JB's is an initial success

10 April 2012

This review was published in July 2002

JB'S, a name with all the allure of a burger chain, is another stand-alone restaurant within a new hotel - the Victoria Park Plaza on Vauxhall Bridge Road. Like Bonds, it has its own entrance, although with absolutely none of Bonds' splendid baroque detail, and an untimely reference to the money market. Wrapped around the facade of the open kitchen is a design based on the print-out of the stock market results.

Inside the kitchen might have been Sean Melville. Reading from the press release I can tell you that he has been appointed executive chef and was, for the past five years, sous-chef at The Dorchester. The restaurant head chef is Ulf Wein whose history is not included.

Apparently, they have composed the Mediterranean-menu together, but neither Sean nor Ulf seem to understand essential concepts like minestrone or salade Nićoise.

The minestrone was served as a clear consommè in which floated a small selection of vegetables, mainly peas. The Nićoise was a mixture of seared fresh tuna and sautèd potatoes.

Crisp veal sweetbreads on lettuce and herb salad lacked any trace of the defining adjective. The best of the first courses tried was cream of mussel-and-saffron soup.

It appears on the menu in a bolder typeface, as does pan-fried foie gras with fig chutney, which could be an indication that they are specialities. If so there are no specialities among the main courses and side dishes.

We were somewhat stung pricewise by the side dishes. Two lots of roasted Mediterranean vegetables at £4 a bowl were brought and charged for when only one had been ordered. And more of the same roasted vegetables anyway accompanied the grilled chicken.

Fried courgettes at £2.50 were so drably cooked that they were left uneaten, as were the otiose new potatoes in their skins at £3. Something described as pumpkin muffin, but turning up as pumpkin mash, was the partner for rolled saddle of rabbit.

He who had chosen chargrilled sea bass with spring onions and Acacia honey thought the sweetness a novelty. She who went for breast-andpotroasted-rump of lamb liked the part that looked and tasted like a lambburger.

An enticing-sounding dessert, crusted meringue dome with cherry compote and passion fruit sorbet, featured soft meringue, not the crunchy white tent envisaged.

Dinner at jb's (lower case type tells you it is super-trendy) was one where the fun and reward were in the chat we were having with friends.

This was helped along by sweet service and good bottles of an Albarino-Pazo de Barrantes from Galicia and a Madiran from Southwest France.

Here is a mystery. Why is it that "stand-alone" hotel restaurants never have their own lavatories? At Victoria Park Plaza it was at the second basement level among the conference suites.

JB's Bar & Restaurant
Vauxhall Bridge Road, London, SW1V 1LJ

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