Joel Kissin, originally from New Zealand,[1] is a restaurateur who was the co-founder, managing director, and shareholder of Conran Restaurants (now D&D London).
[1] In 1987, Conran asked Kissin to join Simon Hopkinson, Hilaire's chef, to help launch Bibendum in The Michelin Building.
[citation needed] In 1994, Kissin and Conran were jointly awarded a "Catey" as Best Independent Restaurateurs by The Caterer and Hotelkeeper Magazine.
Boulestin specialises in serving mostly classic French cuisine, with dishes including Soupe de Poissons, Jambon Persillé, and Oeuf en Gelée[10] as well as less classic dishes such as Scallops with Grilled Octopus and Baby Fennel and Venison Loin with Crab Apples and Smoked Chestnuts.
"[11] Writing in the Evening Standard, Fay Maschler singled out the "Oeuf en gelée rendered spectacular by the sunset yolk of a Cotswold Legbar egg,"[12] whilst Time Out's Guy Dimond was delighted that "rather than trying to impersonate an old master, this Boulestin is a sensitively updated reproduction," before commenting that "classic French cooking at its best shines in dishes such as daube of beef, which was slow-cooked and wonderfully tender.
"[13] Stephen Bayley, the esteemed author, critic, columnist, consultant, broadcaster, debater, and curator concludes his experience with "there's nowhere in the area I would rather eat.” Zoe Williams, restaurant critic from The Telegraph, describes the restaurant as, "the kind of place that makes you feel like a success; like a person who has gone back to the 1930s, when ceilings were high, fittings were brass and rooms were gorgeous.