Theo Randall Cucina Italiana — Restaurant in London

We had a truly mediocre meal and a horrible time here.

I suspect that it isn't always the total disaster we experienced, nor as bad as all that and that we were just very unlucky. Mr. Randall is a great chef (always loved River café) and he put his name on this place with pride, so I will give it the benefit of the doubt. But as his name is on it he really needs to fix it!

We stay regularly at the Intercontinental hotel where it is located but will not be going to eat there again.

We went there for lunch. The restaurant was nearly empty but we were coldly greeted with a "You don't have a reservation?!?" eye-roll with attitude.

No. We are guests in the hotel, and the restaurant is nearly empty.

We were then shown to the worst table in the room, the first one by the front door. I objected.

"Oh, well then you can sit anywhere you want... It's empty."

Gee, thanks.

The "food" I ordered (a 'squash sfumato' soufflé or something) was swimming in liquid cream with spinach and was the worst, nasty, indigestible stodge I have ever come across, outside of an Aeroflot meal I ingested in error in 1979.

'Sfumato' means smudge, but this was sludge. Orange sludge. (Think of Trump's hair, mixed with maize and canteen carrots.)

In fact, I'm not sure today's 'sfumato' was even fit for human consumption. It would, however, be perfect for window-frame insulation. Or sound-proofing a recording studio.

I poked around the spinach and sent the sludge-thing back, explaining that I did not wish to further block the London sewage system by regurgitating this orange stodgae.

As I said earlier, Theo Randall is a real chef and very talented, so clearly something had gone horribly wrong in the elaboration of this Trumpian orange hell-dish. Now I can understand that things go wrong. It happens to the best of us! So a smile and an apology and everyone moves on.

But no.

"Well, everyone else likes it! We haven't had any complaints! But OK, [sigh], [eye-roll] we won't charge you..."

No apologies, no customer service from this supervisor. Just the implication that I have no taste and don't wish to pay for my food.

We should have left there and then and gone to the truly excellent Mexican restaurant next door, but it seemed petty not to at least give them a chance to redeem themselves.

They didn't.

My main dish of tagliolini with shrimp and artichoke was so salty and overseasoned that it was barely edible.

What was even more disappointing and frustrating is that it's a lovely recipe and should have been delicious. In fact, I'm not sure how one can accidentally ruin a simple dish like that.

So I suppose I was incurring the wrath of the kitchen for sending back the first miserable dish (I was however unable to send this one back as the service was slow and inattentive) so I resigned myself to eat what I could of it as I was starving by now.

My friend didn't think much of his meal either, but as it was adequate he ate it.

It was a very disappointing experience.

Failed food (I don't want to write 'bad' as I think something just went wrong) with unpleasant innattentive service, with an attitude...

However, and this goes back to my initial comment, it seems a lot of people have a really good meal here. So what exactly is going on? Or rather, wrong?

I did some research and it would seem that perhaps we landed on the breakfast waiters/cooks that day, who are not the same as the evening ones. And this could explain why the other reviews are also so polarised.

So definitely skip lunch, and if you want to risk it, go there for dinner. And let me know. I'd love to hear things have improved.

(And if in doubt, the Mexican restaurant in the same building is truly excellent.)

Photo of the 'Sfumato', AKA British Rail...

If you love Italian food and wine along with fabulous cocktails and service of the highest order from one of the very best front of house teams then a visit to Theo Randall at the Intercontinental is an absolute must. This restaurant has easily become a real favourite of ours and after yet another excellent dining experience on saturday night it’s not hard to see why.

It all began on arrival when we received a lovely welcome before being escorted to the bar area to enjoy an aperitif. Here we were greeted by Astrit who is definitely one of the best mixologists around. We got to enjoy two of his new creations. The first was the South Slope with panarea gin , aperol , lillet blanc , mandarin , lemon and bitters and the other was the Apollo with havana 7 and kraken rum , cointreau , coffee , pistachio , vanilla and citrus. These were two amazing cocktails and a great way to start the evening.

We then headed to our table and were met by Dorina , Brigida and our waiter for the evening Francisco who provided excellent service throughout the evening. On this occasion we decided to go for the a la carte menu something we hadn’t done for a while due to previous visits where we’ve loved the regional tasting menu’s and weekend brunch. We started by enjoying some Zucchini Fritte along with Focaccia and tomato crostini while finishing off our Romantica cocktail.

ANTIPASTI - Now to begin the food experience which started with two fantastic antipasti dishes. My wife opted for the Tartare di Tonno with yellowfin tuna tartare , pangrattato , rocket , capers , and amalfi lemons. I was in heaven with my Calamari in Padella with pan fried squid , cannellini beans , chilli , anchovies , parsley and chopped rocket. These were paired beautifully with a Planeta Alastro 2021 wine from Sicily.

