| Product: |
Sarastro |
| Date: |
29.08.06 (470 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: decor is different
Disadvantages: food, service, no non - smoking section offered to us, tasteless washrooms
Back In January, one of my fiancé's colleagues recommended Sarastro to us as a nice restaurant for our anniversary. He said that Sarastro boasted both a romantic atmosphere and a vast selection of delicious seafood on its menu. As we approached the establishment, however, which is located just off Covent Garden in Drury Lane, we started to have our doubts. It looked a little bit too hidden. While the menu looked alright, a peak inside through the glass doors have us the impression that it was a little to "kitsch" for our liking. We walked away without entering and went elsewhere. A couple of weeks ago, however, we were in the mood for some adventure and decided to give it a try. How we wish we had followed our first instincts!
***The history***
The restaurant was opened in 1996. It was created and designed by artist and international designer Richard "Salim" Sleeman who was responsible for creating a Turkish bath and art gallery in Southern Spain. It was his idea to place contemporary items and period art all around the restaurant to give it a unique and flamboyant feel.
Sarastro was named after one of the characters of Mozart's "The Magic Flute".
***Ambience and décor***
The restaurant looked a lot more inviting from the outside in the summer than it did during the grey winter months. Sarastro is decorated with lovely colourful flowers on the outside, giving it a spring-type and refreshing feel. We approached and entered the restaurant without actually checking the menu again.
The impression that Sarastro is a little "kitsch" was instantly confirmed as we entered. The place is dominated by tones of shimmering gold and red, giving it a mix of a medieval and opera house feel. We were greeted by a host who asked us how many people were in our party and then quickly waved over his colleague to lead us to a table.
In terms of the layout, Sarastro sports a "cubicle-type" setting, giving the diners a feel of intimacy - as long as the restaurant is not overcrowded. In the middle, they have a long wooden table, which is intended for large parties. Some of the little cubicles (or opera boxes) include two tables for parties of two - and in fact, the waitress initially intended to seat us next to another couple, until we looked at her with disapproval and she sat us elsewhere. This turned out to be a good move on our part, as the other couple proceeded to chain smoke throughout the meal - indicating clearly that Sarastro either has not moved into the 21st century and to segregating smokers from non-smokers or that they were too ignorant to actually ask where we would like to be seated.
Initially, we were a little impressed with the setting. Each opera box has lovely colourful satin table clothes and a funky satin napkin, which the waitresses will place over your lap. You kind of feel like you are in an ancient, stationary coach. However, the seating arrangements are not particularly comfortable and certainly are not very accessible to elderly customers. The bench is hard and set too low and the table is consequently so high that you feel that you are drowning.
As this venue is intended to be frequented by theatre and opera lovers, the music is clearly operatic in style. At first it did not really register with us, but as the evening went on, we found it too loud and too intrusive.
***The menu***
I was actually very impressed with the menu, which indeed sported a number of interesting seafood and fish dishes as well as some interesting pastas, salads and meats, such as lamb. I had a really difficult time deciding on what to eat. I was seriously torn between the Big Boss Seafood Selection, the Lobster Salad and the Roast Duck with Orange Sauce. In the end, being that I love seafood, I opted for the Big Boss Seafood Selection at £14.50. My other half fancied the Mediterranean Prawns at £12.50.
We also ordered a side of mixed vegetables and a side of boiled potatoes to complement our meal at a price of £3.50 each. However, to watch our waistlines and our wallets, we decided to skip the starters. Sarastro has a number of starters on its menu, ranging in prices from £4 to £8.50. Items include asparagus, humous, grilled Cyprus cheese, fried mussels, smoked salmon, grilled sardines, soup of the day and smaller versions of the Big Boss Seafood Selection or Mediterranean Prawns.
The dessert menu also looked delightful offering chocolate cake, crème di brulee, lemon tart or a cheese selection.
For wine lovers, Sarastro offers a wide selection over 50 wines.
