Massimo

There's no denying that the setting for Massimo is overwhelmingly impressive. It's the kind of place you expect young MPs and civil servants from nearby Whitehall to be frequenting. The enormous, globular light fittings alone prompt 5 minutes of discussion (how do they clean them? what if they need to change a bulb?). This sets culinary expectations as high as the ceilings themselves and the cooking sadly falls well short. A starter of chargrilled octopus tasted more of the char than anything else. My crab risotto main was just a big, brown sloppy-looking plate, with a few crab shavings to break the monotony: not appealing to the eye at all. Whilst it had a pleasantly rich bisque-y flavour, the taste was as one dimensional as the dish looked. My torta della nonna had a pastry crust so hard it was impossible to break without risking the lives of nearby diners and the filling tasted of fluffy but uncooked egg white rather than the creamy, light ricotta it is supposed to be. My companions fared no better with uneventful starters and mains and, horror, desserts unfinished. Whilst service is friendly it is not slick enough for this venue: they wait way too long to take our orders, despite our ‘come hither’ looks; not all the courses arrive at the same time, leaving some to wonder if they will receive their dish at all, whilst the rest of us eyeball our cooling food; clearing away (one rogue dessert plate overstays its welcome by a good 5 minutes) and bill-bringing is also slow. We have a G&T, shared bottle of white wine (between 5), 3 courses, pay £70 a head and feel duped. There are better Italians in London for half the price. This explains why the place is half empty even on a Thursday night. Those MPs and civil servants have headed for Kennington Tandoori instead…

The room is stunning and the quality of the food and service matched. I went on a Saturday evening and the restaurant was busy diners still arriving at 10pm, so a consistently good atmosphere. If you're looking to impress someone, I can think of few better restaurants in London. Cooking and presentation were excellent and the Sommelier very impressive.

ottimo il prezzo, anche se il cibo mancava di personalita'…
l'amouse dello chef non era presentato bene, e privo di sapore…
l'insalata di polipo, non era di qualita', come ci si aspetta da un ristorante che dice di essere rifornito per 2 volte al giorno (come spiega nell'articolo Fay Mashler)… non posso essere preso in giro, visto che di lavoro faccio il venditore di pesce!!!
i paccheri erano l'unica cosa commestibile… ma nulla di piu'…
le triglie main course erano scotte… e con chiari sentori di amoniaca…
ma il peggior punto della serata e' stato raggiunto con il dolce zabaione e biscotti savoiardi (la pasticceria e' una delle cose che piu' mi affascina in un ristorante… qui pultroppo l'esecuzione e' stata disastrosa… cattivo lo zabaione e savoiardi che comprandoli si faceva piu' bella figura.

spero che il mio sia un caso singolo… ma non prevedo un buon avvenire… Massimo un'altro anno Massimo

Massimo was recommended to me by a colleague, I went with my mother after the chelsea flower show, we arrived by the hotel entrance and had a glass of champagne in the hotel before going into lunch, the restaurant while part of the hotel is independent and they still managed to transfer our drink bill to the restaurant, a positive start. Decor in the hotel is stunning and on arrival at the restaurant this continued, we were 30 mins late for our table having lost track of time over the champagne! not a problem for the very welcoming staff, that said it was 2pm and they were very quiet, only 4 tables occupied – thankfully this didn't affect the atmosphere as we were guided to a lovely corner banquet table. The service was friendly, efficient and professional, the waiters knowledge and description of the menu items was terrific. The food was superb, a baked courgette and cheese (sorry cant remember name of cheese) with stuffed flower was wonderful, perfectly seasoned, al dente and full of flavour, my mother had the rack of lamb for main course with asparagus, it was perfect and as she self professed she's very particular about her rack of lamb, we both had spinach as a side and this is one item I always order in restaurants, perfectly seasoned and cooked, delicious. I look forward to going back with my husband and when they are a little busier.

I was at Massimo's with a group of friends and I have to say that it was absolutely impressive and fantastic. You will find the best and fresh fish and seafood in town and the staff it's absolutely amazing. In terms of coming back there it's definitely a YES.
I am happy for being the first one giving a comment about Massimo's