Author: No Expert

St Pancras Grand – No Service

We tried the Champagne Afternoon Tea at St Pancras Grand making use of the same half price offer we had used earlier at The Portrait (Normal Price £25.00 per person, with the deal £12.50). Off the two venues The Portrait easily won, with its buzzy atmosphere and friendly service. At the St Pancreas Grand, the room is certainly much grander. However the place was rather lacking in atmosphere and we had no qualms about not paying the discretionary service charge. Main complaints (apart from how dull The Afternoon Tea was) are:-

1. No one to greet us at the door.

2. Room was deserted of waiting staff on more than one occasion.

3. Very curt, disinterested waiter.

4. Getting a Tea Strainer took about 30 minutes and two attempts.

5. No offer of a top up on the tea (although the deal specifically mentioned unlimited tea), and we had 2 teapots between 3 people, so not exactly a fair distribution.

With service like this, if you were planning to catch a train…..you’d miss it!

Marks out of 10

Food 3

Service 2

Ambience 4

 

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Tamarai – lotus eating

Tamarai is a late night Bar/Club/Restaurant in Drury Lane with a pretty good reputation for its pan Asian fusion food. We found them when reviewing Top Table deals for January. Tamarai were advertising a 50% discount on their 9 course tasting menu (full price £52). Too good to miss.

Night clubs are not exactly known for good food, and we were a bit dubious about this place, as we navigated our way thorough the corridors and down the stairs to the restaurant, which basically did look like a dark night club with tables on the dance floor (slight exaggeration, but it definitely had that vibe about it).   However this place was a revelation, as it served up delicious dishes one after another, with no dip in the quality which started high and did not drop.

It is hard to pick out standout dishes when all the food is good, but I especially enjoyed the snow crab with coconut, and the rather amazing chicken salad, which was refreshing and spicy (neat trick). Even the strawberry and basil palate cleanser is worth a mention. The main courses were Thai Green curry and lovely almost meaty prawns in a barbecue style sauce. We then finished with White Chocolate Ice Cream and Fresh Fruit Kebabs.

As well as the tasting menu we ordered the flight of wines (5 glasses for £17),  which were a good accompaniment.

The staff were plentiful and the service was efficient.

I would even suggest if this Kitchen moved above ground to a fashionable location, like Mayfair or Chelsea, that they would not need to offer deals to attract custom. Definitely the best Pan Asian food we have ever tasted.

Marks out of 10

Food 7

Service 6.8

Ambience 6

 

 

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40|30 at the Gherkin – hi def cuisine

Another visit to 40|30 Restaurant in the Gherkin, Norman Fosters landmark building. An amazing venue for a restaurant with unrivaled panoramic views of London. The food is also of a very high standard. Indeed this restaurant has everything going for it. The only thing that I felt spoilt the experience was the acoustics. The music from the bar upstairs and the general background noise made it virtually impossible to follow conversations at our table. Perhaps I’m just going deaf or am too old to appreciate the buzz!  Give me a quiet peaceful restaurant every time.

Generally we have found that the better the view, the worse the food.  This venue is the exception to the rule. The Cod with Feta and Chorizo Tortellini for example was a standout.

There was also good selection of reasonably priced wines, including a rather good Pinor Noir from California (pictured).

For more on the Gherkin, see post titled:-

40|30 at the Gherkin – the high life

 

 

 

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The Portrait – Worth a look

We have been to the Portrait Restaurant, in the National Portrait Gallery quite a few times now (for breakfast, brunch and lunch). It is on the top floor of the Gallery on the left hand side, going up the main escalator and taking the lift to the 3rd floor will get you there.

The place is normally busy and buzzing, so best to book. It also has a good view of Nelson’s Column.

We went for afternoon tea, taking up a special January deal of £12.50 per person for a Champagne Tea. A Bargain!

 

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Foliage – Accidental walkin

A first for us, getting the dates wrong for one of our restaurant visits. It turned out that we had arrived a week earlier than our booking – almost a disaster. Fortunately they just managed to squeeze us in. We literally got the very last table in a packed restaurant.

The meal was of the usual high standard, with the Gnocchi and Ox Cheeks dishes being the standouts. In fact it was so good, we decided to keep the booking for the next week as well!.

Marks out of 10

Food 8

Service 8

Ambience 7.8

 

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City Cafe – Winter in the City

January is a normally a quiet time for Hotels and Restaurants, so there does tend to be a lot of offers on the go. The City Inn for example are currently doing 2 for 1 meal offers in their City Cafe Restaurant.

We did not bother booking, we just turned up with our voucher and as expected the restaurant was not busy, only half a dozen tables were being used. Which is not a problem as the restaurant layout is split up nicely into separate sections.

The service was good and the food was nicely presented. Nothing stand out, but a pleasant meal for a winter evening. We started with a hearty Pumpkin Soup and a very nice Pork Belly dish, then Steak and Frites, finishing with a Raspberry Brulee and an apple tart with cinder toffee sauce. We also had two glasses of wine (the City Cafe has a reliable wine list and they do quite a few by the glass) and a bottle of mineral water. The two for one deal worked out well, our meal which should have been £50 a head, worked out at £25 a head, a good price for London.

For more on the City Cafe, see Post:-

Marks out of 10

Food 5.5

Service 5

Ambience 4

 

UPDATE : November 2010 – The City Inn has been rebranded and is now the Mint Hotel.

UPDATE : January 2012 – This hotel has now been rebranded as a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel.

UPDATE : May 2013 – Not sure if Hilton are paying much attention to the restaurant now, when I have passed by it at lunch times during the week and weekends it has been completely empty.

 

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