W1 Restaurant at The Cumberland

I have been to Rhodes 24 in Tower 42 twice and it is one of our favourite restaurants, we went to Rhodes W1 to try something different but was a little disappointed. Service and food are great, although the food portions were very very small, for the price I was left wanting a bit.

My main sticking point is that the place has no atmosphere and feels like you are stuck in a back room somewhere, Tower 42 has great panoramic views and makes for a great dining experience. It is also a lively and enjoyable place to be, whereas my girlfriend and I found W1 to be a bit boring.

Great food, good service, but if you have the choice go to Rhodes 24 in Tower 42.

Meal came to £236 inc. a £69 bottle of wine, cocktails and coffees inc. service.
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Michael
7 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 5
Thursday, October 13, 2011

What a sadness to see a beautiful place without substance. Although service is still flawless, plates content ozes pretention and forgets to deliver happiness.

The risotto as a starter was stodgy and bland, followed by greasy chicken floating in a mushroom broth. With such experience I forfeit dessert and footed a bill of over £60 for two courses plus a glass of wine, thanks to a discretionary 12.5% service charge. Two years ago I enjoyed the W1, today its soul is in serious need of refurbishment.
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Chris
7 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 3
Wednesday, February 09, 2011

Situated close to the bustling Marble Arch area is the Cumberland Hotel and within is a place of tranquility and opulence for the diner seeking an oasis of calm in a stressful, vibrant city.

Launched by award winning chef Gary Rhodes-Rhodes W1 at the Cumberland-provides such and is a place where dining can be enjoyed at a relaxed pace and with superb service.

Arriving slightly early,we spent a while in the brasserie bar section of the restaurant to wind down with a Peach Bellini and a Passion Fruit Cocktail with Grenadine. The well-stocked and well-staffed bar is intimate and homely with sedate lighting and candlelight. Set on two levels with a more casual lounge feel to the upper-level and a modern furnished yet traditionally set out layout of tables.

Soon it was time to savour the gastronomic delights of Gary Rhodes-a person I had long admired since that launch of his series on BBC2 in the 90's "Rhodes Around Britain"

We were looked after by a team of excellent,courteous and attentive staff and our wines expertly chosen to match the sumptuous fayre by Fabrice our somellierfor the evening.

For our pre-starter Pumpkin Veloute with Goats Cheese this was superb. Nicely flavoured,delicate and creamy,the cheese did not over-power the dish and was most complementary to the overall flavour. Also a lovely selection of butters were presented with the breads,Buerre Noisette a nutty textured butter was most pleasant with the gently warmed breads.

For the Starter my guest chose Pork Belly with Steamed Langoustines,Spiced Chickpeas,Coriander and Cumin and for myself Red Legged Partridge with Jerusalem Artichoke Veloute Chestnuts and Truffled Brioche. All were well presented and tasted fantastic.The Pork Belly was virtually totally free of any fat,very tender and the delicious fragrance of the lightly spiced accompaniments were most pleasing to the senses. The Partridge was absolutely delicious and tender.

With the starter the wines served was a very pleasant and delicately fruity white Reserve D'Gassac 2009. My guest chose the Red Bourgogne Cornu 2005. This was superbly full-bodied but not overpoweringly heavy.The bouquet was most pleasant and both wines fitted well with the Starter course.

For our Main choices my guest had the Rabbit and I chose the Pigeon both with Seasonal Vegetables. I found the Pigeon very enjoyable and tender,pleasant to the taste and with a good texture. My guest enjoyed the rabbit but found it just slightly lacking in any strong taste,Usually expecting rabbit as with most game to have been hung for a short time to gain more flavour.

With the Main Courses,Fabrice recommended again two well-matched wines. The Rully "Maizieres" Vincent Dureil Janthial 2004 the red and a Barbera D'Alba Saffirio 2008 for the white. Both were superb,the red again had a pleasant bouquet,rich,yet delicate but full-bodied enough to accompany the meat. The white again was slightly sweet,which I liked very much and fitted the course splendidly.

After resting awhile to let the preceding courses digest we were offered a miniature Pina-Colada pre-dessert served in a shot glass which was very refreshing,almost like a sorbet course between the main meal and the dessert.

Moving onto Dessert and from a pretty rich menu of choices after much debating we plumped for Pecan and Maple Parfait,Poached Pear and Muscovado Sponge with Parkin Gel as my choice and Armagnac and Prune Souffle for my guest. Both were heavenly.It is not often one hears of Parkin outside Yorkshire. (For the benefit of those unaware of northern things it is an oatmeal type sponge with ginger and nutmeg as a tray bake traditionally served around Hallowe'en and Bonfire Night)

The Pecan and Maple was superb,again not over the top with too much heavy flavour,to me Maple usually has a burnt sugar taste but in this dessert it tastedvery light indeed and the Poached Pear and Sponge went well together. The Prune Souffle equally was very enjoyable,nice and fruity with a good fresh flavour.

Our evening was superb,the staff extremelyhelpful and attentive,almost a personal service to the Diner.We enjoyed every bit of the evening and the ambience of the glamourous surroundings.

The good thing here is that couples or business people can have quite comfortable and private conversations as the tables are well spaced apart and it is a joy not to be dining in cramped conditions or trying to hold a conversation with ones guest with the next diner about 9 inches away.

The restaurant is superbly bright and modern,very comfortable and I recommend its qualities in terms of service,food and ambience.
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Terence Jolley
9 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Sunday, January 09, 2011

We dined at Rhodes W1 for my husbands birthday. We had a fabulous evening, fantastic food and amazing service. Yes, the portions are on the small side, but that said, we are usually fairly big eaters and found the 3 courses, plus all the complimentary nibbles enough. Definitely a place for that special evening. I can't fault Rhodes W1 and will return.
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10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Sunday, September 05, 2010

A pleasant space, with impressive chandeliers, but a slightly soulless feel. The service was fine and the morsels we were given to eat tasted good. But that was the trouble: morsels. The portions were absurdly, almost insultingly, small.
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Nosher - View all reviews by this user
5 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 3
Sunday, July 04, 2010