Marshall Manson
@marshallmanson.bsky.social
Author of Professional Lunch newsletter. Chair of Corp Affairs practice at FleishmanHillard. Communications, marketing, and leadership. Also into wine, history, travel, and occasionally politics.
http://professionallunch.substack.com
http://professionallunch.substack.com
Reminder: I’m doing a Substack Live with food writer Andy Lynes tonight at 6p BST. Please do join us for good chat about restaurants, great lunches, food writing and a lot more. And it’s a busy week! (1 of 3)
September 1, 2025 at 10:12 AM
Reminder: I’m doing a Substack Live with food writer Andy Lynes tonight at 6p BST. Please do join us for good chat about restaurants, great lunches, food writing and a lot more. And it’s a busy week! (1 of 3)
This week’s update includes a disappointing experience at much-praised Wildflowers and a better evening at Saint Jacques. Critics have first visits to the new Ukrainian spot in Shoreditch. Jay Rayner found a good place near Albert Hall, finally settling London’s most difficult dining conundrum.
Tree Trouble. Miss at Wildflowers. Hit at Saint Jacques. Critics & More.
Rayner finds a great place to eat before a show at Albert Hall. Grace backs Ukrainian.
professionallunch.substack.com
April 21, 2025 at 10:05 AM
This week’s update includes a disappointing experience at much-praised Wildflowers and a better evening at Saint Jacques. Critics have first visits to the new Ukrainian spot in Shoreditch. Jay Rayner found a good place near Albert Hall, finally settling London’s most difficult dining conundrum.
I love counter dining. And Kiln offers greater counter dining with a Thai kick. The Soho join is the subject of my review this week, and the product of a fantastic lunch with the excellent @baldflavours. Is it for professional lunch? Absolutely.
Weekly Review: Kiln
Quick hit: Counter dining for the modern age.
professionallunch.substack.com
April 17, 2025 at 10:14 AM
I love counter dining. And Kiln offers greater counter dining with a Thai kick. The Soho join is the subject of my review this week, and the product of a fantastic lunch with the excellent @baldflavours. Is it for professional lunch? Absolutely.
Last time I went to High Road Social, it was a shambolic disaster. Would it be any better this time around? Find out in this week’s update. Plus another really poor celeb guest review in the Observer and some other updates.
professionallunch.substack.com/p/my-return-...
professionallunch.substack.com/p/my-return-...
My Return to High Road Social. Would it Still be Shambolic? Plus Critics & More.
Hello, everyone.
professionallunch.substack.com
April 14, 2025 at 10:20 AM
Last time I went to High Road Social, it was a shambolic disaster. Would it be any better this time around? Find out in this week’s update. Plus another really poor celeb guest review in the Observer and some other updates.
professionallunch.substack.com/p/my-return-...
professionallunch.substack.com/p/my-return-...
This week, I get a little personal, exploring my family connection with Gleneagles in Scotland as I review The Andrew Fairlie and throw-back gem, The Strathearn. Link in the first reply.
professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...
professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...
Weekly Reviews: The Andrew Fairlie & The Strathearn at Gleneagles
World class, featuring the best of Scotland by land and sea. Plus a classy throw-back with great food where everyone is welcome.
professionallunch.substack.com
April 10, 2025 at 11:22 AM
This week, I get a little personal, exploring my family connection with Gleneagles in Scotland as I review The Andrew Fairlie and throw-back gem, The Strathearn. Link in the first reply.
professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...
professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...
Market volatility and macro economic mayhem have officially surpassed my economics expertise, acquired through undergraduate courses in micro and macro economics. 😁
April 9, 2025 at 7:17 AM
Market volatility and macro economic mayhem have officially surpassed my economics expertise, acquired through undergraduate courses in micro and macro economics. 😁
After 17 years living in London, I finally made it to the River Café. Plus a fun charity event at Marceline and an interesting week for the critics, with the Independent launching a new feature and the Observer’s celeb guest review thing not working.
professionallunch.substack.com/p/croque-com...
professionallunch.substack.com/p/croque-com...
Croque Comp. Dead on Friday? A Hit on the River. Critics & More.
New posh vs. cheap feature from The Independent. Lander loves Polish. Preston bites bagels. Ivers hates NY.
professionallunch.substack.com
April 7, 2025 at 9:57 AM
After 17 years living in London, I finally made it to the River Café. Plus a fun charity event at Marceline and an interesting week for the critics, with the Independent launching a new feature and the Observer’s celeb guest review thing not working.
professionallunch.substack.com/p/croque-com...
professionallunch.substack.com/p/croque-com...
