Restaurants

With its brief incarnation as just another outlet of Frankie’s Italian Bar & Grill now over, Marco Pierre White’s Criterion is back to what it does best: serving up a sense of occasion on demand with its stunning neo-Byzantine 1870s brasserie decor and its comfortingly familiar French menu. This avenue-like space can feel overwhelming unless it’s busy, but on a Wednesday evening the place was fully booked with theatre-goers and tourists after ‘affordable glamour’, the restaurant’s tag line. The meal itself was a mixed affair; a starter of quail’s eggs was perfect, the eggs warm and runny inside and beautifully served, but a good-enough carpaccio of beef was a very measly portion for £9.95. Grilled lobster in garlic butter was drowning in too much béarnaise sauce to the extent that the lobster could hardly be tasted; in contrast, grilled dover sole was perfect, with rich and subtle multi-layered flavours. The wine list offers few bargains, but there’s an excellent choice for those with plenty of cash. The Criterion may need to up its game when it comes to its food, but even the biggest cynic can’t help enjoying the glittering setting.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008