If you haven't heard of them already, the Bourne and Hollingsworth Group own cocktail bars and run themed events in London. B & H Buildings is the first culinary venture by the B & H Group. This lovely little spot is tucked away in Clerkenwell. The bar and restaurant are absolutely lovely; you are transported into a concrete conservatory with big comfy arm chairs and plants galore.
There are unusual little touches like a daily menu complete with a weather update...
My friend and I picked the same cocktail - one with alcohol and one without. The Eton Fizz is made with gin, strawberries, lemon juice, honey, Greek yoghurt and soda. It had a light smoothie-esque taste and it was delicious.
The food however...
The problem was that my expectations were too high. The maitre d was kind enough to send me the menu beforehand. It looked carefully thought out with fuss free options to suit all. My mind was set on the slow cooked feather steak with red wine sauce, baby carrots and sweet onions. On arrival, we were told that the steak was not available. So I went for the curried grilled chicken breast, honey pineapple, red bell pepper coulis and crunchy rice. Unfortunately it was bland, and overly creamy. Having said that, the crunchy rice was an unusual but nice compliment and the chicken was well cooked.
My friend ordered the tempura cod fillet, potato rosti, mushy peas and tartare sauce. She loved the lemony mushy peas but described the meal as overly priced fish and chips.
The food went from average to bad when it came to dessert. The caramel fondant was burnt and therefore extremely bitter. The saving grace was the chocolate ice cream (which there wasn't enough of). Our waitress very kindly removed the fondant from the bill.
Following on from that, I should say that the service was excellent throughout the meal and we loved the ambience and general feel of the place. It's perfect for a quiet catch up with a friend or a relaxed romantic evening out.
I'll definitely be returning for drinks at the bar but the food wasn't up to par. There are some excellent brassieres in London and B&H Buildings will really have to focus on the food in order to keep up.
Regretfully giving this one 3 forks. It may be teething problems - the restaurant only opened last week; but I had such high hopes! On a more positive note, I can't wait to try out the Group's bars, Bourne and Hollingsworth and Reverend J.W. Simpson for more cocktail fun!
Rating: 
No comments:
Post a Comment