PROVIDING a meal after the show impos- es subtler demands
on a restaurant than merely serving up a good dinner. Late in the evening, after a lengthy opera or gru- elling play, one can be both tired and exhil- arated, in search of a buzzing atmosphere and tasty food, rather than just an elabo- rate meal. So a menu that tempts the taste- buds is an advantage, and one that offers some lighter items will be easier to digest. A problem for the restaurant is that large numbers of customers are liable to arrive on the doorstep at the same moment, all eager to be seated forthwith at the tables they have reserved. There is no joy in hav- ing a drink at the bar as the clock pushes past 11. So a restaurant that is going to please the Covent Garden clientele needs to be imaginative and highly organised, and if it can also tempt to its tables some of the performers the diners have just watched, so much the better.
I have recently visited five of Covent Garden's finest after the show: two Ameri- cans, two Italians and The Ivy, probably theatreland's most popular restaurant, where you are likely to spot Joan Collins at one table, Trevor Nunn and Imogen Stubbs at another, and Christopher Biggins hop- ping in between. The large, New York- originated Joe Allen also doesn't do badly for thespians, dancers and the occasional singer, and its long bar confronting you on arrival, Broadway playbills on open brick walls and red and white checked table- cloths all make for a satisfactorily show- bizzy atmosphere. The American-inspired cooking is in tune too, and the staff, many of whom are `resting' actors, make up in style what they may lack in skill.
My visit to Joe Allen's produced a corn-
petently prepared meal that fitted the late- night bill and did not dent the wallet too painfully (note that they do not accept plas- tic). A robust cod-cake, flavoured with orange and basil oil and salmon caviar, was my choice of starter, and my French diplo- matic friend enjoyed generously sliced, well-cured gravadlax with a good mustard and dill sauce. She followed this with a salad, a rather over-elaborate one of spinach, endive, goat's cheese, pears, pep- pers and walnuts: too many ingredients, my dear Joe. My spicy roasted chicken breast with a mustard and vegetable sauce, wilted greens and new potatoes offered juicy chicken pleasantly prepared. With a por- tion of commendably traditional cheese- cake, coffee and a half-bottle of white Macon Villages, the bill came to a highly acceptable £43.90, excluding service.
You will need to double that to dine after the show at Christopher's, where the food is similarly New York fast and not actually any better, if as good. The room is stunning, as is the staircase one ascends to reach it, but, once there, the atmosphere is bankerish rather than dramatic, and the service haphazard. A disaster over our main-course order resulted in the wrong dishes being brought, but Richard, the manager, sorted things out with charm, He did not charge the £15 price of my black- ened rib eye steak, and offered desserts and coffee on the house. With these deductions my bill was £55; without them it would have been £86, for a pretty ordinary meal, where a solitary, limp and meagre crabcake cost £9 as a starter.
Italian cooking goes down well for late eating, and two of Covent Garden's most popular Italian restaurants are Orso (which `We're in trouble dear—the false bonhomie's running out ' belongs to Joe Allen) and Bertorelli's, opposite the Royal Opera House's stage door. At Orso the cooking often seems patchy, and the service unpolished. The room, with its hideous light brackets and bathroom tiling, does not enchant, but the showbiz crowd flock there and the place certainly buzzes. On a recent visit, with another French friend, we had a satisfacto- ry, if not inspiring meal. The pizzas are always excellent, and mine, with large prawns, rocket, hot peppers and garlic, was pleasingly crisp. Less enjoyable was my rather tough grilled lamb steak with roast- ed aubergines. The French choice was buf- falo mozzarella, spinach and tomato salad, followed by taglierini with prawns and arugula, both acceptable but not exciting. With some parmesan afterwards, coffee and Valpolicella, the bill came to £57.50 with tip.
More refined and imaginative Italian cooking may be found in Bertorelli's large, bustling two-tier room in Floral Street. There, bresaola with rocket and parmesan was much enjoyed, though my smoked mozzarella stuffed with mushrooms offered rather solid cheese. Main courses were an interesting pasta — maltagliati — with a sauce of ground chicken livers and spicy tomatoes, and fine char-grilled tuna steak on radicchio, served with a good pesto. Helpings were large, and with a bottle of Tuscan red Santa Cristina and coffee the bill, including service, came to £64.
Far and away the best of my theatrical quintet is The Ivy, where the large room resounds with a first-night atmosphere and the service is swift, charming and perfectly oiled. It helps that one or other proprietor as well as a team of managers are invariably present. The menu is admirably extensive, so you may choose anything from caviar or saute foie gras to hamburgers, fish and chips or shepherd's pie. There are also such appropriate late-evening dishes as kedgeree, scrambled eggs and smoked salmon, and splendid salmon fishcake. I started with chilled pumpkin soup with pesto, and went on to that Ivy classic, per- fectly produced eggs Benedict. My Polish academic friend chose the char-grilled fish of the day: excellent sea bream with red pepper polenta. With coffee, a half of St Nicolas de Bourgeuil, and Badoit the bill came to £52.50, plus tip, for a sophisticated and exhilarating after-opera supper. The Ivy truly knows how to do it.
Joe Allen, 13 Exeter Street, London WC2; tel: 0171 836 0651.
Christopher's, 18 Wellington Street, London WC2; tel: 0171 240 4222.
Orso, 27 Wellington Street, London WC2; tel: 0171 240 5269.
Bertorelli's, 44a Floral Street, London WC2; tel: 0171 836 3969.
The Ivy, 1 West Street, London WC2; tel: 0171 836 4751.
David Fingleton
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