140 Park Lane Restaurant and Bar

Think of different hotel names and the images they conjure up in your mind: Mandarin Oriental; The Lanesborough; The Soho Hotel, each one has an element of class, sophistication, well thought through style in its particular class. Now think of Mariott. Not quite the same is it. And therein lies the problem with this restaurant, the food is just so Mariott.

By this i mean that they have clearly spent some, though not too much, time looking at what good, mteroplitan, stylish restaurants do in terms of styling, service, and of course, food. They then take this, remove all of the things that make it good in other places, and add in that special chain hotel feel.

So, bread when it arrived had seemingly spent some time in the gym due to its muscularity, and that was quite possibly sometime a lot earlier in the day. My dining companion's monkfish - fine if lacking any sort of imagination, flair or originality whatsoever.

Me, i went for the burger, which i consider to be something of a bellwether of the quality of a place. This failed. McDonalds bun; chewy, tasteless, sinewy meat; too old sweaty, rubbery cheese; bought in, overcooked, greasy chips; coleslaw with the unmistakeable film atop indicating much earlier potting and a chef who can't be bothered to stir it before stirring.

And finally, a 50% off deal, where they then add on supplements for meat dishes, EVEN THOUGH IT'S A GRILL RESTAURANT. Ludicrous.

Galvin Windows is just down the road, this would be a false economy if you chose one over the other.
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Jake Allen
4 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 3
Thursday, March 18, 2010

A dreadful experience. I booked online for 8.30; arrived about 8.25. Not very welcoming. Put at a table and left alone. Menu eventually came but no offer of a drink. Waited a long time before my order was taken. They brought a generous portion of bread with my glass of wine. By 9.20 I had seen only one table getting food. No sign of my lobster bisque and few staff visible at any time. I want to complain but no one comes near at all. At 9.26 my bisque arrives and it's obvious that the bottom of the pot had burnt. It tastes awful; there is tough rubbery stuff in the bottom of the bowl and one decent piece of meat. I had asked, when served, whether they realised I'd been waiting an hour; in fairness, the waiter (maitre d', I think) apologised and offered a glass of wine on the house, which I accepted. Main arrived at 9.42. It looked good but was the driest burger ever, with dull coleslaw, flavourless tomatoes and a reasonable leaf salad. Never again, even at 50% off food.
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John Pierce - View all reviews by this user
2 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 1
Monday, January 04, 2010

I can't recommend this venue highly enough for service and friendliness, especially for groups.

We had a joint 40th birthday lunch their with our very extensive families (2 dozen diners) who ranged in age from 3 to 101. The restaurant could not have been more welcoming and accommodating of everyone's different needs, both during the booking process and on the day.

The food was really very delicious, buffet style. It's not the Fat Duck, but there was something there for everyone, even the fussy eaters and the kids.

The service was impeccable - personal but unobtrusive, and very calm and unhurried.

They even managed to come up with personalised birthday deserts - without even being asked. Not just for us, but also for two other members of our party who had birthdays at around the same time.

We had a great afternoon, and felt very well looked after
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Ruth Adams
9 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, April 07, 2009

To be honest, the least they could have done was kept proportion size equal and have neat presentation, however when 5 out of the 6 of us ordered the same main (stewed lamb shank), my dish came topled over hardly looking presentable, whilst carrots varied from huge to near tiny. I do admit the lamb was rather tasty, soft and easily torn from the bone, the sauce was rich and intense, but at 30 pounds a head for a starter and a main, i would have expected presentation to have been a little better.
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6 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 4
Sunday, March 29, 2009

For those who're not able to make it to Heathrow Terminal 5, come here instead. Average beyond the moons of Saturn.
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bellaphon
5 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 5
Sunday, May 04, 2008

If you haven't been to 140 Park Lane for their Sunday Brunch then what are you waiting for? I have been twice- once on December 23rd and then again in January- both on the 50% off offer. Full price it is a little on the steep side but with the offer it is excellent value. To label it as a buffet is to discredit the effort that has gone into every dish offered...mushroom and truffle oil soup, chicken Caesar salad with fresh chicken breast strips, anchovies and fab croutons, seafood salad, potato salad crumbled with crispy bacon and spring onions, smoked salmon with accompanying minced onions and capers, griddled courgettes, peppers and asparagus tips, fresh mozzarella and tomato salad, various types of bread and that is just some of the starters on offer......we followed this with a Sunday roast- the beef was excellent - well flavoured and cooked to order, which is a rarity nowadays when everywhere expects their patrons to like their meat medium cooked- well I prefer well done and this was no problem at 140 Park Lane!

Desserts were similarly good, with profiteroles, miniature mousse tortes, fresh fruit, bowlfuls of fresh strawberries and cheese and biscuits just a few of the options available. Service is incredibly friendly, plates are cleared quickly and everyone was having a fab time- try it you really will enjoy it!
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Gemma Slade
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, February 20, 2008