The Warrington

Presumably Gordon Ramsay wasn’t being held to a strict budget when he embarked on his makeover of The Warrington’s first-floor dining room a few years ago, so why he picked possibly the greyest colour scheme & drabbest furnishings is a mystery. Fortunately, the menu is less conservative, taking full advantage of colourful seasonal produce as witnessed in a spring starter of smoked ham with soft quails’ eggs, violet artichokes & sorrel. Main courses demonstrate equal flair, perhaps fillet of black bream with Charlotte potatoes, black olives & capers, while the charms of steamed chocolate & banana pudding are hard to resist for dessert. Dishes are certainly ‘interesting & beautifully appointed’, but the accompanying price tags will no doubt raise a smile for Mr Ramsay. Factor in occasionally ‘haphazard’ service & the restaurant can feel ‘overpriced’. An unalloyed treat, though, is the ground-floor Edwardian pub, gloriously atmospheric & serving great bar snacks, choice global wines, tasty real ales & premium lagers.