Picture, W1W 6PQ
- 020 7637 7892
- 110 Great Portland Street, W1W 6PQ (streetmap) (osm) (gmap) (bingmap) (streetview)
- picturerestaurant.co.uk
- noon-3pm/5pm-11pm Mon-Sat; closed Sun
A modern restaurant on Great Portland Street in Fitzrovia, featuring kitchen talent from Arbutus amongst others.
Ewan and Kat visited on Friday lunchtime in July 2013. Although it was nearly empty when we arrived at 1pm, it soon filled up and we were glad to have booked. As the room filled up it became quite noisy thanks to the bare walls and minimal furnishings.
Although the set lunch menu looked very good value (£15 for three courses) photo of set menu in Jul 2013, we decided to opt for five small sharing plates which were around £5-£8 each photo of menu in Jul 2013.
Overall the food was very good: fried Lebanese-style chicken (three pieces, well-spiced and breadcrumbed) was excellent photo; ceviche of Torbay sole was delicate and interesting photo; the ravioli of Italian greens and chestnut mushrooms were huge and well cooked (a relief after having had some disappointing pasta dishes recently) photo; and a dish of rare beef steak with carrots was juicy and delicious photo. Strangely our fries and aioli (£3, fine but not exciting) turned up slightly later than everything else.
We decided to go for pudding as well, and were very glad that we did. The chocolate mousse with honeycomb and raspberries (£4) photo was brilliantly done, especially the texture and taste combinations. The panna cotta with Kent mango and an oatmeal and coconut crumble (also £4) photo was excellent too. The panna cotta was included on the set lunch menu when we visited, and I would definitely recommend it.
Service was attentive and friendly, and our jug of tap water was refilled without us asking. A bottle of pinot grigio from somewhere in the middle of the wine list was £25.
Kat's verdict: I would definitely return and try some of the other dishes, especially the puddings. It didn't feel posh enough to stop us eating the fried chicken pieces and the fries with our fingers, but it was fancy enough that my parents would like it.
See also:
- The Evening Standard review (by Fay Maschler)
- Hollow Legs review