contrary, we were given the warmest of welcomes. I admire that in any restaurant, frankly, and “especially one effectively located in a field”. Chef-owner Bruce Wass’ cooking was great, too, without ever being remotely pretentious. I opted for the very affordable fixed-price menu: “what’s not to like about ‘organic pork and fennel sausage roll with buttered mash, Brussels tops, shallots and red wine’”? It was delicious, as was a “fine” plum pudding pie and custard. My chap’s squid, scallop and saffron risotto got the thumbs up, as did his warm gingerbread cake with sea salt butterscotch and clotted cream. And the service was excellent. Lunch for two, £70.

Chop Chop Haymarket 248 Morrison Street, Edinburgh (0131-221 1155) Everyone loves dumplings, says Jay Rayner in The Observer. The Poles have their pierogi; the Japanese have gyoza. “The Italians, being the Italians, have at least one for every former city state, from ravioli to agnolotti to tortellini and beyond”. And why not? Dumplings are a brilliant way to use up scraps; their “doughy packaging” makes them easy to cook; and they are “extremely comforting. While you are eating dumplings, nothing bad can happen.” In any event, dumplings are definitely the best reason for visiting Chop Chop, an Edinburgh institution that has been spreading happiness since 2006. The standout dish for us was the jiao zi (smaller, boiled dumpling), filled with the classic northern Chinese mix of lamb and cumin; they were so good, we ordered another bowlful. Almost as good were chilli chicken guo tie (larger, denser dumplings with pleated edges, and fried). I know it’s a cliché to describe particular foods as addictive; and in truth, “I could probably kick my dumpling habit. I’m just not sure I want to.” Meal for two, including drinks and service, £30-£50.

Jamavar 8 Mount Street, London W1 (020-7499 1800) There’s no doubting the quality of the cooking at Jamavar, a “high-end” new Indian restaurant in Mayfair, says Grace Dent in the London Evening Standard. This is “elegant” north and south Indian dining by a Michelin star-acquainted executive chef. Grilled adraki (ginger) lamb chops arrive “rare and gloriously rich with royal cumin”. The sindhi gosht, lamb simmered to soft richness in cinnamon and spinach, is “wholly satisfying”. Suffolk corn-fed butter chicken has a “soft, sweet, decadent loveliness”. Be careful, though, if ordering the small plates, as portions are not generous: a “glorious-tasting” Peshawari kulcha (stuffed naan), at £5 a throw, is “rather hilariously only as big as a child’s palm”. Still, the lack of bulk at Jamavar does mean that you may well have room for pudding: the chilli chikki lava chocolate fondant is “extraordinary”, while the “chuski [sorbet] flood with rose petal kulfi [ice cream]” haunts my “greedy dreams”. Large meal for two, about £140.