Literally thirty seconds from the back gates of Buckingham Palace and Victoria bus station, the area around The Goring is like an oasis of calm in mad, chaotic commuter and tourist hell.
Renovated in 2005, the restaurant itself is calm and understated, so long as you ignore the Swarovski crystal branch-like chandeliers hanging from the ceiling! The dining room is pleasantly well-proportioned meaning there's a good amount of space between the tables, useful as half of the customers look like they're diplomats and ambassadors.
Food is good, but certainly no better than I've had in much less grand restaurants: blue cheese and beetroot leaf salad was good without being anything better and my venison came at a £25 (yes, £25) supplement, on top of the £50 3-course meal bill. Rather than being an out-of-this-world flavour experience, it was rather chewy, and although the accompanying vegetables were excellent, it left me a tad disappointed. Both my partner and I nearly had to be peeled off the ceiling with the horseradish sauce, which although we were warned was very hot, has nothing I've ever tasted to compare it with: I felt it shoot back up my throat and attack my sinuses within three seconds! Deserts were uninspirational and although perfectly adequate, nothing particularly special at all: even now (I went yesterday), I''m struggling to remember what I had.
The meal in total, for a half decent bottle of wine and a 3-course dinner for 2 people with a coffee each at the end came to an eye-watering £225. While I'm happy to pay this for a truly memorable experience (it was my 30th birthday), this just simply wasn't it. Good without being excellent, the place, gastronomically speaking, just didn't excite me enough to justify the price. read more