Fantastic tacos and an authentic Tijuana experience at Homies on Donkeys in Leytonstone. My review this week…
professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...
professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...
Weekly Review: Homies on Donkeys
Fantastic tacos with a sense of humour.
professionallunch.substack.com
April 3, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Fantastic tacos and an authentic Tijuana experience at Homies on Donkeys in Leytonstone. My review this week…
professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...
professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...
It’s AngloThai this week, which I found inventive and surprising. There are bursting flavours and just the right amount of spice. And it’s all intensely colourful. Plus, the £55 lunch tasting menu is affordable for a professional lunch.
professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...
professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...
Weekly Review: AngloThai
Fresh, zingy, and different, Chef John Chantarasak plots his own appealing course.
professionallunch.substack.com
March 27, 2025 at 11:23 AM
It’s AngloThai this week, which I found inventive and surprising. There are bursting flavours and just the right amount of spice. And it’s all intensely colourful. Plus, the £55 lunch tasting menu is affordable for a professional lunch.
professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...
professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...
Milestone AI moment: I participated in a conference in Paris in person but in French. I don't speak French. I kept up thanks to live translation in Teams. It wasn't perfect, but it was incredible. Even as societies break into smaller bits, we still find ways to overcome barriers that keep us apart.
March 21, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Milestone AI moment: I participated in a conference in Paris in person but in French. I don't speak French. I kept up thanks to live translation in Teams. It wasn't perfect, but it was incredible. Even as societies break into smaller bits, we still find ways to overcome barriers that keep us apart.
Claire is discoverer of great wines, supplier to great restaurants, warm, witty, driven, determined, and brilliant. It was a pleasure to have a chance to Chat Over Lunch with her.
professionallunch.substack.com/p/chat-over-...
professionallunch.substack.com/p/chat-over-...
Chat Over Lunch: Claire Thevenot
Wine detective and Master Sommelier, her relentless drive helps fill our favourite restaurants with some of their best and most interesting wines.
professionallunch.substack.com
March 20, 2025 at 10:57 AM
Claire is discoverer of great wines, supplier to great restaurants, warm, witty, driven, determined, and brilliant. It was a pleasure to have a chance to Chat Over Lunch with her.
professionallunch.substack.com/p/chat-over-...
professionallunch.substack.com/p/chat-over-...
Today is the first anniversary of Professional Lunch. I can’t believe it’s been a year. More than 64,000 visits and nearly 700 subscribers. I’m grateful to everyone who has subscribed, shared, and commented. And if you haven’t, please do subscribe!
professionallunch.substack.com/p/a-year-of-...
professionallunch.substack.com/p/a-year-of-...
A year of Professional Lunch. Keller makes an omelette. Another fake controversy. Critics & more.
Grace gets Arthurian. Lander strolls memory lane. Ivers goes for wings.
professionallunch.substack.com
March 17, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Today is the first anniversary of Professional Lunch. I can’t believe it’s been a year. More than 64,000 visits and nearly 700 subscribers. I’m grateful to everyone who has subscribed, shared, and commented. And if you haven’t, please do subscribe!
professionallunch.substack.com/p/a-year-of-...
professionallunch.substack.com/p/a-year-of-...
As a big fan of Thomas Keller, I loved sitting down to Oysters & Pearls in my first course at Row on 5. The restaurant is a gem, with a sense of humour, meticulous attention to detail, aspiration, and luxury that even Keller could admire.
professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...
professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...
Weekly Review: Row on 5
Wit, stories, accessible luxury, technical brilliance, meticulous attention to detail, and fantastic experiences that Thomas Keller would admire.
professionallunch.substack.com
March 13, 2025 at 3:59 PM
As a big fan of Thomas Keller, I loved sitting down to Oysters & Pearls in my first course at Row on 5. The restaurant is a gem, with a sense of humour, meticulous attention to detail, aspiration, and luxury that even Keller could admire.
professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...
professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...
Big news in this week's update as both Jay Rayner and Tim Hayward step down from their critics roles at the Observer at the FT. Plus a great piece about eating left handed, and a particularly good week from other critics. Please do check it out, and please subscribe if you haven't already.
