London eaterie opens in New York and gets panned by critics: 'What if Brexit was a restaurant?'

A London restaurant that recently opened in New York City is being denounced by food critics - including one zero-star review in which it was compared to Brexit.

Bluebird London’s New York output opened in the Time Warner Centre in September - and has since been met with a less-than-positive reception.

Whereas the upscale London restaurant is relatively successful in England, boasting three-and-a-half stars on Yelp, the American interpretation has earned itself zero stars in a new New York Times review by Pete Wells.

In the review titled: “What if Brexit was a restaurant,” Wells hypothesises that the people in charge of D&D London’s Bluebird NYC outpost have been influenced by Prime Minister Theresa May’s “first-grader” approach to Brexit - or that the flailing restaurant is simply the result of the “mess back home.”

Starting with the venue itself, Wells details his objections to the restaurant, before finally getting to the menu - which he compares to doing a word search because it is “organised so randomly.”

“When you have finished the puzzle, please savour the warm feeling of accomplishment for a moment, because it goes away once the food arrives,” he wrote.

As for the food, according to Wells, everything from the crispy shrimp to the lobster Cobb salad is disappointing - with even the English food options failing to impress.

In addition to condemning the fish and chips, Wells also explains the issues that arise when ordering menu items that come with a pastry crust - such as the Cornish chicken pie or the $95 beef Wellington, which is encased in a crust that he described as a “mass of wet, gluey dough.”

The only course that receives some praise is the dessert course, with options that Wells describes as “likeable.”

Wells concludes the scathing review by sharing an anecdote from his dining experience, in which he recalls being informed that nearly everything he ordered was unavailable.

And the zero-star review is not alone - as the New York Bluebird also found itself named the “worst new restaurant in NYC this year” by Eater critic Ryan Sutton.

In Sutton’s review, which describes the restaurant as “soulless” and “overpriced,” he criticises the “abominable” steak tartare and the burger patty that was “so undercooked it almost takes on the texture of warm fondue.”

As expected, the Eater review, which details the “complex awfulness” of Bluebird London, also granted the restaurant zero stars.

Despite the negative reviews, the New York City location of Bluebird has a three-and-a-half-star rating on Yelp like its London counterpart.