Theo Randall @The InterContinental
special offer
Special Offer only available online - please book above
2 courses & a glass of wine: £21
Offer Details: ...from a set menu. Includes Vat, excludes service. 3 courses £25
Available: Monday - Friday 12:00 - 15:00, 18:00 - 19:30 and 21:30 - 22:00. Saturday 18:00 to 19:00, 21:30 to 22:30
Maximum people: 8
Terms: Expires: 6th June 08
our review
Cheerful, relaxed front of house staff are always a good augur for the food they’re serving. Confidence in their chef means they can look forward to happy tables and no problems. The staff at Theo Randall’s are very cheerful indeed.
The space is far better than you might expect from a hotel restaurant. It’s large of course (and the kitchen is equally as large) but it isn’t soulless. In fact even with my back to the room I didn’t feel stranded; there was plenty of buzz, warmth and laughter.
We oohed and aahed over little nibbles of garlicky toasted bread, barely wilted chard, tangy olives and smooth artichoke as we looked at a menu that was promisingly concise. Standard Italian structure here: antipasti, primi, secondi and dessert. Randall was, as everybody must know by now (and he must be sick of hearing) chef at The River Café before being given this very posh place, and his food reflects this. Very high quality ingredients, very seasonal, very simply done. Sounds easy, but few pull it off.
Bagna Cauda of seakale and violet artichokes, chard and carrots with a hot anchovy garlic sauce was pretty dreamy. The sauce may have looked like a whizzed up tin of anchovy fillets, but the depth of flavour said it wasn’t. The skill also showed in the perfect cooking of the vegetables. A pan-fried squid with borlotti beans, chilli, anchovy, and rocket was equally assured; a light charring set off the tender squid flesh prettily crosscut to let in the cooking heat and aid presentation. Those little brown beans were toothsome but smooth, and fun to chase around the plate as they absorbed the juices.
Pillow perfect parcels of mixed winter greens and ricotta ravioli shimmered with colour, the translucent tender pasta tautly straining to contain the filling of subtle favours that grew in the mouth. Agnolotti pasta, stuffed with slow cooked veal, partridge, pancetta and Parmesan, huddled together in an intimate group and were little taste explosions that we fought over cheerfully. You have to share this food, no matter how greedily you might want to hog a plateful to yourself.
I had to hog my veal chop, although that’s some kind of oxymoron I suppose. A beautiful great chop, with milk white fat surrounding it. It had been subject to nothing more than a good chargrilling and responded with all the flavour you expect from Limousin cattle. This too came with Swiss chard and borlotti beans and was splashed with more of that salsa. The wife went for a fish stew with amongst many nice things, a big hunk of Dorset lobster.
The famous lemon tart was unavailable, but the standard lemon tart was excellent anyway and the whole meal was enlivened by the sommelier’s well-chosen wines that included a fabulous German red.
Verdict? Well worth it. Great food, great cooking and prices that really are quite reasonable for this kind of location.
N.H. - January 2007
your comments review this restaurant and win a bottle of champagne
Went to Theo Randall last night for a friend's birthday and had a fantastic time. The food was superb and the service outstanding. Used the London-eating special offer - one of the best offers we've used. What made it even more special is that we were invited by the restaurant manager to tour the kitchens and meet Theo Rndall himself! I would recommend this restaurant to anyone and we will return.
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Nigel - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating 
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Canada Ahoy again.
After petrus the night before we did not expect too much from Theo's, as we were on a deal. However we were very surprised.
The restaurant itself is huge and very minimalist modern, like@venue to a certain extent. The welcome was warm and friendly and the service was excellent, our waitress refused to take an extra tip for herself instead of pooling the money.
The dining room for us was a little too bright but very comfortable.
The food was excellent, not on the same scale as the night before, but none the less very very good. The food on the deal is very simple and uncomlicated, which is as it should be with Italian dishes. The food was presented well and tasted excellent and was made with FRESH ingredients as it should be. With a couple of bottles of wine and tip the bill was $200 which was very very reasonable. Would definitely go again and would take the deal again in a heartbeat(the a la carte menu is pricey)
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Adam Shane
Overall rating 
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Food is good. The service is very still very snobbish. I was surprise that the selection of vodka and other spirits are very limited.
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Overall rating 
Food 7 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 5
Sunday, January 06, 2008
When we planned our trip to Mayfair we had one dinner planned out on Sunday, and had planned on a normal dinner Saturday after arrival from the States. When our plans put us in later than planned, we decided to stay at the hotel and give Theo a try even though it is somewhat pricey.
As I had mentioned, I’d been anticipating our Sunday meal with the famed chef with numerous TV shows, but after quite frankly the best meal I’ve ever had at Theo Randall’s before hand, he came in a distant second! What a great surprise.
I should also mention we were very fortunate to get in. They were fully booked for the evening, but had two tables near the front entrance that were not ideal. Although I first asked to be further back, I did not push because she said they restaurant would be full soon. About half way though the mains, she was correct.