Rayner & Haywood Sign Off. Perils of left handed dining. Hit in Islington. Critics & More.
Ivers Skofs in Manchester. Hayler buys a House. Giles sells the Cotswolds.
open.substack.com
March 10, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Big news in this week's update as both Jay Rayner and Tim Hayward step down from their critics roles at the Observer at the FT. Plus a great piece about eating left handed, and a particularly good week from other critics. Please do check it out, and please subscribe if you haven't already.
When the Dining Room at Goring re-opened last near after a major refurbishment, hardly anyone reviewed it. I thought the Michelin-starred royal favourite deserved some attention. If you’re looking for a setting for professional breakfast, drink, or dinner in a rich, classical setting, it’s great.
Weekly Review: Dining Room at The Goring
Following refurbishment, the place favoured by royals continues hitting the heights.
professionallunch.substack.com
February 27, 2025 at 11:12 AM
When the Dining Room at Goring re-opened last near after a major refurbishment, hardly anyone reviewed it. I thought the Michelin-starred royal favourite deserved some attention. If you’re looking for a setting for professional breakfast, drink, or dinner in a rich, classical setting, it’s great.
PowerPoint's grammar checker believes I should replace "jacket potato" with "baked potato," and I don't even know where to start with that.
AI-driven homogeneity on the horizon? Or can I teach PowerPoint to advise for obscure languages and dialects, like Geordie?
AI-driven homogeneity on the horizon? Or can I teach PowerPoint to advise for obscure languages and dialects, like Geordie?
February 25, 2025 at 8:17 AM
PowerPoint's grammar checker believes I should replace "jacket potato" with "baked potato," and I don't even know where to start with that.
AI-driven homogeneity on the horizon? Or can I teach PowerPoint to advise for obscure languages and dialects, like Geordie?
AI-driven homogeneity on the horizon? Or can I teach PowerPoint to advise for obscure languages and dialects, like Geordie?
In my update this week, I dig into the news that Matt Abé will be leaving Restaurant Gordon Ramsay to open a new fine dining spot in the Le Gavroche space. There’s also a review of the Anchor & Hope in Southwark and some thoughts on restaurants requiring pre-payments to reduce no-shows.
Pre-Pay Trend. Me in GQ. Matt Abé gets Gavroche. Guide Review, Critics & More.
Rayner doesn't worship Gilgamesh. Hayward follows that cab. Ivers scores the hardest seat in London. Preston loves Dom's Subs.
open.substack.com
February 24, 2025 at 11:15 AM
In my update this week, I dig into the news that Matt Abé will be leaving Restaurant Gordon Ramsay to open a new fine dining spot in the Le Gavroche space. There’s also a review of the Anchor & Hope in Southwark and some thoughts on restaurants requiring pre-payments to reduce no-shows.
Me in GQ. No not because of my good looks. But I was very pleased to be asked to contribute some words to GQ’s round-up of the most interesting Michelin star places announced last week:
www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/best...
www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/best...
The best Michelin-starred restaurants in the UK to try this year
Over two hundred restaurants in the UK and Ireland were awarded stars last week, including 22 newbies, Cardiff's debut, and the first vegan restaurant. Here's our pick of the best.
www.gq-magazine.co.uk
February 18, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Me in GQ. No not because of my good looks. But I was very pleased to be asked to contribute some words to GQ’s round-up of the most interesting Michelin star places announced last week:
www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/best...
www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/best...
Some fascinating outcomes in last week’s Michelin announcements. I reflect on that — and my predictions — in this week’s update. Spoiler: I didn’t do that well with my predictions.
I’ve also got a new feature. Check out this week's update here:
professionallunch.substack.com/p/new-michel...
I’ve also got a new feature. Check out this week's update here:
professionallunch.substack.com/p/new-michel...
New Michelin Stars, Me in GQ, Critics & More
Ellis in bar horror. Preston loves Scottish food. Hayward feels snobby. Sitwell goes solo for vegan.
professionallunch.substack.com
February 17, 2025 at 11:14 AM
Some fascinating outcomes in last week’s Michelin announcements. I reflect on that — and my predictions — in this week’s update. Spoiler: I didn’t do that well with my predictions.
I’ve also got a new feature. Check out this week's update here:
professionallunch.substack.com/p/new-michel...
I’ve also got a new feature. Check out this week's update here:
professionallunch.substack.com/p/new-michel...