PRIMI - We now moved on to the pasta section with the first being a Ravioli di Aragosta with dorset blue lobster , tomato and shellfish broth. My pasta dish was the one I’d seen on Saturday Kitchen that morning and it was delicious. The Ravioli di Tartufo e patate con asparagi bianchi filled with potato , winter black truffle , white asparagus , butter and parmesan. Paired once again with another excellent wine from the Planeta winery. (sorry about quality of pic).

SECONDI - It was now time to move on to the main course and easily one of the best monkfish dishes I ever had the pleasure of eating. The Coda di Rospo with cornish monkfish , charlotte potatoes , fennel , thyme , garlic , crispy prosciutto , white wine , capers and parsley. My wife enjoyed the Fegato di Vitello a pan fried calves liver with pancetta , sage , wild mushrooms and spinach. Paired with a Planeta La Segreta 2020 Nero D’Avola.

DOLCI - Now for desserts. Here my wife opted for the Cheese Course where for myself I just couldn’t decide between the Amalfi Lemon Tart and the Ricotta Cheesecake with pears , sultanas marinated in marsala and vanilla so I ordered both and what an absolute pleasure they were to. These were paired with a Planeta Passito di Noto 2019.

We finished with coffee and petit fours to bring to an end another fantastic dining experience at Theo Randall at the Intercontinental. The food was amazing , the wine was excellent , the cocktails were stunning and the service was impeccable as ever. So yes I would highly recommend a visit and it won’t be too long before I’m back again.

Thank You Theo , Dorina , Astrit , Francisco , Brigida and all the team for a fabulous italian evening and look forward to seeing you all again soon....

Whenever I’m asked about my favourite restaurants there’s one place that always springs to mind. This is Theo Randall’s Italian restaurant in the intercontinental hotel on park lane and after our latest visit it not hard to see why.

We’ve enjoyed many a fabulous dining experience at Theo’s which has included Brunch , Regional Tasting Menu’s and just like our visit on Saturday the amazing A la Carte. As you enter the hotel you immediately look to the right and there you will find the restaurant. A warm and friendly welcome will be waiting for you before you’re escorted to your table in the stunning dining room which has now undergone a little makeover.

Once we were seated the team who are one of the best in the hospitality industry moved into action. Every member of staff are very pleasant and polite which just adds to the experience.

As I said at the beginning on this occasion we decided to opt for the A la Carte Menu. Once we had chosen our food we spoke to sommelier Astrit to choose a bottle of wine. This was a 2022 Arnaldo Caprai from Umbria that complimented the food perfectly.

The evening began with some focaccia and the heavenly tomatoes on toast along with the zucchini fritte which are always a favourite. This led to the ANTIPASTI. Here we would enjoy the Calamari in Padella - Pan fried squid with Cannellini beans, chilli, anchovies, parsley and chopped rocket and the Carne Salata - Thinly sliced cured beef with wild rocket, zucchini, parmesan, aged balsamic vinegar. These were two fabulous dishes and perfect way to begin.

Now we would move to the PRIMI course. Here we were in heaven as the amazing pasta dishes were presented. The Cappelletti di Vitello - Fresh pasta filled with slow cooked veal, porcini mushrooms , parmesan and the Tagliatelle Zucchini e Gamberetti - Fresh pasta with prawns, courgette, Datterini tomatoes, parsley and fresh chilli were simply stunning.

Things now got even better as next to come was the SECONDI course. This was Italian cooking at it’s finest as we opted for the Arrosto di Faraona - Roasted guinea fowl stuffed with prosciutto di Parma, lemon zest, thyme and mascarpone, on pagnotta bruschetta with mixed greens and portobello mushrooms along with the best veal dish I’ve ever eaten. The Controfiletto di Vitello - Pan-roasted Veal Loin with wild mushrooms, Amarone sauce, potato purée and spinach was absolutely delicious and will live long in the memory.

We now needed a little break and it was at this point chef Theo came over to see us. This gave us the opportunity to personally thank him and his team for the amazing food , wine and service. We also discussed the changes to the look of the restaurant which we thought were a definite improvement. Now we could finish with the DOLCE. Here I would enjoy chocolate heaven in the form of a Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake with Espresso Gelato a perfect way end a truly wonderful dining experience.

We ended with a surprise cocktail from Astrit that brought the incredible evening to an end. I really can’t recommend a visit to Theo’s highly enough as in my mind you will be treated to simply the best Italian food along with a fabulous selection of wine and friendly service. I can’t wait to visit again and will be keeping an eye on the monthly regional tasting menu that are exceptional value for money.

Many Thanks to Theo and all his team for an amazing dining experience and look forward to seeing you...