DT recently received a £50 credit from Amex toward a meal at Palm steakhouse restaurant in Belgravia. We have never dined at The Palm so I googled the restaurant as you do only to discover a particularly scathing review from Guy Dimond @ Time Out:
Palm seems geared to appeal to wealthy but unadventurous eaters. We could almost hear the pity in our waitress's voice as we ordered tap water, the cheapest steak and the cheapest bottle of wine we could find (£19). The bill for two, which included a small lobster (2lb; £40) and a key lime pie which was unexpectedly insipid, came to £160.
Our fellow diners were American tourists, glum-looking Middle Eastern families (one group dining with their bodyguards), a rival restaurateur casing the joint, a dead ringer for Christian Bale in 'American Psycho', and assorted City folk who had fallen for the hype.
Dimond’s review obviously put us off but in the end we threw caution to the wind and decided with 50 quid in our pocket to start with compliments of Amex if Dimonds review turned out to be right it would make it slightly easier to stomach..
After dining at Palm, our question is…
Did Dimond dine at the same restaurant?
Our experience was totally the reverse we really did like the Palm, I must offer a caveat however yes im American but Im not rich!! so perhaps I am slightly biased but my partner is as British as tea and scones so his view does counter the American bias.
Also to note, our expectations are high. We have been fortunate enough to have eaten in some great restaurants all over the globe, 70% of which I would say are built on hype as Dimond unfairly claims is the case with Palm.
The Brit started with Tomato Capri salad and I had Lobster Bisque.
Yes I know a tomato Capri is simple as however you can still makes a hash of it they didn’t it was refreshingly perfect .
My lobster bisque was delicious. Creamy with nice sized chunks of lobster. It left me wanting more.
Mains, Brit - American Filet Mignon Me Ahi Tuna. We shared mixed vegetables (as much as I can share with Mr greedy fast hands you have to be quick) , creamed spinach and fries. The steak and tuna were just perfect. Doggy bags were the order of the day and we enjoyed a beautiful tuna nicoise again in the week.
Time for dessert, I was sadly done, the Brit was also but determined to have the Key Lime Pie to which was not in the least insipid.
Ambience was relaxed and the staff were knowledgable happy and attentive without being intrusive.
A pleasurable experience and we will be going back and I will be looking out for where to eat next based on Dimonds bad reviews.
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