Four stars, and thanks for an unexpected best of our trip to Mayfair!
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Matt M
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Not wholly impressed by this place. Some of the food was great, some was just so-so. Starters of smoked eel and squash ravioli were good, but mains were really disappointing - dover sole was just OK, and the frittata wasn't any better than one we could have knocked up at home. What rescued the evening, at least for me, was the soft chocolate cake - absolutely amazing, so good it made it into my all-time top 3 desserts! Unfortunately my partner wasn't so happy with his pannacotta - which came with prunes instead of the advertised raspberries (and he's not a prune fan...). Given the rave reviews this place has had I wonder if perhaps it's one of those places where you need to eat a la carte, rather than on the toptable deal we were on.
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- View all reviews by this user
Overall rating 
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 5
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Theo Randall @ the intercontinal was a great find, I was a bit at ease when I found out it was in a hotel but as soon as we walked in the charming lady on the door was welcoming and made as feel relaxed, we were'nt rushed to the table for once, so we enjoyed a nice martini at the bar. Once we got to the table service was fast and friendly without being in our faces, my partner ordered the squid it was to die for, I believe that this dish is one of theos top dishes, I had the pasta with mushrooms which was also very nice, the pasta was the highlight of the dish. Mains of Veal chop and Grouse finished with the Lemon tart wow!!!! To finish it all off our server Celine took us into the kitchen to meet the man himself.
One thing that surpised me was it wasnt overally busy but with food and service like this i feel that my new best keep london hide away wont stay like this for long.
Thanks to Theo and his team for a great night, You should check it out!!!
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Andy
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
We were a party of 15 city lawyers and their spouses who booked in advance to go to Theo Randall.
They ran out of the starter scallops and some have to choose calamari. NOt impressive. The scallops were so so , and the lentils and garnish were not that subtle and there is no wow factor at all in the presentation nor taste.
I opted not to take the anti-pasta since I wanted to try the dessert after. Those who ordered the spinach ravioli and mushroom tagliatti did not think they were any better if they bought a ready to boil pack from M&S.
For the main, most of us chose lamb with a salsa sauce which was disappointing . It tasted like it came out of a bottle . The lamb was alright but they sent in too much potatoes and more beans which were all mediocre.
My choice of Lemon tart was too sharp and too sweet. NOthing stunning nor subtle to write home about.
As city lawyers who are well travelled and some of us have been expats all over the world, I don't think this is a Michelin star restaurant at all. There are far better places to eat than this over-rated fodder they serve. It felt like someone has rushed out to Tesco or Waitrose to do a re-hash job for us. We came anticipating to be impressed but felt rather short-changed.
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S Han
Overall rating 
Food 3 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 1
Friday, July 27, 2007
Went to the restaurant for a special birthday and we had a wonderful time. The food was probably one of the best meals we've had, with great simple flavours but used very subtely - I'd almost forgotten the calamari had anchovy in it and then remember a hint of salt in the background. Not being an expert on wine I'll just say they tasted great to me.
The service was pretty impressive and the staff seemed genuinely happy to be at work and wanted to make your night as special as they could. We were also introduced to Theo - which was a nice touch.
Having searched extensively through all the other top restaurants we generally found great reviews but there would always be a few negative reviews, but Theo's was the one exception where everyone seemed to recommend. We can only agree wholeheartedly.
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Louise Chamberlain
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
I went to Theo Randall on monday for lunch with a coupl of friends and can highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. We dined on the set lunch menu £18.00 for two courses, ridiculously good value when you consider that the mnu includes pricy ingredients such as monkfish and fillet steak! I started with a tagliatelle of asparagus and creme fraiche, perfectly cooked and portioned, followed by the aforementioned monkfish with morels which was simply outstanding. My friends chose a ravioli of rabbit to start and then the steak, cooked to perfection med - rare as recommended on the menu with oodles of salad (and pesto?). Desserts were a flour free (that makes it healthy right?) chocolate cake and a delicious lemon tart. The wines by the glass were very reasonably priced and the added extras of bruschetta to start nd chocolate truffles with the coffees were refreshingly free of the "cover charge" we are so used to seeing these days. The staff were friendly and approachable, offering advice where needed but discreetly and the manager made a point of stopping by all the tables to see how everyone was enjoying their meal, a really nice touch which made us feel genuinely welcomed and valued as "guests" and not just customers. I will definitely be back, especially as the set menu must make this the best value restaurant in london.
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nikki
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Saturday, April 21, 2007
We went there for Sunday lunch and had the 3 course set menu. Swapping plates half way through each course gave a sort of taster menu experience. The staff were excellent as was the food and there was a good chatty atmosphere. Sticking to the lower end of the wine list meant that it was surprisingly cheap for such a delicious treat.
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Eric Baker
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Monday, February 05, 2007
