Texture

Returned after a year and, if possible, it is even better than ever. Top food and excellent service. Simply wonderful.
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Toby Tucker
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, February 20, 2013

We had the tasting menu were absolutely blown away by the cooking here. Great technical quality, consistency and wonderful flavours make this one of the best restaurants I have been to in a long while.

Although it has one Michelin star I can honestly say it's streets ahead of other one Michelin starred restaurants I have been to. They just get everything so right and the dishes have such inventiveness and a light touch means that you don't feel bloated by the time you hit the latter courses.

I agree with some of the criticisms of the canapes you get at the bar but this is really just finding fault for its own sake. This is a special place and I'd say go and experience it for yourself.
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David
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Sunday, October 21, 2012

Very good.

Nibbles with drinks were a bit odd, bacon popcorn is lovely, the bits of flavoured 'batter' less so. They came with a delicious dip but it's impossible to dip wafer-thin batter, it just disintegrates and the popcorn didn't fare much better.

But that was our only gripe.

We had the tasting menu [£79/pp, not cheap but good value] and the dishes improved throughout the meal [possibly related to our wine consumption but don't think so!]. The cod and the beef were some of the best we've ever had.

Lots of 'snow' and 'foam' but the concentration of flavours in these was remarkable.

Slick, friendly service without being obsequious. We saw the chef talking to another table [possibly regulars, certainly wealthy] and he came out a few times to check the restaurant, which is good to see.

An unusual restaurant, not well known but great quality.
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cut2qwik - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Monday, April 16, 2012

My wife and I went here for dinner last Saturday for our anniversary. It was our second time, having previously visited last October for my birthday. On both occasions we have had what can only be described as a most wonderful dining experience, if that doesn't sound too pretentious.

I've eaten at some pretty fancy restaurants around the world but this is the first time I've felt sufficiently moved to write a review. One of the reasons for that I think is because I've dined at Michelin starred restaurants before and had a great meal but on going for a second time it's been a disappointment. Not so with Texture.

I can only reiterate the comments of previous reviewers with regard to the excellent food, the attentive but not overbearing staff, the relaxed atmosphere, everything for me was spot on.

Sure, an evening here doesn't come cheap but when you've had such a fantastic evening it's worth it. I'm sure we've all been to expensive places before where they present you with the bill and it feels like they've just ordered you to grab you're ankles if you know what I mean.

As far as the one really negative review on here is concerned, to me it felt like this person was determined to slate the place as soon as he found out the entrance wasn't where he thought it should be and that it was part of a Best Western hotel, heaven forbid.

There was a cynical tone running right the way through the review, a couple of times he mentions the chefs claim that he uses no butter or cream as though it just couldn't be true. As he is unable to disprove this he decides to take issue with the possibility that something appeared to have been fried. I'm not certain but I don't think the chef ever claimed that he didn't occasionally shallow or even deep fry some of his food in perhaps sunflower or maybe rapeseed oil.

Other major concerns for him appear to be the fact that the chef is from Iceland, the fact he got two bits of pork instead of one and that HE couldn't understand the waiter.

The fact he sent one dish back notwithstanding, if I had issues with the way the food was cooked I'd have taken it up with the chef, after all he was there wasn't he. Also if I can't tell what someone has said I tend to ask them to say it again but then it's probably easier to go home and write a snotty review instead.
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Malcolm Crossland
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, March 25, 2011

I had a great evening at this restaurant.

Definitely one of the best restaurant’s I’ve been to in regards to service. Everyone we interacted with was relaxed, personable, friendly, and knowledgeable. Service was attentive and very accommodating. I really felt that the staff genuinely cared about us having a good evening which you don’t often get, I was very impressed.

The atmosphere was fantastic. I really liked the bar and restaurant set up. The music is louder in the bar and just the right level for the restaurant and added to its vibe. I’ve been to some restaurants which feel quite stiff and stuffy because there’s no music and everyone seems quite sedate, this was the exact opposite, everyone seemed happy.

We had the regular tasting menu which was lovely. I particularly enjoyed the second course of pigeon and the salted cod which were a bit different. The beetroot salad and the beef were also excellent. My partner had the wine package to accompany the tasting menu and I had a couple of different glasses which the sommelier chose to match what we were eating. All of the wines were fantastic and complemented each course brilliantly.

