Theo Randall at the InterContinental Hotel

I came here recently for the first time with a friend of mine on a quiet Monday evening. We were greeted by very friendly staff and immediately ushered through to our table. The restaurant has a very nice, modern decor in keeping with the Intercontinental.

The food here we later discovered, is delicious and the portions are very generous!
Our meal began with some lovely bruschetta and warm foccacia rosemary bread which left me wondering whether I would need a starter at all! However, I erred on the side of caution and went ahead and ordered the pan fried diver scallops on a bed of lentils which were divine! This was followed by the wood roasted monkfish wrapped in prosciutto which again, was very tasty and full of flavour. The wood roasting added a delicious smoky flavour, and I did notice that this is something featured a few times on the menu, so well worth a go in my mind. It also went excellently with the White Burgundy we ordered! My friend ordered the minestrone soup to start which looked, and apparently was, delicious, as was the veal chop which was very generously sized and very tender and juicy. We shared the zucchini fritti on the side which were very tasty but could maybe have done with being a bit hotter.

Not having any room left for dessert we settled at finishing the wine and I had a gorgeous liquer coffee.

Overall a very good evening was had! It wasn't the resturants busiest evening I'm sure, so the atmosphere was probably quieter than usual but I do believe if you're with good company that really doesn't matter so much. I hope to be returning very soon!

I've read a few hit and miss reviews,,, I have to say I have been here a few times… and the one MISS we did experience was very swiftly resolved. … As with all restaurants that have won awards and have a well known chef, one does have high expectations and in turn it can get very mixed reviews. I have always found the staff courteous… We love the bar area…the atmosphere …the food .and we have always had a good evening there ( even though it is healthily priced ) . As i say…we had one occasion whereby my partner had left the fish dish she had ordered . When asked why, she informed the waiter that she thought that it was slightly over cooked ,,, They couldn't have apologised more , She was offered another fish but we were all ready for our next course . Theo , who is always interactive with his customers , came out and apologised. We said that having ate here before we weren't going to be put off. The meal was struck off the bill… as was the half bottle of desert wine as a token. Which in anyones mind was a nice gesture.I would say that I think the menu could be changed more often..but the food I personally find pleasing. The freshly made pasta… the Veal chop is always good… the risotto has always been cooked to perfection … and we love the mixed platter of deserts. The wine list is adeqaute. We personally like the atmosphere of the place and the location is perfect if one wants to go out afterwards !.. Give it a try .. It;s not the cheapest place out there…but I sure you'll like it …

I visited Theo Randall a while ago… We arrived in a group of 8 for a late lunch after a meeting, starving and looking forward to dinner we first had to sit by the bar waiting for our table, despite arriving 15 minutes after the booking time. It took another 20 minutes to be seated and once at the table, getting menus took another 15 minutes. Being that my group were largely clients, I discreetly called the waitress over and explained that service has been a tad lacking and that I would appreciate it if they would do their utmost to look after us and be efficient. We waited again to place our orders but once the starters came out, they were lovely. Main courses looked lovely, although my dish arrived as something completely different to what I had ordered and so although the Chef (Theo Randall himself) sent his apologies from the kitchen, I had to rush through my main as by the time it had arrived, most of my guests had already finished their main. I wasn't able to stay for dessert but my clients and colleagues did and they seemed to enjoy the meal overall. I would say that although the food clearly isn't bad, service is sloppy and often neglectful. Nobody likes having to pull someone up on service at the beginning of a meal, but when you are with clients, sometimes that is what you have to do to prevent a molehill from turning into a mountain.

