Bank, Browns and Irving's
COVENT GARDEN and surrounding theatreland is unquestionably the area of London most heavily populated by restau- rants. During this autumn three large, new establishments have already opened, and I dare say others are set to follow in the new year. The three recent openings are all well placed for theatre-goers. Bank is in the for- mer NatWest bank premises on the corner of Kingsway and Aldwych, Browns is in St Martin's Lane, right beside the Albery The- atre, and Irving's is actually part of the newly restored Lyceum Theatre, just down the road from the Royal Opera House. So, provided what they offer is worth eating, all three are poised to capture what seems a limitless trade.
Bank certainly looks likely to succeed. It is huge and in the currently fashionable American style. Designed by Julyan Wick- ham, responsible for Kensington Place and Harvey Nichols Fifth Floor, you enter to an endless, brightly lit bar on your left, and a long, mirrored corridor straight ahead, which leads past open-plan kitchens — very modish this — to a vast, primary-coloured room with blue pillars, red and yellow walls, pink chairs and white table-cloths. There is a huge mural of Coney Island exe- cuted by Pola Wickham, and a colossal glass assembly suspended from the ceiling, which I would not care to be near during an earth tremor. The effect is brash, noisy and rather stylish. Bank's owners are Cutty's, suppliers of fish to the restaurant trade, and the cook- ing thus leans to the piscine, while by no means neglecting meat. The chefs are Christian Delteil, formerly proprietor of the distinguished L'Arlequin in Battersea, and Tim Hughes, previously head chef at Le Caprice. They have composed a fine, wide-ranging menu, and when the Oxford linguist and aspiring soprano Jane Barrett and I went there after an interminably dull performance of Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Royal Opera House, the meal did much to restore our spirits. Jane began with some delicious poached oysters with Madras but- ter, prepared with curry, pumpkin chutney and shredded cucumber and served in the shell, and I with some juicy sweetbreads in a buttery sauce on good toast. After this I had Bank fish and chips, made with splen- didly fresh halibut, comforting mushy peas and impeccably dry, thick and floury chips. The tartare sauce was fine, but almost unnecessary. Jane chose a maize-fed chick- en, stuffed with spiced crab and served with a decent sauce and mangetout peas. We ended by sharing an excellent dessert of rhubarb and orange sable with delicious mascarpone ice-cream. With good espresso coffee and a sound Sauvignon de Touraine the bill came to an acceptable £68.83, including 12112 per cent service. Bank is clearly a welcome new arrival on the scene.
Browns would be too if they could get their cooking right. An offshoot of the Oxford and Cambridge fast food establish- ments, it has taken over the old Westmin- ster County Court to provide a vast, attrac- tive Victorian hall, adorned with ceiling fans and pot plants and seating over 300 people on bentwood chairs at circular tables. The effect is pleasing and the menu reads well, augmented by daily specials on blackboards. When the solicitor Tara Corry and 1 went there after ENO's splendid mafioso Rigolet- to at the Coliseum, it became progressively clear that Browns' kitchen was winding down for the night. My Caesar salad was limp, tired and tough, though Tara's mottles marinieres were acceptable. My roast poussin was dry and dull, with a horrid bear- naise sauce, dreadfully limp chips and uneat- able vegetables of the day — oily strips of carrots and parsnips. Neither crème brulee nor banana cream pie raised our spirits thereafter. It must be said that service was charming, managerial concern was expressed at our disappointments, and desserts and coffees were not charged for. It should also be noted that the head chef was not there on the night I went. If I can summon up the courage, I shall give Browns another try, for it has a sympathetic ambience.
I do not think I will return to Irving's. Owned by the Apollo Leisure Group, this 100-seater in an over-spot lit, low-ceilinged room with reproduction antique furniture feels many miles from Covent Garden: more like a four-star hotel in the Midlands. The chef, Malcolm Friend, used to work at the Royal Britannia Hotel in Docklands, and when Ron Hall, London editor of Conde Nast Traveller, and I went there after a gruelling Gotterdammerung at Covent Garden, he did not provide a single dish that we enjoyed. The cooking was clumsy and dull, and in some cases bore little rela- tion to the description of the dish on the menu. Three courses and coffee come to a moderate £24.70, though you need not have all of them. Ron's verdict, and one that I totally endorsed, was, 'This isn't cooking, it's catering.' As such I think Irving's may be left to coach parties from out of town.
Bank, 1 Kingsway, Aldwych, London WC2; tel: 0171 379 9797. Open all week Browns, 82-84 St Martin's Lane, London WC2; tel: 0171 497 5050. Open all week Irving's, 21 Wellington Street, London WC2; tel: 0171 240 4320. Open all week
David Fingleton
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