London - The Criterion
Winter 2009
Frank's view 
Tourist trap
How many grand restaurants in the world can claim a heritage dating back to 1873?
When The Criterion first opened its doors in London's Piccadilly Circus, Queen Victoria still had almost 30 years left on the throne. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would sip his favourite tipple at The Criterion Long Bar whilst monotonously refining the enigmatic Sherlock Holmes and his curious relationship with Dr Watson. (In modern times best selling characters are apparently created in Edinburgh coffee shops). Fast forward to the early twentieth century and Winston Churchill would be locked in political banter with David Lloyd George, H G Wells would be hosting annual dinners for the Royal College of Science in between knocking out chapters of War of the Worlds, and in even more recent times The Criterion had a new owner by the name of Bruce Wayne, AKA Batman, in the movie 'The Dark Knight'.
In March 2009, The Criterion was bought by Vasily Sopromadz, a Russian entrepreneur from St Petersburg. Holmes would have made a rapid retreat to Baker Street and Winston C would be in a spin 6 feet under, but the tourists are flocking through the doors in their droves.
Chef Matthew Foxon makes a big thing in the menu about only using fresh British produce which is admirable and also adds to the tourist appeal. The food is good and fairly priced. The Bouillabaisse, is really fish soup, but excellent at £8 as was my Cornish Crab (£9.50). Main courses peak at £25.50 for Fillet of Beef, but most are sub the £20 mark. The wine list is also fairly priced. I pushed the boat out and spent £42 on a Daniel Shuster Pinot Noir.
What particularly impressed me about the Criterion's service was their response to my booking via Opentable, the on-line booking service. In the comments section I requested a table where two people could sit side by side rather than opposite each other. The maitre 'd showed us to the corner table at the far end of the room. It was perfect. I thanked the maitre 'd for acknowledging my request. Opentable is a slick service and, although most restaurants will probably ignore requests, it is worth making them for the odd one or two which oblige.
Back to The Criterion as a dining venue. The place is heaving, the food is good and the neo-byzantine architecture is stunning, but for us Brits it's a ballroom where no one dances, the set of an extravagant costume drama or a venue to visit in an exotic foreign town.
The tourists love it, and will no doubt secure The Criterion's future for another 130 years.
The Criterion
224 Piccadilly
London W1
020 7930 0488
http://www.criterionrestaurant.com/
When The Criterion first opened its doors in London's Piccadilly Circus, Queen Victoria still had almost 30 years left on the throne. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would sip his favourite tipple at The Criterion Long Bar whilst monotonously refining the enigmatic Sherlock Holmes and his curious relationship with Dr Watson. (In modern times best selling characters are apparently created in Edinburgh coffee shops). Fast forward to the early twentieth century and Winston Churchill would be locked in political banter with David Lloyd George, H G Wells would be hosting annual dinners for the Royal College of Science in between knocking out chapters of War of the Worlds, and in even more recent times The Criterion had a new owner by the name of Bruce Wayne, AKA Batman, in the movie 'The Dark Knight'.
In March 2009, The Criterion was bought by Vasily Sopromadz, a Russian entrepreneur from St Petersburg. Holmes would have made a rapid retreat to Baker Street and Winston C would be in a spin 6 feet under, but the tourists are flocking through the doors in their droves.
Chef Matthew Foxon makes a big thing in the menu about only using fresh British produce which is admirable and also adds to the tourist appeal. The food is good and fairly priced. The Bouillabaisse, is really fish soup, but excellent at £8 as was my Cornish Crab (£9.50). Main courses peak at £25.50 for Fillet of Beef, but most are sub the £20 mark. The wine list is also fairly priced. I pushed the boat out and spent £42 on a Daniel Shuster Pinot Noir.
What particularly impressed me about the Criterion's service was their response to my booking via Opentable, the on-line booking service. In the comments section I requested a table where two people could sit side by side rather than opposite each other. The maitre 'd showed us to the corner table at the far end of the room. It was perfect. I thanked the maitre 'd for acknowledging my request. Opentable is a slick service and, although most restaurants will probably ignore requests, it is worth making them for the odd one or two which oblige.
Back to The Criterion as a dining venue. The place is heaving, the food is good and the neo-byzantine architecture is stunning, but for us Brits it's a ballroom where no one dances, the set of an extravagant costume drama or a venue to visit in an exotic foreign town.
The tourists love it, and will no doubt secure The Criterion's future for another 130 years.
The Criterion
224 Piccadilly
London W1
020 7930 0488
http://www.criterionrestaurant.com/
Be Frank: agree or disagree? What do you think?