Leadenhall institution Luc’s in the spotlight for my professional lunch review this week. Traditional city brasserie vibes, great wine list, and solid food with choices for everyone.
professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...
professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...
Weekly Review: Luc's Brasserie
Leadenhall Institution is optimised for a professional lunch.
professionallunch.substack.com
February 13, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Leadenhall institution Luc’s in the spotlight for my professional lunch review this week. Traditional city brasserie vibes, great wine list, and solid food with choices for everyone.
professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...
professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...
With new Michelin stars for UK being announced tonight, I offer my predictions, and I’d love to hear yours in the Comments. My boldest stab: Row on 5 straight to two stars. Second boldest: Roe in Canary Wharf wins a star.
professionallunch.substack.com/p/michelin-s...
professionallunch.substack.com/p/michelin-s...
Michelin Star Predictions. Critics & More.
Ellis moves to French House. Preston questions The Brave.
professionallunch.substack.com
February 10, 2025 at 10:27 AM
With new Michelin stars for UK being announced tonight, I offer my predictions, and I’d love to hear yours in the Comments. My boldest stab: Row on 5 straight to two stars. Second boldest: Roe in Canary Wharf wins a star.
professionallunch.substack.com/p/michelin-s...
professionallunch.substack.com/p/michelin-s...
A flawless experience at Josephine Bouchon for this week’s review. Where have you experienced perfection?
professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...
professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...
February 6, 2025 at 11:17 AM
A flawless experience at Josephine Bouchon for this week’s review. Where have you experienced perfection?
professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...
professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...
Thanks to a lovely dinner in the Painted Hall at the Old Naval Hospital in Greenwich, I explore zero waste a bit more this week. I also return to Roe, and there’s a funny review from Tim Hayward about struggling to book at Ambassadors Clubhouse. Enjoy!
open.substack.com/pub/professi...
open.substack.com/pub/professi...
Deeper into Waste. French Win French Cooking Comp. Hit at Roe. Critics & More.
Tim struggles to book. Nick basks in Basque. Ellis hates Dad. Jay goes to heaven.
open.substack.com
February 3, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Thanks to a lovely dinner in the Painted Hall at the Old Naval Hospital in Greenwich, I explore zero waste a bit more this week. I also return to Roe, and there’s a funny review from Tim Hayward about struggling to book at Ambassadors Clubhouse. Enjoy!
open.substack.com/pub/professi...
open.substack.com/pub/professi...
Would you eat a fish head at a Michelin-starred restaurant? I did, and it was wonderful. All part of the fantastic set-lunch trend that’s making Michelin-caliber meals more accessible and frequent. The Ninth is a great choice for a professional lunch.
professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...
professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...
Weekly Review: The Ninth
A Michelin star place in Charlotte Street that you could visit once a week.
professionallunch.substack.com
January 30, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Would you eat a fish head at a Michelin-starred restaurant? I did, and it was wonderful. All part of the fantastic set-lunch trend that’s making Michelin-caliber meals more accessible and frequent. The Ninth is a great choice for a professional lunch.
professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...
professionallunch.substack.com/p/weekly-rev...
In this week’s update, I defend the prospect that Michelin-caliber fine dining can be fun, following an attack from William Sitwell.
In the Critics Wrap-Up, Giles Coren uncorks a strange, Trumpian attack on Eater London and, by implication, Vittles.
professionallunch.substack.com/p/michelin-m...
In the Critics Wrap-Up, Giles Coren uncorks a strange, Trumpian attack on Eater London and, by implication, Vittles.
professionallunch.substack.com/p/michelin-m...
Michelin Man Down. Big Mexican Miss. Spanish Hit. Critics & More.
Giles writes like Trump. Tom is fond of Fonda. Jay finds Hanoi in Islington.
professionallunch.substack.com
January 27, 2025 at 11:01 AM
In this week’s update, I defend the prospect that Michelin-caliber fine dining can be fun, following an attack from William Sitwell.
In the Critics Wrap-Up, Giles Coren uncorks a strange, Trumpian attack on Eater London and, by implication, Vittles.
professionallunch.substack.com/p/michelin-m...
In the Critics Wrap-Up, Giles Coren uncorks a strange, Trumpian attack on Eater London and, by implication, Vittles.
professionallunch.substack.com/p/michelin-m...