Roux at Parliament Square

We arrived early for our dinner last Wednesday so it seemed rude not to wander upstairs to the bar and kill some time with a couple of cocktails. Evidently we were not the only folk to have had this idea as the room was fairly packed with only a couple of tables to spare. 

It's a nice stylish room with an old school "clubby" feel to it; leather sofas, comfy chairs, vintage cocktail books and pieces of antique drinking paraphernalia - all in all a classic toffs Westminster bar. The cocktail list was more of a novella than War and Peace with plenty of interesting combinations. Service was efficient and friendly and before long I was sipping on a stunning 3 Generations (based on a trio of Johnnie Walker whiskey) while B was luxuriating in the signature Pembury Cup. After our drinks, which came with a tasty little spoonful of Shepherd's pie and a prawn mousse, we were in fine fettle and ready to tackle the menu. 

The restaurant consists of two rooms; the first is slightly larger and a touch more grand than the smaller room which is off to one side (in my mind this second room had a touch of the"breakfast room" about it). It's not quite as ornate as La Gavroche but there is plenty of space between the tables, starched white linen and cutlery by David Mellor - very grown up but not overly fussy. On this visit the other punters were in the main cosy couples with a few groups of four dotted about; a nice atmosphere with lots of happy chatter. It seemed to be a city boy free zone.

A decent selection of bread and some water, filtered in a nice bottle at no charge, arrived while I was still going through the wine menu. Unlike many "high end" London restaurants there was plenty of choice without having to take out a second mortgage. I think there was an entry level bottle at £20 with some pretty decent white and red around £30.

We were dining from the tasting menu and throughout the evening we had a very fine selection of dishes; all skilfully executed, beautifully presented and just the right size of portion (plenty to get your teeth into but no so much that you feel bloated by the end of your seven course feast). Stand outs were the ballotine of confit of wild rabbit with a mushroom salad and truffle cream, the very tasty sardines on toast which came with a caponata dressing and the roast gunard with a ragout of violet artichoke, courgette and oyster mushroom.

The waiting staff, of which there are many, are friendly and attentive. You will be served your meal at a gentle but fairly constant pace; not too rushed and no long waits between courses on our visit. By the time we had got to coffee and petite fours a very pleasurable  evening had slipped through our fingers and it was time to get the last train home.
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Nunhead Neil
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Friday, April 06, 2012

3 of has had lunch on a muggy Tuesday at £55 per person for 3 courses.

The room is pleasant with well spaced tables,but on a muggy afternoon was in sore need of some air-conditioning for us suit-wearing clients.

What did we get for our £55pp? I had a langoustine starter-3 langoustines(which were large shrimp) ,various smears and dribbles on the plate(one of which was vaguely truffley) some kernels of corn(truly bizarre!!!) and 2 tiny corners of cornbread.There was no evidence of the pea mousse anywhere.The shrimp were slightly underdone ,so slimy in texture.And all of this was not hot,not even warm but tiede(a wonderful French word in case Mr.Roux reads this).One friend had a single strip of dry mackerel,there was little else on the plate.And the other a bit of chopped beetroot and a single spoon of soft goat cheese.These were the starters.Underwhleming to say the least ,in terms of concept and execution and portion(the latter was not an issue given how underwhleming).While we waited for the starters,we were served 2 small items- some raw chopped salmon with citrus in a white spoon-again bland and underwhelming;and a tiny cube of chicken on a cube of stale toast,which confirmed the bland parade that was to follow.Between the starter and the main course we had a thimble of squash soup(tiede) with some tiny diced squash in it-again all bland with very little flavour of anything.Main course was veal,served as four 50p discs of dry meat that could have been anything so totally lacking in flavour was it.Various smears and splodges and a small disc of veal sweetbreads ,that was also flavourless.A small pot of mashed potato was also placed on the table and was found to be also tiede and flavourless-I almost asked for some olive oil or butter to stir into it,but restrained myself because I was an invitee.

This was followed by a small(3 spoonfuls) sorbet,vaguely minty,supposedly vodka infused,but with absolutely no detectable vodka,before our dessert.

An unremarkable lemon tarte for the other 2,and a chocolate mousse for me.This was a single spoon of chocolate mousse with some vaguely brown(supposedly caramel-but no discernible taste of caramel) whipped cream,a praline wafer and a dense chocoalte bread finger.

The problem with this place is that the food,while perfectly seasoned,has NO FLAVOUR! The chef came out to say hello,and he seems like a nice chap,but I really wanted to take him over to Gauthier in Soho to show him what food should be.Or he should go to France or Italy and learn what food should taste like. The menu reads well,but it has all the flavour and texture of jarred baby food.Maybe a lot of the stuff is done sous-vide which often has this impact on food? Anyway bland-manger may be fine for the Govt types who infest this area,but for normal people this is not a destination worth the effort or cost.And please do somthing about the serving temperature of the food-it is supposed to be HOT!

Disappointing given the cost.
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C.Elder
6 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 5
Thursday, September 16, 2010

A thoroughly enjoyable meal with flawless wine recommendations from the charming sommelier and some genuine flashes of brilliance in the dishes. Sadly, as the critics have stated, the overall experience is let down by a bland dining room and a stiff, almost cold atmosphere. Such a shame! I can't imagine this is what Roux had in mind. I hope things can be improved before this joyless affair becomes a refuge for the over-50s business lunchers.
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Greg
6 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 6
Tuesday, July 06, 2010

It seems that Fay Maschler got out of bed on the wrong side that day because I can only describe my lunch there as a real treat. The ambience was relaxed, staff knowledgeable and attentive without being obtrusive, and the food - ah the food.

The amuse bouche were divine and achieved what they are supposed to do, leaving my taste buds tingling. The quail's egg was particularly delightful. Unlike Fay, I thought the scallop was delicious and a welcome addition – by this stage I was already feeling spoilt.

We chose from the lunch menu – I had mackerel followed by halibut. Both were beautiful to look and and a joy to eat. Perfectly cooked and wonderfully presented, I could find no fault with either. Agreed, the pre-dessert of panna cotta followed by the creme brulee could have been seen as excessive but both were light and delicious. I certainly didn't leave feeling that I had been over indulgent.

I'm sorry Fay's visit didn't match up to my own but I can only recommend that people try it for themselves. I cannot remember when I last had such a enjoyable lunch.

And, to bring this back to a more base level, what excellent value for money. I will certainly be returning.
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10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, May 27, 2010