Sandra and I felt a bit intimidated going into the Intercontinental firstly because it was on Park Lane but secondly because there appeared to be paparazzi at the event and a red carpet. Presumably it was a party to celebrate Obama’s inauguration. However I decided to take the bull by the horns and waltz into the hotel lobby to try to find our restaurant. What’s the worst that could happen – that our rejection would be captured on memory card by the pap? Ha ha.

Luckily we did because we were in the correct place after all. We got there for 6.30 and there were not many other diners in there, with perhaps one or two tables with one or two individuals. It’s an attractive space with quite a long bar and what looked like a bar dedicated to the cheese. The kitchen is located behind the bars and, although not exactly open, is able to be viewed from tables via a long stretch of window. I didn’t see my mate Theo though I wasn’t expecting him to remember me from our Food Poker encounter. 🙂

I think Theo is fairly classic Italian. It uses a lot of ingredients and I guess I can see his influence on the River Café menu or is it vice versa (when looking at the menu I had flashbacks to River Café experience for some reason.) We had a simple set menu booked courtesy of toptable which was 2 for £21 or 3 for £25. Admittedly the set menu had a more limited offering than what’s on the a la carte menu but it’s a significant saving when you consider that antipastis/primis on the a la carte menu are around about £13 and mains start at about £25 with desserts topping out the menu at £7.

We were given some free bread after we’d ordered which I wasn’t expecting in the form of very nice bruschetta (the tomatoes were so sweet they almost tasted like bell peppers that had been roasted) and a garlic bread of sorts. The garlic bread was quite dense and super salty though extremely delicious. The only thing with the breads was that we were left with very oily fingers afterwards. Happily our waitress even offered us more though, in a smart move, we said no despite how delicious the breads were. (I say smart move as at the end of the meal, when I could have happily stopped after my second course steak, I was very very full.)

For my first course, tossing up between a red and yellow pepper risotto or ravioli stuffed with swiss chard and ricotta, I decided on the ravioli on the recommendation of the waitress. It was served rather simply, just garnished in olive oil, which I guess is how ravioli should be served. So you can enjoy the stuffing without interference from sauce. They were yummy!

Both Sandra and I decided on steak for our main meal. Cooked medium rare it was also served with mushrooms and, as it turned out, a mountain high pile of rocket! I was actually expecting a small steak serving considering we were dining from the specials menu but it was more generous than I thought. A more than adequate portion of steak and also heaps of mushroom. We’d also opted for a side of roasties to share between us. They were gorgeous – garnished with rosemary and garlic – these little babies were exactly what you’d expect: golden crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy (almost to the point you couldn’t fork it into your mouth but rather had to spoon it in)

For desserts once again Sandra and my tastes were aligned with the pear and almond tart. A decent slice of what seemed to be quite a big pie – it was perfect. The shell or outer casing was melt in your mouth though admittedly quite thick up on the sides. It was served with some crème freche which I was more than happy to leave by the way-side as it tasted a bit odd. I was expecting the tart to be warmed but it was served nearly cold.

Quite happy with the service we weren’t bothered too much at all (in fact this was nearly an issue as we tried to find someone to request the bill) but strangely in a fine dining restaurant such as Theo Randall there wasn’t a check back after we were served our main courses to “see if everything was alright.”

Theo Randall delivers quality Italian although a touch on the pricey side. However, having said that, you won’t find this kind of quality food in your local takeaway Italian. The diners next to us (a group of four men who were surprisingly happy to share all their dishes between themselves) looked to have some very interesting dishes off the a la carte menu, which we unfortunately didn’t see but I snuck a look at on the way out, which they all seemed to like of if their sounds of approval were anything to go by.