OXO Tower Restaurant

I took a date on her first ever visit to London, to the much talked about OXO tower restaurant. So as you can imagine, I wanted the evening to run perfectly...

As a starter I had the scallops, which were served on a bed of bean sprouts, topped with what I believe was a thin ginger wafer. The scallops were cooked perfectly and well seasoned, but served a fraction cooler than what I would have preferred.

For my main, I decided on the Lobster. Which was absolutely divine. Once I could actually start eating it of course... The Lobster was garnished with what strangely seemed to be pineapple pieces (I'm anaphylactic to pineapple), and as I could not remember the menu description along with waiters whom clearly did not know the menu well enough, I had to leave it to my date to try to figure out if it was in fact pineapple or not! Turns out it wasn't and it was delicious, but I was very disappointed that no one could answer my simple question. Even after stating that they would check with the kitchen. Nobody returned.

Dessert was a chocolate plate, and to be honest, they could do no wrong with it. Simply perfect!

Overall an excellent experience, lovely views, attentive staff and great tasting food. If the waiting staff had a slightly better knowledge of the menu and wine list so that when asked to recommend a wine which would suit my particular meal, didn't just recite the wine list to me... This restaurant could be an impressive place to dine.
Comment on this reader review

Ange
9 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, July 15, 2009

First impressions were not great, as I had to queue for a while before anyone greeted me and took my coat. However, that was really the only grumble in an otherwise excellent meal.

The food was to a very high standard. I had marinated tuna to start, and Herdwick mutton for my main course. Both were excellent. All well presented with appropriate sauces, accompaniments etc. The wine list was also excellent, and the helpful sommelier was happy to talk me through some of the many options.

Service was professional, courteous, and discreet. No grumbles there. And, of course, the view was fantastic.

It wasn't cheap, with our meal coming out at just a fraction under £100 per head. However, considering we had some quite nice wines with the meal, I think it was pretty good value. I've eaten at other restaurants in this price range that were not nearly as good.

Overall, highly recommended.
Comment on this reader review

Adam
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, May 21, 2009