Park Row London
A theme restaurant is a risky endeavour depending on how far you take it.
Make some window dressing attempts only, and your lacklustre attempt will be decried as half-hearted. Go too far, and you will be accused of riding a gimmick train, lacking in authenticity when you haven’t gone the whole hog. Of course, there will always be critics either way and you can never please everyone.
So in a cavernous basement in Soho, Park Row London, a homage to Batman has been born. An interesting proposition if not something that would usually be to my liking.
Pulled pork taco whiz, pulled pork taco, beer pickled onion, cheese whizz, fried capers. These were fairly unassuming both in looks and taste. They weren’t bad but were something that could be whipped up in anyone’s (my) kitchen or microwave.
Kahndaqi fried chicken, ranch slaw. The fried chicken was topped with something that looked like caviar but instead tasted of absolutely nothing. The slaw on bottom was rather bland but at least it was crunchy. Overall, rather insipid.
Big belly burger, Wayne estate beef, burger sauce, pickle, onions, American & smoked cheese. I have no idea what this “Wayne estate” is. What it isn’t is Rhug’s farm – that is a place with good cows. Instead, in this case this was nothing special, have had better at McDs.
Fries. An unlisted addition. I was spared any description on the menu though. Fairly ordinary.
Beetroot gnocchi, salmon, mint courgettes, Mauritian curry, lime leaf oil. This definitely lived up to expectations. Expectations that this would be an interesting place to visit. Who would have thought that pasta in curry would have been a good idea. If that combination was not enough to confuse the palate, try adding cubed salmon as well. Perhaps this dish was meant as a Joker’s surprise.
Chocolate choux, sour cherry compote, chocolate cremeux, cherry sorbet. A weirdly stale choux on the bottom, a creamy whipped cream sauce. Strange and altogether not very good.
Be as it may, at least this was a fairly affordable eat, especially at 50% off. So with that price point in mind, expectations were tempered. Sad to say that although this restaurant has been around for almost 2 years now, it still seems like it hasn’t passed the teething stage. Then again, maybe the joke is on me.
A quieteating 4/10.
Lunch was GBP15 (with 50% off offer) excluding drinks and service.
77 Brewer Street
London
W1F 9ZN