Last minute booking on a saturday night Warm welcome at reception then led to a horrible part of the restaurant but to be fair at least we got in. Food was simple honest and well executed Wine list as you would expect mainly Italian but lacked flair or imagination. Wine service excellant food service not so good I was given wrong starters and mains.Overall a good night and I would recommend

We decided to book our meal for the early lunch sitting and go for the set menu, as knowing would be in london , and walking all day, the earlier the better! other reviews saying that the restaurant was busy and understaffed could not apply, for as soon as we entered the two other tables that were finishing eating had soon settled their bills and drifted out, looking very content. The service was impeccable. the main waitress for our table was attentive, friendly and, despite describing fried courgette as healthy french fries, was perfectly professional. tap water was poured for and, the wine that at first seemed expensive but after tasting, very fairly priced, was poured perfectly and politely by a very knowledgeable and passionate young waiter. the food was very good, we were allowed four courses ( £27 for three and one extra for £5) which did take us quite a while and although the booking said we could only have 2 hours, they happily accepted us for longer. starters of cured beef with rocket was a perfect, light start, and a point that the food being wholly italian and attempting to accentuate the rustic friendliness and relaxed aspect of Italy's food, it felt a bit juxtaposed against the interior ( admittedly, the STUNNING interior) of a five star london hotel. This said I was there with my partner to enjoy ourselves and we certainly did, our pasta courses, a seafood ravioli and beef fillet and chianti ravioli, were stunning. the beef rich and somehow creamy, with the seafood, (apparently) delicious, and the inclusion of actual fresh seafood, which sadly seems fairly rare in many other places I have eaten, was wonderful. Mains wise, the salmon fillet I had, accompanied by vegetables seasoned and cooked well was a true treat. a huge portion, unexpected when offered the choice of three courses ( possibly the up-selling of the waitress) however the salmon was light, the skin crispy but delicate and the vegetables had a flavour but just the right amount not to distract from the fish, but to compliment its subtle flavours perfectly. The huge portion of guinea fowl that my partner ate was apparently dry and the well hidden marscapone did not do enough to satisfy the tongues need for moisture, however cooked well and soft enough in parts to enjoy the flavour immensely, even if a sauce could have softened the touch slightly. A beautiful pear and almond tart, and an overly priced cappuccino later resolved in a meal that lived up to and satisfied the expectations that I had prior to the meal. I will, and already have recommended it to people, and maybe I am a sucker for a set menu, but presented with the quality and the portions that we had, I think eating earlier and better is the way forward.

Having read previous reviews of this establishment, I booked with high hopes of finally finding a worthy hotel restaurant and chose it for a special annual pre Christmas meal. Upon arrival, service was courteous and friendly but within minutes it was clear that this night was not going to be an easy dining experience.

The first irritation came as we sat down and I noticed that the bags and coats we'd left to be put on the cloakroom were sitting unattended on a chair in the bar area. Given I'd done something valuable shopping I'd kept my eye on it from the table, for a full five minutes before it was finally put away. Not good I decided. Then came the food, slowly followed by the service, also slowly. It was clear the restaurant was understaffed and overbooked, this was visible with staff flying around and the manager pouring wine. Unfortunately it meant we also had to pour own own wine, ask for the dessert menu twice and then be given the set menu options when we were ordering a la carte.

On top of this, food was mediocre with authenticity akin to any Mediterranean style restaurant in any hotel,
surprising for a restaurant that had won Italian of the year. With such poor service and an experience that was slowly dwindling down to average in a soul-less space, we refused to pay service (something which I haven't done since my disastrous visit to Gilgamesh some years ago). Thankfully the frank yet courteous manager admitted short staffing was indeed the problem and accepted our point and made a good effort in trying to get us to visit again. But I'll certainly think twice.

This must be the best value meal in London. The set menu is varied and interesting with a wide range of options including a vegetarian one in each category. We had delicious first courses and thoroughly enjoyed very generous portions of wood pigeon as a main course. The portions were so generous we were unable to cope with a dessert even though they sounded very tempting. The service was informal but very polite and attentive. The only criticism, which is more of a minor detraction than a hindrance was that the restaurant still has the feel of a corporate hotel servicing hotel guests rather than a top class Mayfair restaurant which is what it really is.

Theo Randall is a fantastic restaurant – i picked the place because i'd seen the chef on ‘Celebrity’ Masterchef and thought the food looked divine (coming from someone who doesnt often pick Italian as her food of choice) and the man himself came across a really nice talented sort – rather than the slightly pushy arrogant chefs you often see.

