Flavour of the past

Homage's decor looks like a faded It girl squeezing into Moschino or Roberto Cavalli

During my recent personal quest to stuff my face with afternoon tea in every grand hotel in London, I headed for the Waldorf. And headed straight back out again.

I'd been greedily anticipating fin de siecle glamour but some clown had rammed the distinguished portals with the kind of self-consciously modern furniture that crawls all over the northern end of Tottenham Court Road.

I suppose it's hard keeping up with the parvenus of the hotel world - the Sandersons, Baglionis or Zetters. Or the perennially cool One Aldwych virtually next door.

And this none-too-subtle attempt has now brought a rash of what the pointy-heads in charge of the Waldorf revamp will no doubt be referring to as 'hospitality solutions'.

There's the Bar - rammed with suits of both sexes the evening we visited; a dimly lit and decorative Patisserie (today's must-have accessory), whose serried ranks of jewel-like cakes just begged for a re-visit; and the Grand Salon, designed to pay homage to the grand cafes that have lit up the likes of Vienna and Venice for centuries. Rather ironic, since the Wolseley got there first. And, as we shall see, rather more successfully.

The entire suite is called Homage, but it's the Grand Salon we're dealing with today. Inspiration comes from restaurant guru Roy Ackerman, the consultant behind the new openings and author of an annual guide to Europe's cafès. So you'd expect him to know his Cafè des Flores from his Caffe Florians.

Previously the Waldorf's Grill Room, it looks imposing: classically proportioned, massively tall, tricked out in striking monochrome; eating there comes with a sense of occasion. It's this dramatic aspect, I think, which loses the cafe plot.

There was a time when - you'll forgive the swank - I used the Wolseley like others use Starbucks, regularly dropping by for a coffee and some Viennoiserie (a whole lot lovelier than the chains, just as democratic and no more expensive). But I can't imagine doing the same here: too formal, too starchy.

Anyway, the food. There's not a frisson of fusion, an eyebrow-raising ingredient, an experimental flourish. Nor reams of choice. This is a menu as short and conservative as Ann Widdecombe.

Now, I don't mind at all so long as it's well executed. And our meal mostly was. 'Homage' fish soup bore the evidence of good stock but was underseasoned and, fishwise, only featured a double-act of clams and mussels. The rouille, rather than arriving separately with croutons and gruyËre, had already been added: a disappointment.

Lush and stickily rich: a brioche brimming with wild mushrooms, cream, shallots and chives was just the right side of sickliness. I ordered steak with green peppercorn sauce deliberately; this is a no-brainer, like spaghetti carbonara, that restaurants rarely get right.

My sirloin, good quality meat, was rare rather than medium rare, the sauce a sharp, vinous demi-glace rather than the brandy-laced creamy job I expected. Went fabulously with the string fries, however, and pan-fried Dover sole was retro bliss.

Wafting around Harrods recently, observing the international rich who infest the place, it struck me what Homage reminds me of: former beauties who, with tightly stretched faces and inappropriately youthful clothes, try grimly to hang on to the glories of their heyday. Where they squeeze themselves into leery Moschino and Roberto Cavalli, the Grand Salon wraps its stately pillars in jarring skirts of modern art.

And, like the fading It girls, it looks poignant and slightly desperate. After a certain age, isn't it better to brandish characterful wrinkles with panache? Nowadays, it would seem that this just won't do. But one final plea: lay off the Palm Court, eh?

A three-course meal with wine, water and service costs about £100. Aldwych WC2. Tel: 020 7759 4080. Tube: Holborn

Homage Grand Salon
Aldwych, London, WC2B 4DD

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in