The Colony Grill Room
is the newest restaurant from the stable of Chris Corbin and Jeremy King. These
guys own and run some of London’s most popular restaurants – The Wolseley, the
Delaunay, Brassiere Zedel, Colbert, Fischer and now the Colony Grill Room.
One of the hallmarks
of a Corbin & King restaurant is the eye for detail in doing the theme and
interiors for the restaurant. The Wolseley and the Delaunay are both in the
grand European Café Bistro style. Brassiere Zedel and the Colony Grill Room are
done is a fabulous Art Deco style. Fischer’s is a Viennese Konditorei. All gorgeous.
The Colony Grill Room
is located inside the Beaumont Hotel also owned by them. As you enter you walk
thru the American Bar. The whole Art Deco styling hits you once you enter.
Waiters are dressed in white waistcoats and white jackets all so very
reminiscent of period films. A very nice feel. The dining room is past the bar.
What an absolutely gorgeous room. Every element is thought thru; every fitting
is there for a purpose. The crockery, cutlery and the glasses are all in an Art
Deco style. Really nice really well done. Full marks. It must have cost
millions of Pounds to decorate.
Once we were seated I
thought that the tables were just too close to each other. There was no privacy
of any sort and it is quite distressing to be sitting that close to a fellow
diner. The food served here can best be described as comfort food, old style
from both sides of the Atlantic. Clear indication that there is an American
influence is the use of the word Entrée to describe a main course unlike the
Continental description where Entrée is a starter! The menu has 11 sections. I
am listing some of the classic dishes on each:
Soups - Mock
Turtle Soup, Minestrone
Hors
D`Oeuveres & Crustacés – Clamato Juice, Smoked Salmon, Oysters
Rockefeller, Prawn Cocktail
Salads –
Caesars, Iceberg & Blue Cheese
Eggs -
Benedict
Pasta –
Macaroni & cheese
American
Sandwiches
– Club, Hot Dogs, Pastrami
Les
Plats du Jour – Meatloaf, Steak & Yorkshire Pudding
Grilled
Meats
– Gammon with Pineapple [this dish is so old school that even the humble
Gaylords in Mumbai serves this]
Fish – Grilled
Dover Sole
Entrées – Chicken
Pot Pie
Vegetables
and Side Salads
So now you know what
I mean.
The place had a nice
buzz and a crowd that seemed well heeled and some with definite American
twangs. We settled down, I ordered a Gin & Tonic. HRH the Queen of Kutch
said she would stick to just wine, so a bottle of Pinot Noir was ordered. HRH the
Queen of Kutch ordered a Clam Chowder with Smoked Haddock as her starter, while
I asked for a Smoked Salmon. Before you could say Jack Robinson, the starters
had arrived. Errr, `waiter’, I said, `where are our drinks’? Right away sir.
Some moments later the G&T and wine arrived. HRH the Queen of Kutch's soup
was under seasoned, no problem, a few shakes of the salt cellar and it was fine.
I mean fine. Not good not great. My Smoked Salmon was fine. Once again just
fine. Could it have been better? Well I have eaten much more heavily smoked
salmon, so if that is a test of better, then yes, it could have been better. An
ordinary start to our meal.
For our main course
HRH the Queen of Kutch had ordered a small portion of Bigoli and Meatballs. It
was also under seasoned. Some more salt shaken onto the food. She declared the
dish as unremarkable. I ordered the Shepherd’s Pie. Shepherd’s Pie is always
lamb – you know the Shepherd and the sheep and the lambs and the Biblical
stuff. Cottage Pie is beef. Anyway, this was Lamb Shepherd’s Pie and it was
rather good. Unfortunately it was under seasoned. A few shakes of the salt
cellar later the Shepherds Pie was good. Much better than fine. Actually it was
quite good, the best I have tasted.
Bigoli & Meatballs |
Shepherd's Pie |
By now we were quite
unhappy.
Desserts were offered.
One of the specialities here is the Bespoke Sundae where you can make your own
mix and match Sundae. I can imagine this being very popular. I spotted Apple
Pie a la Mode on the menu. I asked for that with two spoons. We got a healthy
serving. The Apple Pie was very very good. The pastry was excellent, beyond
belief good. The filling was tart and balanced with just the correct amount of
sweetness. This was simply the dish of the day.
Apple Pie a la Mode |
In the end despite
the top class Apple Pie, the good Shepherd’s Pie the meal was underwhelming. Under
seasoning of food in a restaurant of this calibre and at these prices is
unforgivable and it was 3 dishes that were under seasoned. Serving of the
starters before the drinks was cheeky. Were they trying to hustle us and turn
the table? I do not know. Service was like that at a Chinese restaurant in
London. Brusque waiters, just the right side of polite, unsmiling, cold and
fortunately brutally efficient. This type of service also gives you, as a bonus,
the art of forcing a plate down in inadequate space on your table thereby
pushing aside all other plates glasses butter dishes etc.
This was one of very
few the disappointing meals we have had in the UK. Sad. Besides the problem
with seasoning and service, I believe there is a far bigger problem. The food
is comfort food that is served in an old fashioned way, as it was 50 years ago.
Unfortunately we have all become much more sophisticated over time. So, at this
price point, in a restaurant as upmarket and swish as this, the food does not
work. To compound the problem with the ordinary food is the price you pay.
Unfortunately the price you pay for this food includes the cost of all the
interior decoration. Therein lays a problem. You need extraordinary food if you
are going to charge such prices.
We will not be going
back here and do not recommend this.
I must disclose that photography
was not possible as I felt uncomfortable with the cramped seating taking
photos. These photos have been taken from the web.
nice
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