Cuisine: Modern European
Cost:
Rating:
Where?: 45, Buckingham Gate, London. SW1E 6BS.
Closest station(s): St. James’s Park, Victoria, Westminster.
Telephone: 0207 630 6644
Website: www.bankrestaurants.com
To reach bank Westminster’s dining room we were led through Zander Bar, an uber-modern metallic space which forms part of the Crowne Plaza in Westminster, seconds from St. James’s Park tube. The setting for the restaurant is a huge conservatory – it is just a shame that they have done nothing to make it look inviting. The dining room is utterly soulless.
Once we were brought our menus we had 10 minutes of silence, the menus are huge meaning that any chance of conversation is killed. Thanks to this hiatus in conversation I spent a little longer perusing the menu than I might usually. I don’t know who decided on the Bank Westminster menu however they clearly weren’t very decisive. The menu is split into numerous sections including crustacea, pasta & risotto, meat, grill and Tandor Clay Oven. Why on earth anyone would think it wise to place these food types on one menu is beyond me.
The meat section is a fine example of why bank Westminster fails – sausage & mash, Malaysian chicken, Thai green curry, crispy duck and slow cooked lamb shank – there can't be many chefs out there who have mastered all of the styles of cooking needed to produce great food across this wide specturm of food types.
The food that came to the table was as feared; each dish was just about ok in its own way however it was very much like a reasonable home cook’s attempt at various dishes from a selection of cookbooks that they were given that morning. Those dishes with an Eastern influence were not authentic and lacked any depth of flavour; being cooked in a very much Western style.
With starters around £10 and mains around £20, with a bottle of wine and service came to around £100. There is infinitely better food in London for the same money.
The highlight of the venture to Bank Westminster was the post dinner drink we had in the courtyard behind the restaurant, forming part of the Crowne Plaza. It is a stunningly picturesque space, free from the hustle of Westminster. The G&Ts were excellent and only thanks to these was it that I was able to end the evening smiling.