Sanctum Soho's Restaurant is a Little Underwhelming

July 1, 2009 at 5:17 PM | by juliab | Comments (0)

We liked Sanctum Soho when we looked around it back in April (a lot more than the New York Times did, as it turned out). We said at the time that, as long as the clientele were up to scratch, it held a lot of potential.

Last night we found ourselves back there, eating at No. 20, the restaurant. We had high hopes � it looked pretty fine when we saw it pre-opening, what with its sexy booths and scarlet bar � and we were looking forward to the puddings described in the Sunday Times as �the sort of thing that could make all the difference on a first date�.

It�s all English classics on the menu here � fish pie, steaks, as well as further fetched things like wagyu burgers. The Head Chef, Gavin Austin, promises �a cuisine that is highly focused, with bold flavours and a marked personality�.

Rather too bold for us, unfortunately. The chips were massively oversalted, the burger was a bit tepid, and the fish pie was too big, a bit uggers, and not great. We tried a pudding for fairness�s sake � apple crumble � and it was equally underwhelming. And it all came in at a fairly pricey �38 a head.

The floor was so creaky that you could hear it over the music, and the service lurched between unbothered, bothered that we were taking too long to choose, and obsessive compulsive � having our napkins refolded and put on the table when we went for a pitstop in the ladies room. No wonder only three tables were occupied.

All in all, a big Could Do Better. Nice wine and good starters though. If they only work on the rest of the food and the screwed up floor, the restaurant could be as nice as the hotel. In the meantime, we�re off to a gastropub.

Related Stories:
· Sneak Peek at London's Rockstar Hotel, The Sanctum Soho [HotelChatter]
· Sanctum Soho [Official Site]

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