Somehow deceptive...

It has been a while that I walked past this restaurant, and I while that I wanted to have a go at their menu. The board indeed features some nice and appetizing dishes, and from the outside the restaurant looks smart and top end... So since I had to eat, and was back in the neighbourhood it became my pick of the night. And here is the result.The food first. I had a three course meal, including as a starter some scallops marinated in beetroot and served on a warm marmelade. Then a monkfish cooked in coconut curry sauce with some maki. And finally an apple pie with mashed bananas and pear anglaise. I told you the menu is impressive. However the plates are deceptives: we feel that the chef wants to experiment and impress, but the result is not homogeneous. The scallops for instance are totally overwhelmed by the other flavours on the plate, which is a pity when you know how delicate these shells can be. Same thing for the apple pie which, although well presented, revealed to be a tasteless desert... On the contrary, the fish was astonishing. The aromas of the coconuts and curry spices were present and were wetting your mouth, whilst the integrity of the fish was totally preserved. And so was its intrinsic taste.The restaurant itself is aligned with the food, i.e. a balance between great and bad. The staff is very professional, carefull, nice and in great number to pay attention to the customers. The venue is everything but a restaurant. It has no real soul, and sounds empty. And to a certain extend it is, which can be great or bad, as said, depending how you want to look at the semi-empty/full glass. The main room is sometimes used for cocktails and press events which means that it is huge and the tables are consequently not stuck one to the other. You can thus appreciate some privacy even when a large group is dining at the next table. However this art gallery-like space feels cold and distant. It is therefore dependant on what you are looking after.Overall, I would not recommend this place beyond reason. With a bill reaching the £30+ per person without wine, it is a bit of a stretch for a cuisine which still needs to work on flavour subtilty. But a nice drop out for a business dinner for instance.

A User - 12/03/2008 | report this review