The Duke of Wellington

Sadly the glorious days following the Duke's opening in autumn 2008 seem over. Where as once the menu was always notable for its cut abover the average gastro inventivness (pigs head "cake", spicy tomatoes and qualis egg) and for the quality of execution of British and French classics (pork rillets, crab on toast and one of the best Sunday lunches in London), what progress there was has been in a backwards direction.

Most of the menu constants (crab bisque, sticky toffee pud) are still good but new dishes lack the full blooded whack of pleasure that I came to associate with the food here. Inventivness has taken flight or else led to dishes that just dont work.

For much the same money I would recommend Galvin Bistro De Luxe around the corner.

A little secret - the Head Chef, who was the clear talent behind the initial success, left here late 2009 to go to the Admiral Codrington in South Kensington. So now we know why....
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Foodie - View all reviews by this user
5 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 4
Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Sadly, now sitting smugly on it's laurels. And let's be honest, it's not at all cheap...despite what all the press reviews say. Prices are exactly the same as a smart restaurant , and given the current food standards, it's grossly over priced.

I've eaten here several times in the past....always gone for the steak, and never disappointed. But oh, what a change !!! The meal this week was a complete disaster! Steamed prawns were a plate of cold 'straight out the fridge' tasteless red things you could find in your local supermarket. If they were steamed, it was some time ago. Next the rib-eye ordered medium rare. My wife was surprised at my struggle to cut through it. Another attempt confirmed this was a sorry piece of beef. Even the size was so much smaller than previous visits. So much so, that when I returend it to the kitchen, I quizzed if it was still the same source. I noticed the two ladies on the adjacent table had issues with their steaks too. To be fair, it was removed from the bill., but nothing was offered in it's place. I went hungry. Give it a wide berth untill they buck their ideas up and remember what originally gave them a good reputation.
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paul
2 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 0
Sunday, August 01, 2010