St Alban, St. James's, London

I came here for an evening celebration with my good friend after we had read sparkling reviews of the place in various papers. I have to say that the airport ambience did put us off a bit (huge tables, openplan restaurant); we were seated on the corner of a table that could have held 15 people. While the food was really good, it wasn’t as brilliant as we’d hoped for. See my review of Joanna’s restaurant for somewhere that does classy food without all the flashing lights that accompany St Alban. Certainly the service was great, but for the astronomic price I expected to be blown away, and I wasn’t. Their pork belly was just a little bit too sticky to be completely enjoyable. Cheeses were very nice for puddding but TEENY TINY portions.

The food was very, very good at lunch. I had perfect salad of cornish squid to start, followed by very good (though not as perfect) crispy pork belly. The rice pudding to end was even better than Mum’s (sorry Ma). What really made it for me was the quality of service. Very relaxed, but spot on in terms of attentiveness and helpfulness. So four stars for food, five stars for service.

Sorry everyone but my experience at this supposedly excellent restaurant was bitterly disappointing. I walked out of there wandering if this could be the modern day version of the Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale 'The Emperor’s New Clothes’. What was all the hype about? Had the chefs lost their minds that evening and decided to swap roles with the waiting staff? Quite possibly. Don’t get me wrong I like minimalist, but just wasn’t convinced by the decor and the canteen style layout sadly lacked atmosphere and failed to impress. I’m not being a snob because if the food is good, I think you can eat just about anywhere - however in a place like this you expect the whole dining experience to be first rate. Not the night I was there. Unfortunately the food was decidedly average too. I can get better at my local pub.

Only a four star for me.
Yes the food tastes really nice, the service was good. The fish dishes all sounded fantastic to me, but:

On entering this buzzing restaurant, I already caught a distinct smell of fish. Not dramatically bad, but also not something you smell in really excellent fish restaurants.

Therefore I chose more standard vegetarian food: a Gazpacho, which was very good and a Pizza with Goats Cheese, which was good as well, but things did not excite me as much as to match my expectations after the massive credentials from Phil.

The other thing that turns me off many of London’s “buzzying places” is the shear level of noise. It was really really hard to understand what the people across our table were saying. Interestingly, I find this most disturbing here and at the Wolseley.

I agree with Phil completely. Even though I was in fact paying it was worth every penny. :-) The soft shelled crab as the starter was superb followed by perfectly tender calfs liver on polenta. Its nice to find an upmarket place that is as friendly and attentive to all its patrons. We shall be going back.

Have been exploring lunch venues within reach of Qype HQ now we’ve moved to Leicester Square, and came across St. Alban today. Absolutely fantastic lunch in a laid back yet fairly stylish setting, hidden from the maddening crowds behind thick set doors and frosted glass on Lower Regent Street.

I took the quail and pancetta salad to start, which was divine. Tiny soft boiled eggs with strips of quail in a great dressing, oily, but not over the top.

Following that, the roast pork belly with white peaches and black pudding was out of this world. Lovely cracking on top!

For dessert, I had a summer berries with a blackberry sorbet, all washed down with a delicious glass of Gaillac - an old favourite of mine from when I lived in Toulouse.

Top notch, great service, and not outrageously expensive either. Especially if you’re not paying. I shall be back!

Interesting latest celeb haunt, from the Wolseley team, although I don’t like it as much.
The room is very open, and has a slightly canteen feel, albeit with pristine white tablecloths.I’m also not keen on the obscured windows, but it does stop people coming off the street for MY autograph!
The foods good, and not too highly priced… worth going to, but will never be a regular haunt for me.

I have kept rather quiet about his restaurant, albeit a little selfish :-) But feel it needs a review here as I am sure the members will agree with me on all points.
We had what was one of the most satisfying meals I have ever had in London. The service is by far the best I’ve ever had in London, attentive and polite. The decor is unusual (think airport diner), very art deco and not too over styled. The food was fabulous we both had seafood dishes and it was perfection and tasty. Before the meal they brought a basket with freshly baked breads and fruity olive oils, don’t overdo the breads though, save some space for the delightful meal. I also have to recommend the desserts, light and heaveny, not oversweet.
I arrived at the restaurant early, was escorted and seated at our table and a glass of delightful champagne appeared to keep me company whilst waiting.
Do book though or be prepared to queue, some say they have a 2 hour table limit, but I have never found that was the case.