Restaurants

On paper, the address seems a plum one: yards from Cambridge Circus, on the cusp of Soho, perfect for a working lunch or a pre-theatre dinner. The reality is different. Stanza is housed in the first-floor space once occupied by starry members’ club Teatro (which remains, albeit in reduced form). While the decor is tidy and the views on to Shaftesbury Avenue are almost voyeuristic, it’s simply not a very inviting room. Worse, the restaurant has virtually no presence at street level: great for imbuing exclusivity, but terrible for attracting the passing trade that Stanza needs to survive. On the forlorn Wednesday lunchtime we visited, no other table was occupied. Perhaps understandably, the kitchen was running at half-speed when dealing with the pleasingly straightforward British menu. The results were best with dishes that required little special preparation (tangy prawn and crayfish cocktail, decent fish pie), less impressive with the trickier stuff (a lifeless pork belly served with greasy roast potatoes, wildly overcooked broccoli). We wish Stanza well, not least for its unfailingly pleasant staff, but we fear the main problem – location, location, location – may prove insurmountable.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009