You cannot overemphasise the spectacular views that greet diners at Chris Galvin's restaurant in the Park Lane Hilton. The panorama of the London skyline is as good as any I have experienced and it was hard not to spend most of the time marvelling at the view rather than focusing on the food. The chef could have served up beans on toast and this would still have been a worthwhile experience. For this reason, a window table is essential and can be all but ensured by request upon booking.
In spite of this, the food on this occasion was somewhat hit and miss. The Michelin Star label is one that I have previously (rather naively) thought of as a guarantee of flawless food. For example, miniscule portions, such as the main course of two tiny morsels of pork cheek served with a single segment of purple potato, are fine if the food is of sensational quality. But in this case, the meat was more gelatinous than wholsome and the purple potato was so small that even eating it in one mouthful might not have provided any further insight as to its flavour. Although lunch for under £30 in such a stylish and picturesque restaurant is always going to be good value, I did feel that I deserved a little more for my money.
Another problem that gourmet restaurants tend to experience is overelaboration. I am not someone who refuses to be wowed when innovative combinations come together to create a glorious result. But at the same time one does sometimes wish that creativity is not replaced by overindulgence. The slow cooked hen egg that was immersed in the chick pea and chorizo veloute (delicious in its own right) left me on the fence. Each mouthful seemed to create greater uncertainty until I wished (I think) that the chef had left his egg uncracked.
One course that certainly was not worthy of any of the criticisms above was the pave of chocolate dessert, served with pistachio ice cream. Here Galvin really struck gold, serving a dish a cut above your average Pizza Express chocolate pudding and creating the perfect accompaniment to a lazy afternoon staring out over the city.
Ratings
Ambience: 8
Decor: 8
Flavours: 6.5
Presentation: 7
Service: 8
Total: 37.5
Price: Lunch - 2 courses for £25, 3 courses for £29 (an excellent Chilean Sauvignon Blanc can be purchased for a further £18 - a bargain in a restaurant of this kind).
Website: http://www.galvinatwindows.com/index.php
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