First impressions of life in Prism

10 April 2012

This review was first published in April 1999

I was invited to dinner at PRISM, the new restaurant in the Harvey Nichols portfolio, in its week of "soft" opening - it was open officially as of yesterday. This review is, therefore, only a first impression which I will reinforce, or not, by another visit.

Prism - a name that is unsettling when you say things like "I'm going to Prism" - has been created within a building which was the former site of The Bank of New York. Marble floors, neoclassical columns and elaborate plasterwork on the ceiling have been left in place substantiating the banking hall function of both inspiring confidence and intimidating. Despite dramatic, towering flower arrangements and otiose overworked paintings, the new role of the space as a restaurant doesn't quite convince. You feel that it would take only about 20 minutes for the bottles to be removed from the shelves behind the bar, the tables and chairs cleared out; in other words for the set to be struck.

In this awkward atmosphere, chef Simon Shaw, previously chef at Harvey Nichols' Leeds restaurant, offers a modern British menu with enough blokeish dishes to satisfy any stray bankers. Some dishes, such as Moroccan-spiced chicken livers with lemon and parsley couscous and sweet chilli sauce, he handles well; others, such a mussel and clam chowder completely spoiled by the whining flavour of tomato purée, he just doesn't seem to understand. Similarly in the main course, monkfish wrapped in pancetta was beautifully tenderly cooked (a difficult feat) but duck breast was dull and seemed to have nothing to say to the piece of black pudding that sat beside it. The interior of the dessert of apple strudel reminded me of nothing so much as the apple pie filling that caterers can buy in tins. But, of course, I'm sure this one didn't. The wine list offers many compensations.

Prism
Leadenhall Street, London, EC3V 4QT

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