Axis review by Marc, Mark & Lizzie
We booked here mainly because the space is really cool, big bold soaring art deco thing with a fantastic futurist?/vorticist?/cubist? mural acroos one wall.
Arrived at eight for drinks. I had an old fashioned which was okay but a bit weak tasting. I kind of give up on cocktails in the UK. Between taxes, weights & measures and profit margins its almost impossible to get a decent cocktail for anything less than the national debt of a small country.
Anyhoo not the meal.
The atmosphere was quiet and relaxed. If this is typical this is not a raucous city eater but more somewhere thats a bit grand but where nevertheless you can hear each other speak.
Starters for two of us was a dish of smoked eel, crispy pork belly and Excellent beetroot and was excellent. My other companion had Cheddar gorge cheese soufflee. Its was a bit batter'y for me but there again I'm n souffee officianado. He was pleased with it.
Main course was Herwick lamb, salsify and kidney. Lamb very good and done to expectation. Kidney a little over-cooked.
Companion A. had smoked haddock, bubble and squeak and poached egg and was well pleased with it. Companion B had poached salmon, lobster and seafood bisque and again was very pleased. Wine was very reasonably priced Australian sav blanc and went well with our dishes, possibly the seafood more than my lamb!
Slight gltch: The broccoli side dish was way too cooked and the mash side could have been presented better, looked a bit insipid on the plate, a drizzle of olive oil perhaps? a sprinkling of pepper?. Pity as the mains were so well done.
Dessert was chocolate fondant, blood orange sorbet and a nasty caramalised clementine [fruit was dry and segments unpeeled]. I had treacle pudding and vanilla icecream, the pudding was a bit dry having been deconstructed with the treacle on the side, suggest dropping the 'El Bulli' approach and just soak it in treacle, subtlty is not the way forward with this dish!
Excellent fruit jelies and chocolate petit fours to finish off went very well with coffee.
Axis is a competent restaurant with interesting and well executed if not inspiring food. In a less interesting space it would be overpriced but travertine and murals cost as well as good food (I don't mind paying for surroundings as long as the food is not too far behind)
Service is very good in that they just get on with it with a smile, surely all you need on that front?
I'd go again but probably for the impressive space and reliablity rather than a culinary revelation.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Overall rating 
Food 7 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
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