Restaurants

We don’t want to be too harsh on what is, after all, a training restaurant set up by the Training for Life charity to teach the homeless and jobless a trade in hospitality. Still, it would be nice if the instructors taught the students how to take a booking. The first time we rang, we were asked to wait. And wait. But no one ever did come back. So was it worth waiting for? We like the woody, gastropubbish room with its tall windows and parquetry floor, and the menu reads well enough, but the atmosphere was joyless and staff seemed preoccupied. Little things declared the amateur status: the empty salt grinder, the rock-hard butter, the bread rolls reminiscent of airline fare. A simple linguine with confit tomatoes and marinated artichokes was competent, and miniature fish cakes had good form, but an overly ambitious saddle of Kent rabbit stuffed with black pudding was virtually unchewable. We passed on the cocktail of the day, weirdly called a ‘Junge Bag’ – Midori, malibu, Sweet & Sour, pineapple juice and mint cream – but the international wine list starts at a tempting £12.95 per bottle.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009