The bill was expensive as we expected but no more than any other restaurant of the same calibre. I think in light of the service, the bill actually represented good value since I’ve been to restaurants which were just as expensive and the service hasn’t been half as good.
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Annie
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Monday, November 22, 2010

Went for lunch mid-week. The restaurant entrance is actually on Portman Street and is part of a Best Western Hotel,with separate entrance.

We had the prix fixe lunch which looked promising. The chef proudly proclaims that his cuisine is very light,with no butter or cream,so a healthy meal beckoned.

We had 2 pre-starters.One was DEEP-FRIED slivers of different what-exactly-I-am-not-sure-off,as the French waiter's English was very difficult to understand.These were served with a dip of yogurt and nubbly cooked barley. If you dream about such a dip then this starter was for you.We did wonder how the chef's professed aim of lighter cuisine with no butter/cream could reconcile with DEEP-FRIED greasy slivers of????,but put that thought aside.The other pre-starter was a shot glass of cold watercress soup with diced apple at its base.As we dug our tiny spoons down,we raised from the green pool a lump of what looked like packing material,as all the apple bits had stuck together somehow-maybe they got frightened of the green murk they were dumped in?As watercress is not exactly an overwhelming flavour-fest.......we hoped for better from our actual starters.

These were cold beetroots(yes,they said,plural as there were 3 types-or is the plural supposed to be beetsroot?) with some leaves and some powdered goats cheese which was ice cold(maybe supposed to be that way as the chef is from Iceland?).As a take on the goat cheese and beetroot salad it was fine.The other starter was plodges of salt cod,leaves,purple potatoes on a mustard seed shmear.

Mains included suckling pig,which I tried.Suckling pig conjures up images of the tenderest,softest,leanest(as the piglet is still fed on mother's milk) pork.At least that has been my experience so far in many restaurants;open air stands etc in different countries. What I got was a small rectangle and tiny square(don't know why 2 bits were necessary) of pork FAT with the top browned(actual meat was difficult to find).None of the FAT had been rendered in the cooking process,and ,when prodded with the knife it resisted.I sent this back . In response,I was told that the pork was cooked "sous-vide" -this means it is poached.I countered with the fact that it should still actually be cooked,and this slab or FAT did not have the texture(sic) of cooked pork.And I pointed out that there was little if any flesh to eat,and that pork FAT even if browned on one side was not very pleasant (I did not point out that for a chef that makes such a big deal about not using any butter or cream,there sure seemed to be a lot of deep-frying and FAT).They finally offered to replace or give me something else.But you know how it is, when you've gone through all this, you lose heart and confidence in the restaurant's ability to deliver something you might like to eat. My partner also felt her hake(fish) was not cooked properly as it had a slimy texture(sic) in the middle, but she did not want to send it back.But she did point out to the waiter that many diners would consider the fish under-done.We had lost the confidence to order dessert-in spite of the innocent sounding "Icelandic yogurt with muesli "-given our experience so far.

I was not charged for the pork.

The room is nicely decorated,although there are no soft furnishings or even tablecloths, so sound is a problem.

The Icelandic chef was present. An off day for him?
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C.Elder
4 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 4
Thursday, October 28, 2010

Went to Texture purely on basis of what I'd read on this site.

It was stunning, probably one of the best meals I've had, ever. It was hard to fault any course. We went for the tasting menu and were impressed by each dish and the accompanying wine.

The food was excellent, the service was spot on, not overbearing. Just the right balance

Thoroughly recommend this restaurant, I suspect its going to get a second star soon and get very, very popular. Lets hope it doesnt spoil it.
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Mark - View all reviews by this user
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Absolutely superb. I went a la carte and it's not cheap, but they look to have a superb set menu for lunch at less than a score for two courses.

I think this has to be the nicest dining room in the West End and the staff are superb; not snobby, not intrusive, not too serious, just jovial, friendly, professional and informative.

One of London's finest restaurants in my opinion,

Deserves way more than one Michelin star
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Pottedmeat - View all reviews by this user
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Friday, July 16, 2010