Most restaurants come and go, the best refurbish and reinvent. Tom Otley revisits familiar territory
THEO RANDALLIntercontinental Park Lane, One Hamilton Place, Mayfair, tel +44 (0)20 7318 8747; theorandall.com
Plenty of high-end hotel groups try and tempt a famous name to add zest to their restaurants, and Intercontinental has scored a notable success in attracting Theo Randall of London's River Café. Before this restaurant was a success at the end of 2006, few had heard of him. Now everyone claims to have been waiting for him to be discovered for years.
This is a very high-end Italian restaurant: expensive, but with top-quality food. The 124-cover restaurant and 20-seat bar have a menu which changes monthly. Starters might include calamari in padella or pan fried squid with borlotti beans from Lamon, chilli, anchovy, parsley and chopped rocket; mains include roast rack of lamb (pink) with roasted carrots, beetroots, celeriac, Jerusalem artichokes and salsa d'erbe, or sea bass baked in foil with porcini, thyme, fennel, vermouth and Italian spinach.
If you enjoy your food, then a trip here is essential. There are issues with the service, however. We were presented with the bill for the neighbouring table twice while waiting for our main course (though we received a very full apology later); the waiters are far too aggressive in topping up glasses with wine, and ours knew next to nothing about the wine list but didn't offer to get the sommelier when we doubted his selection. Hopefully these teething problems can be resolved quickly, and the food can come into its own.
PRICE Set lunch menu: two courses £18, three courses £23. Dinner three courses £42-45, four courses £48-52.
OPENING HOURS Lunch 12-2pm Sun-Fri, dinner 6.30-11pm Mon-Sat.
GAUCHO GRILL
25 Swallow Street, Mayfair, tel +44 (0)20 7734 4040; gaucho-grill.com
The Gaucho Grill (10 restaurants in London and one in Manchester) is having a makeover, starting with this, the original branch in the heart of London's West End. It is a three-level restaurant, bar, night club and event space which after 10 years is just completing an unusual renovation makeover.
There's nothing minimalist or subtle about this makeover. In fact, the décor may be a rather useful icebreaker for a business lunch. Black and white cowhide and smoked glass combine to mix "earthy ranch elements with the sophisticated glamour of Buenos Aires nightlife". If that doesn't get you thinking, nothing will, but full marks for a place that hasn't gone for tasteful beige.
All 11 Gaucho Grills serve only Argentine Aberdeen Angus beef, free-range, hormone-free and, as a result, with 10 per cent less cholesterol and 25 per cent less intramuscular fat than US or UK beef. The steaks are cooked in the traditional Argentine way – only turned once for greater caramelisation and the formation of a delicious crust, sealing in the flavour. And it's all served with popcorn, apparently because this cleans the palate between mouthfuls.
Honestly, this place is unique. There are plenty of authentic choices which don't contain meat and a comprehensive wine list, as well as Europe's first exclusively Argentine wine boutique on the ground floor. Have a look at the website for meeting spaces.
PRICE Two courses £24-28, three courses £32-35.
OPENING HOURS Mon-Sat 12-11.30pm, Sun 12-10.30pm.
MIMOSA
Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel, 21 Lowndes Street, Knightsbridge, tel +44 (0)20 7823 1234; jumeirah.com
Recently reopened after a £8 million refit, the Jumeirah Lowndes, sister hotel to the Carlton Tower hotel round the corner on Cadogan Place, is a modern, stylish boutique hotel, which feels as though it's your own discovery.
Mimosa serves modern European cuisine at reasonable prices (especially considering this is Belgravia, where every third car is a Range Rover, and every second a Bentley). The golden mimosa interiors created by British design team Hunt Hamilton Zuch and tables outside in fine weather make it a cosmopolitan corner of London in summer, as does the international mix of guests. We started with a signature Monkey Passion cocktail (£13): champagne, mixed with the fruit juice of the moment, organic pomegranate.
The menu under resident head chef Martin Gäbler is simple, but well executed. Starters: pan fried scallops, mimosa-infused oil, spicy chilli, cucumber, tomato salsa, mixed leaves (£9.50), mains: roasted chicken breast stuffed with sun blushed tomatoes and pesto, pan fried taleggio polenta cake and creamy mimosa sauce (£16), or rosemary grilled sirloin steak (220g) with fondant potato and green peppercorn sauce (£23).
All in all, impressive, though with the hotel only relatively recently reopened the restaurant was far from full: great if you want a quiet meal for two, but possibly a disadvantage if you are looking to entertain a guest.
PRICE Lunch: two courses £14.95, three courses £17.95. Dinner: two courses £18.95, three courses £23.95.
OPENING HOURS Mon-Sat 7am-11pm, Sun 7.30am-11pm. Bar open late.
