I can see for miles... (Oxo Tower)

Member Name: grahamt

Product:	Oxo Tower
Date:	23/03/09 (186 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good food ; excellent service ; superb views

Disadvantages: Very expensive

Special occasions deserve special treats and for my beloved no expense is spared. Just as well really, considering the venue. It was her birthday and that of my son as well, just a couple of days earlier. The Harvey Nichols' OXO restaurant on the Southbank of the Thames is a spectacular location and it was here that I had booked a table for a latish lunch using Harvey Nichols' website. The famed OXO Tower can be seen for miles, especially when it's lit up at night. I had often seen it, passed by but had never previously visited, even to take in the view from its balcony.

The plan was to take the train into London using SouthWest's four-for-the-price-of-two ticket offer. Plans go awry where this dismal train company is concerned though. The station from which we had planned to depart is, it turns out, now unmanned on a Saturday. One ticket machine was out of order and there seemed no way to get the special offer on the only other working machine. As I wasn't prepared to pay a whole load extra we all piled back into the car to drive into London.

As it happened, all this took a lot longer than it should due to the police blocking Clapham High Street and forcing an unwelcome diversion through congested Brixton, where every road seemed to be being dug up! In the end we finally arrived in the Borough, looking for a car park some two hours later than intended. My original plans to take in the Tate Modern at Bankside before eating had to be abandoned.

Thankfully the weather was superb, a little breezy but brilliant sunshine none the less. A stroll down Silver Jubilee Way along the banks of the Thames back in the direction of Waterloo was hugely enjoyable, despite the crowds out to do the same. We arrived at the OXO Tower to find one lift to the eighth floor, where the restaurant is to be found, out-of-order, and a queue for the other. When we finally arrived at the top floor we were still a little early for the original table booking. They were very helpful though and we were able to bring our meal forward a little, despite the restaurant being pretty well full.

The restaurant runs the length of the building but is quite narrow, back to front. It is actually divided into two areas: facing the river, to the right the bar and a bar grill; to the left the brasserie. We were eating in the brasserie but waited in the bar with some drinks until our table was ready. These two are run separately so you will have to pay for your drinks before going through for your meal.

The brasserie and bar have high windows running all along the river front and, despite the outside viewing balcony, even if your table in the brasserie isn't right by the windows, as ours was, the view along the Thames and across London is still quite spectacular. Famous landmarks such as the Gherkin, St Pauls, Unilever House, The London School, Kings College and Somerset House, amongst many, can be plainly seen.

The brasserie has a central food preparation area and to one side is a separate bar where you can also eat on stools at a surrounding counter. The main eating area is set along the length of the windows. The tables are fairly well packed in and just short of cramped. It is still possible to overhear conversations from other tables though. However, with the evident popularity of the place, it is understandable that the management would want to maximise the potential. I could have done with just a little bit more space though.

During our meal we were entertained by a twosome singer and instrumentalist. The singer had an extremely good voice and the overall volume was not too loud as to be intrusive. Their music was well-chosen and enjoyable. Their efforts were obviously appreciated by other guests as well, as judged by the regular applause, despite the need to have hands free in order to clap.

But, back to the food. The menu in the bar grill is somewhat more restricted than for the brasserie. In the brasserie a full menu is offered or a set menu at £24 for three courses, which is actually very good value for money. As it happened though, none of our party wanted any of the dishes on the set menu and so all selections were from the full range.

Three of us chose the Spanish style char-grilled squid for starters, which was beautifully cooked, and spiced with a few slices of chorizo sausage and tasted delicious, as was the verdict for everyone's chosen dish. For the main course I selected Sea Bream, which came with a mash and a dressing of finely chopped vegetables in a sauce. Again, everyone voted their chosen dish a complete delight and not a morsel was left on a plate.

The only disappointment was that the wine I had chosen from their extensive selection, a Rhone Valley White Voignier, was not available. In its place I chose a Chablis which, although extremely good, was not what I would have preferred. However, this was really the only let-down of the meal. All of our desserts were also excellent; I chose a Baileys and Banana crème brulee.

Throughout the meal the service was attentive but not intrusive, which is exactly as it should be. We took our time, around two hours, and we were at no time under any pressure to vacate our table before we were absolutely ready to do so.

What about the price then? Well, as you would probably expect, the bill was substantial but, as I said, this was a special occasion and so allowable. For the five of us, with wine and an added 12.5% tip automatically included, the whole came to around £280. Clearly this is not a place we would be likely to eat on a regular basis!

However, for what it offers, the views, the excellent food, the good service, a meal at the OXO Brasserie is justifiable every now and then as a treat. We will probably visit again, but not for a while, not until my wallet has recovered from the shock.

Summary: A meal venue for the special occasion with spectacular views over London and the Thames