Jen's reviews
Review of The Forge restaurant
19 Nov 07, 11:34
Warm and welcoming 
The Forge is part of a little group of restaurants including La Deuxieme in Long Acre; the chef came from the restaurant at Tate Britain (which I remember fondly), so I was expecting the food to be good, and it was. I defy anyone not to find something they like on the extensive brasserie-style menu of comfort food. I had a wonderful melt-in-the-mouth rib-eye steak with "real" chips that lived up to their name, accompanied by fresh and perfectly cooked french beans. My friends raved about their Eggs Benedict and the Dover Sole.
But it was the ambience that made a real impression: it was amazingly busy for a Tuesday - the restaurant was buzzing; the lighting was soft without being too low; the decor and finish (turquoise comfy leather chairs and exposed brickwork) made it feel warm and welcoming without being too stuffy; and the service was professional and attentive. It reminded me of The Ivy, but with fewer pretensions!
There were 6 of us, and we all had two courses and polished off a couple of bottles of wine and a half-bottle of dessert wine during the meal. The bill came to about £50 per head, which I thought was perfectly acceptable given the quality of food and service. My one gripe is that the wine list was on the pricey side, but we all left full and happy. I would definitely go back.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Skylon
03 Aug 07, 15:22
eating for aesthetes 
Skylon is the new restaurant in the Royal Festival Hall - named after the towering splinter sculpture erected on the South Bank during the 1951 Great Exhibition. The 50s futuristic scale of the space is sympathetically echoed in the muted colours of the new decor: it screams quality, attention to detail (the wonderful staff uniforms) and a certain chilly formality.
Looks aside, I found the dining experience disappointing in small ways. Skylon has the feel of somewhere special: the beautiful flower arrangements, perfect place settings and that fabulous view across the river (most tables are well placed for this) - but that seems to be as far as it goes. There are lots of staff hovering around and each seems to have a highly specialised role - you can't ask waiter A for more water because he's there to take your food order, and waiter B can deliver water but not wine... If you ask for tap water in a carafe they won't leave it on the table because it "doesn't look nice" regardless of how thirsty you are. The food (when it finally arrives) is beautifully presented, but nothing out of the ordinary. And don't expect value for money, you're paying for the view.
Overall, I was left with a feeling of superficiality - if you want the undeniably spectacular view and an impressive space to eat in, this is a good place to come (I can imagine having business meetings here), but don't focus on the food and be prepared to pay more than it's worth.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.