With hindsight, it was always going to be a hit. Take one of the country’s most brilliant chefs, team him with a celebrated publican and a restaurateur famed for his love of beef, and how could the Devonshire pub in Soho be anything other than a runaway success? The moment it opened last month, this beautifully restored boozer attracted glowing reviews and was instantly booked solid for the rest of the year. Giles Coren set the tone when he declared it “the most exciting opening in a dog’s age”.
Ashley Palmer-Watts wasn’t leaving anything to chance though. For many years Heston Blumenthal’s head chef of the Fat Duck and then at Dinner at the Mandarin Oriental, he has the same meticulous approach as
