What's on the menu: Arjun Waney's Peyote lacks passion, says Marina O'Loughlin

Marina O'Loughlin can't see any real passion behind Arjun Waney's latest venture, Peyote, in London's W1.

Writing in the http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/hotel/125000/15-Glasgow-hotel-Glasgow-Scotland-review.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Guardian](http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jan/04/peyote-restaurant-review), she says that "only two things leave an impression of loveliness: blowsy sugar-and-cinnamon churros with a pungent chocolate sauce, and the honeyed Mexican wine, LA Cetto chenin blanc, recommended as an accompaniment".

Guy Dimond pays a visit to Hixter, the latest restaurant venture from chef Mark His, for [Time Out](http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/hixter). "It's all fun stuff," he says. "But a question keeps repeating itself: is Hixter a laugh-along Rockford [Files] retro treat, or this time is the joke on us?"

Ember Yard, the fourth restaurant from the Salt Yard Group, is the very emblem of the capital's ever-burgeoning food scene, says Amol Rajan in the [Independent](http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/reviews/ember-yard-restaurant-review--the-team-behind-salt-yard-opera-tavern-and-dehesa-is-back-with-more-indulgent-fare-9035845.html).

The Olympic Cafe and Dining Room serves food that's fit for a pop star and is a welcome addition to Barnes, London SW13, says the Susannah Butter in the [Evening Standard](http://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/restaurants/olympic-cafe-and-dining-room--restaurant-review-9033942.html).

The [Sunday Times'](http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/Magazine/article1356647.ece) AA Gill has a disappointing lunch at Ape & Bird, the new London WC2 gastropub from Russell Norman and Richard Norman.

With an uber-traditional menu, Simpson's in the Strand might not offer a groundbreaking gastronomic experience, but it does allow for cosy, reassuring Britishness, finds Matthew Norman in the [Telegraph](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/restaurants/10539454/Simpsons-in-the-Strand-London-restaurant-review.html).

Once Jay Rayner finds his way into the discreet Purple Poppadom in Cardiff, he discovers food that he says is always a winner - in the [Observer](http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jan/05/purple-poppadom-cardiff-restaurant-review).

The Sands Hotel, Margate, is perfect for a seaside escape though the room decor is a touch bland, according to the [Times'](http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/travel/wheretostay/article3965408.ece) Tom Chesshyre.

Fiona Duncan says that for the size and quality of the rooms, the value of 15 Glasgow is "superb", despite the clichéd design - in the [Sunday Telegraph.