I never felt any desire to visit a Gary Rhodes restaurant. The main reason for this is that, as an avid food programme enthusiast, I have always switched the channel whenever his out-of-date coiffure invaded my living room. Not so much his hair, as his condescending tone irritated me. I never liked watching him degrading international star chefs in their own countries, to mere sous-chefs while he talked non stop about their dishes. Or speak to us viewers as if we were slightly moronic. And then I was invited to a birthday party at RhodesW1. The entire dining room was booked and the venue was quite pleasant. It boasts great chandeliers and very luxurious furniture.The light design was particularly nice.
When we arrived we had champagne and unmemorable canapes in the foyer until finally the dining room opened. Generally the service was good: attentive and unfuzzy. But it is very difficult to judge the service of a restaurant when the entire dining room is supposed to be served at the same time. That night they could have done with a few more waiters.
As for the food, it was not bad, but it was not great. For starters we were served foie gras with duck which was cold, although I am pretty sure it was supposed to be warm. It was fine. As main course the chosen dish was an unspectacular smallish cod with lentils which unfortunately was embellished with needless bits of bacon – as a result only half of our table ate it – they did not miss out on much. It is a dish I have eaten many times before in other London restaurants without the bacon bits at, much higher executed standard. The dessert, a chocolate and hazelnut concoction, was a little too sweet for my taste.
To be honest our menu was boring, the food was indifferent and on the small-portioned side, but I recognize that it was pre chosen for us. It still did not change my mind. Gary Rhodes might be the complete opposite of what he comes across like on television, but now that I have eaten at one of his restaurants, there… More