Booked a table for 6 – hotel is impressive as you might expect from Park Lane (think ferraris and lamborghinis parked directly outside), and the restaurant itself is very hotel-ish (think relaxing piano in background). The place was empty and staff were still getting ready for custom. Started with the bread, home made bruschetta and foccacia – beautiful and comforting carbs…then came the menus – to my sheer delight, the set menu was pretty much identical to the a la carte – i rarely ever have the set menus anywhere as they are always limited but here was a dream coup! Cost cutting AND great food – I decided on pan fried chicken livers to start, ricotta and basil tortellini for second, stuffed guinea fowl with mascarpone and pancetta (it really worked!) to follow and pudding was some sort of masarpone and fresh raspberry mix which i think i fell in love with – to the chagrin of my partner sitting opposite. He picked squid to start, pasta with beef for seconds, beef for main and lemon tart for pudding. Everything was flawless, brilliantly presented and also big portions. I was nearly full after the first two courses so by the end, we left feeling completely stuffed, the height of gluttony…

In the end, the place filled up with hotel visitors and the odd couple/loud group here and there. The overall bill came to approx £98 for 4 courses each + two non alc cocktails and 2 supplement charges. The £27 for three courses is a fantastic deal and ive been raving about it to my colleagues – definitely one of the best places to go in London and i cant believe i havent discovered it before. Only thing id say is make sure you are starving beforehand as there is oh so much food – otherwise perhaps avoid 4 courses – my logic was if the Italians didnt expect us to eat 4 courses, they wouldnt have invented the concept. Then again, i did have to roll home down Park Lane…

Having booked short notice the day before I was a little wary on how good Theo Randal’s could be, so went with managed expectations and good job I did!

The food on the whole was more hearty Italian than top end dining. For antipasti I had smoked eel salad, which was a nice meat flavour with subtle hints of smoke, very good. Then for Primi, I had slow cook Veal tagliatelle with summer truffle; the truffle a tasteless waste of time and the pasta was a little too dry and could of benefited with some sauce. Then for main I had the Monk fish and prosciutto, which was good especially the ham.

Where the wheels came off however was the service, it was a good half an hour before we were asked for our orders, and it didn’t occur to them to offer aperitifs, despite having some Archers and Prosecco thing on the top of their menu. Anyway, we ordered our food and aperitifs. A good half hour went by, and we asked again for aperitifs. About forty minutes after ordering the antipasti arrived, and about half way though that the aperitifs arrived. Once the plates were cleared we waited about another forty minuets for the Primi course to arrive, similarly about another forty minutes from those plates being cleared we finally got our mains.

By this point they picked up on our disgruntled body language and various people started to appear to apologise for the poor service. One told us that they were very busy that night, as they had a private function on too; but I am sorry get more staff, we are all paying for an evening out and why should my evening suffer?

They did however offer free pudding to make up for the lax service and long waits, but as we were keen to get off as it was quite late we politely declined. Only to be presented on our exit with a take out box with a couple of deserts in there! (Chocolate mouse cake, very moist and very yum, and a sharp lemon tart which was also yum and in fact these were the best food of the whole evening).

So whilst the food on the whole was good, it wasn’t really up to the standard I’d of thought a restaurant of this class could or would produce, but the wholly inexcusable service means if I want posh Italian food, I’ll go back to L’Anima!

Not being a fan of Italian Food but lured by the £25/ 3 course offer (lunchtime and pre/post theatre) I arrived for our 6pm table. Drinks were ordered and arrived shortly followed by a basket of Bruscetta straight off the Brustolina and warm Focaccio breads (a starter in itself). The set menu arrived which I cynically expected to be limited and designed to steer me straight into the a la carte menu, in fact there was plenty of really interesting choices and settling for Bresaola for Antipasti, Tagliatelle con ragù di manzo (Beef Pasta) for ‘Primi’ and Beef Fillet with Poricini mushrooms for ‘Secondi’ I was offered (and accepted) more Bruschetta. Course by course this meal was an absolute triumph and a total revelation for someone who generally finds Italian food to be rarther bland and uninteresting. No surprise then that Theo Randall won ‘Italian Restaurant of the Year’ last year. This is a great restaurant, go and go hungry because they like to feed you…