Time Out says
Wed Jun 27 2012
Third time’s a charm, or so we’re told. Walking into the latest pub from the crew behind the Queen’s Head & Artichoke and the Norfolk Arms, it certainly like they'd got things right this time. The décor and the menu are more lean and fashionable than at either of FOTL’s siblings: black and grey meets expensive oak and exposed bricks (though the hams swaying in the window are a common feature). The compact Catalan-slanted tapas menu is equally modish.
Yet on our visit, the experience was a touch shambolic. Our reservation had been misplaced, and the upstairs dining room, smart and airy though it was, had a lingering just-painted smell. We took our chances and waited for a table in the lively ground floor bar, sipping sherry (a fine oloroso from Hidalgo – though perhaps too fine, as they had just run out and could only provide 50ml) and a cold pint of draught Mahou (a mainstream Spanish lager).
Having spied a spice-crusted and spatchcocked baby chicken that smelled as good as it looked, we broke our ‘no chicken’ rule to order it. But when it arrived, it was the pale cousin to the one we spotted earlier. Another table, we noticed, had just received a similarly nude specimen. Our waiter, unable to explain the discrepancy, went off to ask a manager and never returned. We can only assume they ran out of fully-spiced versions and hoped no one would notice. Still, the meat was tender and juicy, while the accompaniment of sweet prunes and toasted pistachios (a twist on the more traditional Catalan mix of raisins and pine nuts), set over a heap of wilted spinach, worked well.
Elsewhere, a trio of ham croquetas and a classic tortilla were properly cooked. A small bowl of escalivada (a sort of Catalan ratatouille, made with chunky aubergines, tomatoes, chilli and onions) was decent, but not outstanding. The cold dish of broad beans and baby squid (swimming in their own ink) was in the same vein.
Which sums this place up: a stylish spot where the cooking is good but not great. Living off ‘the fat of the land’ means having the very best of what’s available. This restaurant and bar may already be buzzing with well-heeled residents and workers, but if it wants to stand shoulder to shoulder with the exceptional Spanish restaurants of nearby Fitzrovia, it’ll need to work that bit harder.
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