In Savile Row of all places, it seems fair to judge by appearances. At this Conran group Italian, the multi-various staff uniforms suggest that it requires a hierarchy of seven grades of operative to bring you lunch. It may therefore fairly be claimed as an organisational triumph that the service works at all. Unsurprisingly, however, there is no proper rhythm to the performance, and – with the staff’s movements apparently choreographed by some unseen Fat Controller – no feeling that anyone visible is really in charge of your table.
Anonymity similarly characterises the interior of this Mayfair corner site, which cannot shake off the feeling of a smart, and quite large, hotel brasserie. Conran design – it has long seemed to us – is essentially a one-trick pony. As far back as 1991, our guide noted that the décor of the then-new Pont de la Tour would ‘hold few surprises’ for those who have been to Bibendum. Visits to subsequent Conran restaurants have also frequently given us that feeling of déjà -vu all over again. This one is no exception, with a perfunctory tailoring theme doing nothing to relieve a sense of safe modern tedium.
The food, however – now presided over by ex-Refettorio chef Pasquale Amico – was sometimes pretty good on our visit, and, by local standards, not greedily priced. Impressive choices included a pasta dish, a chocolate pudding and a textbook espresso. On the downside were dull bread and a main course that reminded me of what, at college, they used to call Beef Olive. This grey and under-seasoned little number, however, was made with pork, and came – as if to emphasise its beige-y blandness – dressed only with boiled potatoes.
The wine list, almost all Italian, offers limited choice under £25 a bottle, but that does nothing to dent its popularity with its almost exclusively business clientele.
