Looking for somewhere to meet a friend for lunch near Victoria, I came across Bank Westminster in Buckingham Gate. It’s the sister restaurant of one we went to in Birmingham for a graduation lunch, so I thought it would be worth a try. The entrance is through the St James Court Hotel, which is rather odd, as you have to walk through to the back, past conference rooms etc. The restaurant itself is in a light conservatory with views over the courtyard (though not with access to it which is a shame as it’s a lovely day). It’s pretty busy, but the service is attentive and friendly.
After an amuse bouche of gazpacho, for starters, D and I share an “Asian plate” - excellent spicy fishcakes, tempura prawns, crispy squid, duck spring roll, Malayan chicken skewer, with hoi sin and chilli sauces; good value for £17.75. B has roast scallops with asparagus – full of flavour.
D, who runs a WeightWatchers course, chooses the Halibut from the specials menu, which comes simply cooked with lemon butter, and a naughty but nice bowl of chips (which she omits from the photo she takes!). Apparently the Halibut is good, but at over £20 you’d hope it would be. B has the pork belly with excellent crackling, while have a nicely pink tuna au poivre. We also have the peas with bacon.
With 2 bottles of Viognier, water and coffee, the bill comes to £192 for the three of us, so not a cheap option. But generally I’d say it wasn’t bad value for money for central London.
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