Our lunch at Roast was sadly disappointing. Despite a menu that reads well and a position at the heart of Borough market that implies top notch ingredients that should sing, we found the food mostly bland, but sometimes worse. Where this really rubs us the wrong way however is that the food at Roast is seriously expensive. Of the two mains chosen, the lamb was £26.50, the duck £26.75. These plates however come without sides so add a further £4.50 for roast potatoes, or £5.50 for 'gem hearts' salad (as we did) and our main courses are north of £30 each. By comparison, the lunch prices at The Ledbury (source www.theledbury.com) are universally £32, and that includes Loin and neck of lamb with rosemary curd, artichokes, sunflower seeds and garlic. Visit Roast for lunch then, and expect to pay the same price for your main course as The Ledbury. Accordingly, it ought to be good: it wasn't.
Starters are around the £10 mark though steamed asparagus with hollandaise sauce was a whopping £12.50. We chose a chicken and wild garlic broth with Judas ear fungus and a poached pheasant's egg (£7.75) that came as an insipid looking bowl of an insipid tasting liquid, the egg fully submerged. It made little sense and offered little reward; in turn, little was eaten. Heritage tomatoes on toast (£9.75) was okay though failed to deliver a taste sensation, you know the one that even a home grown variety offers when the flavour bursts in your mouth putting the supermarket generics to shame.
While the duck on one of our chosen main courses was at least tender, even if a little overcooked and under-seasoned, it still seemed poor value at £26.75 against a better example delivered at Brasserie Chavot the following day that was a comparative bargain at £19.50. The lamb however, a white knuckle affair, was poor value at any price. Our waitress to her credit, on enquiring if 'everything is okay' handled it as best she could and of her own volition, sent the manager to our table. The sinewy remains left on the side of the plate bore sufficient witness and the item was removed from the bill. Roast potatoes, billed as cooked in beef dripping, remained more waxy than crispy such that there was no single dish that we were able to point to and say 'well at least that was good'.
In sum then, it was a failure all the way down the line, with two dishes that were okay but not special, one that was poor, and one that was returned to the kitchen. The full price of this meal, with only a single diet Coke in addition to the above noted food, came in at £84 (£68 after the lamb was taken off the bill). A dessert each would have easily pushed it over £100 and that's still without drinks/wine. Roast then seems to us more of a play on the location than a play on food. Charging Mayfair prices, Michelin star prices, the offering should be memorable; well, it is memorable, but sadly, for the wrong reasons.
Starters are around the £10 mark though steamed asparagus with hollandaise sauce was a whopping £12.50. We chose a chicken and wild garlic broth with Judas ear fungus and a poached pheasant's egg (£7.75) that came as an insipid looking bowl of an insipid tasting liquid, the egg fully submerged. It made little sense and offered little reward; in turn, little was eaten. Heritage tomatoes on toast (£9.75) was okay though failed to deliver a taste sensation, you know the one that even a home grown variety offers when the flavour bursts in your mouth putting the supermarket generics to shame.
While the duck on one of our chosen main courses was at least tender, even if a little overcooked and under-seasoned, it still seemed poor value at £26.75 against a better example delivered at Brasserie Chavot the following day that was a comparative bargain at £19.50. The lamb however, a white knuckle affair, was poor value at any price. Our waitress to her credit, on enquiring if 'everything is okay' handled it as best she could and of her own volition, sent the manager to our table. The sinewy remains left on the side of the plate bore sufficient witness and the item was removed from the bill. Roast potatoes, billed as cooked in beef dripping, remained more waxy than crispy such that there was no single dish that we were able to point to and say 'well at least that was good'.
In sum then, it was a failure all the way down the line, with two dishes that were okay but not special, one that was poor, and one that was returned to the kitchen. The full price of this meal, with only a single diet Coke in addition to the above noted food, came in at £84 (£68 after the lamb was taken off the bill). A dessert each would have easily pushed it over £100 and that's still without drinks/wine. Roast then seems to us more of a play on the location than a play on food. Charging Mayfair prices, Michelin star prices, the offering should be memorable; well, it is memorable, but sadly, for the wrong reasons.