***Our experience***
Initially, we were quite happy at Sarastro. The menu looked good, although slightly on the expensive side. Shortly after we sat down, we were brought a basket of pita bread and a plate of carrots and olives to nibble on. On the table, there was a fancy looking dip, but we eyed this with some suspicion as it had been there before our arrival and did not look like it was freshly made. We therefore opted to eat the pita without dip - and it was cold, hard and too salty for our liking. The plate of carrot sticks, however, came in very handy and was instantly devoured by us.
The waitresses seemed to be alright and happy enough to help - until we ordered water instead of wine, at which point the friendliness, attentiveness and service went down a level. I suppose skipping the starter only made matters a little worse.
The food did not take too long to arrive. I think we probably waited under 30 minutes, but as we were distracted with nibbles, this passed rather quickly. We just instantly started feeling out of place, as we could neither appreciate the musical background nor did the décor leave a lasting impression to hold up our enjoyment levels. My fiancé commented at some stage that this was probably the type of establishment that is best enjoyed drunk - but neither one of us drinks alcohol, so we could not vouch for that.
I actually was visually delighted when the food came out. My fiancé's prawns very quite large, came with their heads on and were beautifully presented on a bed of lettuce. I instantly knew, however, that it would not be enough food for him. My Big Boss Seafood Selection, which essentially consisted of small prawns, mussels and squid, looked a little less exciting with a small portion of rice on the side and drowned in a white sauce. I had kind of been hoping for scallops in the seafood mêlée, but as the menu did not specify the types of sea creatures that would visit my plate, I could not really complain.
The side orders of vegetables did not pretend to be anything fancy - the potatoes were indeed only boiled with their skin on and the mixed vegetables consisted of carrots, beans and sugar snap peas, merely chucked into a bowl without presentation style. Indeed, the side orders turned out to be a real disappointed - the potatoes being served in a bowl that still contained water and the vegetables having been drowned in so much vinegar that they did not taste of themselves but rather very sour.
I did not dislike my seafood selection, the white sauce was very creamy and rich and the portion reasonably generous. However, there were a few too many mussels for my liking - it certainly was not well-balanced. Most mussels came without their shell, but one was served in a broken shell and tasted slightly off to me. After a while, the richness of the sauce made me feel slightly nauseous and as it was occasionally difficult to distinguish between onions and squid, I felt myself chewing on one of my most-hated vegetables from time to time.
My other half found his prawns to satisfaction, however, he said that they were mere garlic shrimp and not at all worth the steep price tag attached to them.
Originally, I had my eyes set on the crème di brulee as a dessert, but after the disappointing "free" snacks and the mediocre main courses, we decided that it certainly was not worth incurring further cost. By this time, the operatic music was also doing our heads in, so it was time to go - after a quick trip to the washrooms.
In a tacky and kitsch restaurant such as this, we thought that the restaurant would have interesting washrooms. In fact, I found that they were rather uncomfortable and dirty and that they felt like a washroom trailer at a rock concert. The walls were decorated with tasteless pornographic art, in-between which various former restaurant customers left little notes, such as undying declarations of love.
On my way back to the restaurant, I was able to sneak a peak into the kitchen. I certainly did not like what I saw. It somehow did not look hygienic to me - and especially the huge plastic tub filled with brown sauce and what appeared to be lamb pieces, really put me off ever wanting to eat here again.
The shock of the day was receiving the bill, which actually came to £47 for two main meals, a bottle of water, a coke and the service charge (which is added to the bill).
***The verdict***
We certainly will not visit this restaurant again, as after an initial moment of awe at the kitsch décor, Sarastro has very little to offer its customers. Service was poor, smokers did not appear to be segregated from non-smokers, seating was uncomfortable and claustrophobic - and the food, frankly, a disappointment and overpriced. Unless you are a real fan of kitsch and opera, you would be better off getting front row tickets to a superb performance and spending your food budget at Loch Fyne around the corner.
***Further information***
Sarastro Restaurant
126 Drury Lane
TheatreLand
London
WC2B 5QG
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7836 0101
Fax: +44 (0)20 7379 4666
www.sarastro-restaurant.com
Summary: Poor food and service can hardly be offset by an interesting decor.
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