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London,
Critic rating
Reader rating
Phone: 020 33717777
Open: Open daily for dinner 5.30pm-late. (Open for lunch from 1 September).
Buddha can you spare a dime: fabulous surroundings but the prices for the small portions of food at Buddha Bar will have you counting the pennies
If you've not yet heard of the Buddha Bar, you soon will.
The originals in Paris and New York are A-list celeb haunts - and the new London outpost is the next hot hangout.
I've got to say visually it's jaw-dropping. Big as a temple, with its two storey-high gold Buddha it reminds you of the kung fu climax in Kill Bill: Vol 1.
It's all about the velvet rope here so call ahead to be on the guest list, then you can ogle the stars to your heart's content at the reasonably priced bar.
And if I were you, I'd stay there. The date had a fine Old Fashioned cocktail (£8.50) and I enjoyed a lovely Cinderella (pear juice, Woodford Reserve, XantÈ, bitters, £9.50). But in the restaurant things went a bit pear-shaped.
We liked the food - it was innovative, freshly prepared and served. The problem was stingy portions at inflated prices.
My £15 starter was two measly bits of crayfish wrapped in sliced raw carrot, pepper and avocado.
A £10 hot dish of wok-fried calamari and frogs' legs had the spicy kick of a posh KFC, but without the portion size. Next up, duck breast with bok choi and mushrooms came to £14.50, but was no better than you'd get for half the price in Chinatown.
I liked my main, a roasted black cod in a lovely miso sauce, but it wasn't worth £21.50. It wasn't even accompanied: a side of steamed veg will cost you £8.
Afterwards we felt so poor we couldn't get a taxi home, let alone a £44 Buddha Bar T-shirt. This is the place to be for the next few months, so enjoy the bar and leave dining to the wealthy A-listers.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
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