It's taken one year, two days and a few false starts, but I finally got to eat in Rosso restaurant yesterday. I have tried to go, but they had a burst drain, as I explained here.
Rio Ferdinand and the Khamani brothers have made a bit of a splash. At the weekend it's quite the place for a certain crowd. And you might remember AA Gill gave it a stinging review, link from here, which Roger Cashman valiantly defended here.
Anyway, it hasn't changed too much from when it was Establishment, a fairly lavish restaurant that closed down. The overwhelming elements are still the quite magnificent domed ceilings and the marble surfaces. If they have spent some more, then I didn't spot the difference apart from rather tacky photos on the wall of the footballers and various celebrities who've been in.
To try and be fair to the food I ordered a prawn starter and a Vitello a la Milanese, my house favourite at Piccolino. Neither were as flavoursome or well cooked as the original. One of the lads I was with had a splendid seafood medley for a starter, which I thought was a bit over the top. He expected smaller. For his main he had a huge Dover Sole while the other lad had tuna steak. We all had tomato salad, which wasn't up to much. But on the whole the food was "OK".
Service was attentive and swift when it needed to be. Though one waiter spilled some water.
The ability to have a conversation sat in an alcove was a definite plus. I would commend Rosso for that. Piccolino and San Carlo are so noisy and full of atmosphere you have a headache straining to concentrate some times.
Yes, I'd go back. But I'd be tempted to test the menu a bit more and possibly to see the circus of a weekend evening.
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