140 Park Lane Restaurant at the London Marriott – Review

140 Park Lane Restaurant and Bar
London Marriott Hotel Park Lane,
140 Park Lane,
London, W1K 7AA
Tel: 0871 3328230.

Food type: Modern British

Food rating: 3.5/10

Nearest tube: Marble Arch

Website: 140 Park Lane Restaurant and Bar

Sorry for the absence – I have been a bit busy the past couple of days doing some last minute packing (and I do mean very, very LAST minute)  and shopping before catching my flight back to Malaysia. The flight itself was a good one and I slept well throughout although I had an annoying air stewardess wake me up to for food… ‘No I don’t want any of your food because it’s horrible, thank you very much.’ Incidentally, I bumped into a old schoolmate of mine who was one of the pilots on my flight so I knew that I was in good hands! Anyways, before I flew off, I met up with A and P2 to do a bit of catching up over lunch.  A suggested going to 140 Park Lane Restaurant as they were doing a cheap lunch menu – 2 courses for £15, 3 for £19. When A told me the name of the restaurant I went ‘Ok, don’t need to give me the address, I want the NAME of the restaurant..’ Apparently the restaurant is ingeniously named after its address.

As expected, P2 arrived at the restaurant fashionably late. The restaurant is relatively small with an open kitchen so you can view the chefs in action (or conversely watch their cock ups). The restaurant wasn’t a popular choice for dining, and even at 1.30 p.m. there were only 2 other tables being served. The lunch menu consisted of contemporary British cuisine with 3 options per course including the obligatory vegetarian option. As I was in a bit of a rush – well I had yet to do my shopping OR packing – we opted for 2 courses only (though we did spoil ourselves a bit with a bottle of Rose).

Bread Basket: Sourdough, Rye, Raisin, Sour Cream & Onion

Bread was a selection of Sourdough, Rye, Raisin and Sourcream and Onion – served with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The bread here was warm and of very good quality – nice and crunchy on the outside with fluffy interior (6/10).

Seared Gressingham Duck Breast with Artichoke Purée, Broad Beans & Wild Mushrooms

Our mains was a Seared Gressingham Duck Breast with Artichoke Purée, Broad Beans & Wild Mushrooms which arrived nice and pink the way I like it. The duck breast was moist and tender although it could have done with a lot more seasoning (at least salt was available on the table). The skin was relatively soggy and should have been crisped up slightly.  The duck jus was flavoursome and light and went well with the duck, as did the accompaniments of broad beans and girolles. The artichoke purée was undiscernable though as I initially thought it was mash. There was some inconsistencies with the cooking – while my duck breast was nice and pink, A’s was slightly drier and P2’s was overcooked. Overall though, it was still an enjoyable dish (3/10).

Traditional British Cheese Board: Wig More, Stilton, Golden Cross and Cheddar with Raisin Bread and Grape Chutney

For dessert, I opted for the cheese platter which consisted of Wig More, Stilton, Golden Cross and Cheddar with Raisin Bread and Grape Chutney. The cheese themselves were not of high quality – the stilton in particular lacking any depth of flavour. The raisin bread was very good, keeping with the quality of the bread served and the grape chutney was very delicious indeed. It is unfortunate that such a well composed dish is let down by poor sourcing of produce (2/10 for such ordinary cheese).

Classic Crème Brûlée

P2 went for the Crème brûlée. Crème brûlée is a particularly challenging dish for chefs despite its relative simplicity. Being able to make a good Crème brûlée is a sign of a good chef. From my small bite of P2’s dessert, I found it to be merely pleasant – no where near as good or as silky smooth as the one I had at Marco. (4/10)

Warm Chocolate Walnut Brownies with Rich Vanilla Ice Cream

A opted for the Warm Chocolate Walnut Brownies with Rich Vanilla Ice Cream which I have to say was really good – soft, rich and gooey withoutbeing too sweet. I did not manage to taste the other components of the dish to be able to give a score.

Lunch at 140 Park Lane was pleasant and more importantly easy on the wallet. Service was passable. The waitress had absolutely no idea what the cheese were when I asked her and decided it was in her best interest to make it up –  pointing at Golden Cross and calling it Mature cheddar was laughable. It would have been better for her to have checked with the kitchen. Also, there were problems when making a payment as their card machine was down. After a slight wait, they finally decided to let us fill up a payment agreement form. All in all, while the food was good and the price very good by London standards, 140 Park Lane is not a restaurant which is anywhere near the top of the list of places I will take J to on a date. Overall, the food here scores between 3/10 and 4/10.