Open Mon–Fri midday–3pm and 5pm–10.30pm; Sat midday–11pm; Sun midday–10pm
This septet of family-orientated Marco Pierre White restaurants have been developed in partnership with top racing jockey Frankie Dettori. We were heading to the Stamford Bridge branch (Dettori is actually an Arsenal fan) where you can currently watch the Ashes or Premiership from any of the 10 large plasma screens lining the walls. There’s also an outside space for when the sun makes an appearance, although there isn’t much of a view (it faces the Millenium Hotel). Inside, a super-sized mirrorball hangs above the large black leather seating area; a well stocked bar runs the length of the wall; smart black and white tiles cover the floor; lighting is neither too bright or too dark; the jazz soundtrack is at the right volume; while the spacious, round tables and comfy leather chairs are perfect for groups of friends and families. It is definitely a place for sports fans though; the TV screens multiply in the surrounding mirrors. We spotted casually dressed families, groups of friends and lone business people – a large man sitting alone was choking on a burger during our arrival.
The Italian-American menu is pretty meat-focused – there’s no vegetarian burger option, for example – so I was disappointed that pizzas were off the menu during our Monday visit. We chose salads to start; chicory, pear and gorgonzola for my friend, Rachel; rocket and parmesan for me (both £5.95 each). Unfortunately Rachel’s was oily, while my bland rocket looked like it had seen better days and the balsamic dressing was very acidic. Both dishes were poorly presented. While we were waiting for our mains, we overheard a nearby table complaining about their food and service. Our service was fine, but we were beginning to feel less hopeful about our mains. Fortunately Rachel fared better with her halibut steak alla Siciliana (£15.50), which was moist and perfectly cooked, but her side of fennel, coriander and capers was drowning in oil. My huge bowl of gnocchi alla Sorrentina (£10.50) was a bit stodgy (although I have had worse), while the sauce smelt and tasted like Heinz tomato soup; the chunks of mozzarella were good, but there were just two fresh cherry tomatoes – I soon got bored. Thankfully, the delicious biscuit-based New York cheesecake dessert (£4.50), which arrived with a sweet passion fruit puree, got the thumbs up. We left agreeing that the restaurant certainly wasn’t first past the post.
A meal for two excluding wine was around £50.
