101 Pimlico Road London Review

Things that happen on a Wednesday at 7:30pm across London: city workers begin to wind down from their busy day; reluctant children are put to bed; Coronation Street starts; rough-around-the-edge blokes kick off in a game of five-aside; the Regent’s Park playgrounds are locked up; and my boyfriend and I have booked a table at 101 Pimlico Road in Sloane Square.

We actually arrived early, peered in and saw nobody, so decided to walk up and down the road to kill some time. There’s nothing worse than a waiter staring while you painstakingly peruse the menu. And I like to peruse, much to the boyfriend’s annoyance.

A hive of home-making activity lies beyond 101. Pimlico Road is adorned with art galleries, antique furniture stores, and boutique hair salons, plus the posh Daylesford Organic franchise is imminent with a food store, café, garden and home decoration store within seconds of each other. It’s, therefore, fairly easy to imagine the archetypal neighbourhood resident who visits number 101.

So the people of Sloane Square are residing in their perfectly polished homes at 7:30pm; they’re not dining at 101. When we arrived there was just one other table in use. They didn’t seem very interested in each other. In fact, one of their phones was going off every other minute. If the place had a few more punters in it we probably wouldn’t have noticed. To my irritation, there wasn’t, and we did. Every-single-aggravating-text.

We wanted to sit by the window. If I couldn’t watch what people were up to inside then there was hope that the people going by outside would prove entertaining, but apparently it was reserved, it hasn’t been open long and it’s already got loyal regulars that are taking up the best seats in the house. Groan. So we sat in the middle of the restaurant, a plethora of neutral tones surrounding us, even the decoration was boring.

Time to get down to what we were there for: the food. My stomach was just as empty as 101, so in near silence (aside from the beep beep beep) we ordered. Before I go to a restaurant I always look at the menu and pretty much choose what I’m going to have before I even step in the door. Remember the aforementioned aggravated boyfriend? So when I was doing my research, with my salivating glands going in to overdrive, I came across some information about the chef at 101.

Keith Goddard, a French Culinary School graduate and Tom Aitkens alumni, is the head chef. He spent a year at the prestigious O'Shea’s butchers in Knightsbridge learning about every cut of meat and the best way to cook them and oh boy, what great training he must have had to deliver such a delicious three-course meal to us.

The food at 101 surpassed my expectations. It was perfect; every single forkful of every single course was like an explosion of flavour and texture in the mouth. Unlike the other aspects of 101, it was certainly not boring. Even the presentation was like a Picasso on a plate.

The boyfriend’s starter of home-cured organic smoked salmon with pickled fennel, lime crème fraiche and quails egg was intricately designed and a lot of effort had gone in to make it picture perfect. My hugely portioned deep-fried whitebait was a simpler affair but kept my man happy, as it was too big for me to finish.

The 10 hour lamb shoulder (this is where Goddard proves that the O’Sheas training was worth it) with spiced fruit cous cous and smoked aubergine puree wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing but never judge a book by its cover, and all that. Although it didn’t look as picture perfect as mine, I had real dinner envy when we did swapsies.

The lamb was succulent and melted in my maw. I’m not a cous cous fan but this was better than the Moroccans do it and the deciding factor of the dish was the smoked aubergine. It might have looked like a cow pat sprinkled with toasted almonds but the taste was heavenly. Recipe please Keith, and pronto.

Ignoring all decisions I had made on seeing the online menu, I was too tempted by the waitress’s description of the special of the day: scallops with pancetta and samphire. Everything was delicious but after tasting the other dish my own seemed a little lack-lustre in the flavour department. I was hoping that the boyfriend would go to the toilet so that I could pick up his plate and lick it there and then. I would have, cous cous and all, but that is probably not very Sloane Square of me and he pretty much did the job himself.

By the time we were tucking into our Tonka Bean crème brulee and warm chocolate brownie, 101 had come alive with the sounds of other people eating, chatting, clinking glasses and, like me, dribbling over the menu. And I was right, as soon as I spotted Mr and Mrs Braithwaite-Smythe entering the door, I knew that prime position table was for them. Hello flattering waitress, uber speedy service and champagne to start. Aside from the regulars, there were business duos, first-daters, double daters, and even families there too. Sod putting the kids to bed, it’s chic to take them out for dinner at 9pm in Sloane Square.

It was no longer boring and is exactly how I think a restaurant should sound. I love nothing more than seeing what other people are ordering (good for a last minute change… “I’ll have what she’s got”) and listening in on their conversations when I’m not deep in my own. Me, nosey? Next time I’m at 101 – and there will be a next time - I’ll remember the 9 o’clock rule of the Sloanies and hopefully next time I’ll nab the Braithwaite-Smythe table before they do.
Rebecca Brett (05 07 2010)

101 Pimlico Road London Description

101 is a local neighbourhood restaurant that is all about the food. By day, a simple lunch menu that changes frequently and by night, a la carte that offers classic British cooking in line with season. It is a small intimate atmosphere with young and friendly staff, cosy and sleek at the same time. Open Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner 101 is a great place for friends, family or business dining. Party bookings are also welcome. Dishes include our signature Cote de Boeuf for 2 people from O Shea’s of Knightsbridge served with roasted bone marrow and unlimited French fries.

Customer Reviews for 101 Pimlico Road

The following customer reviews are not endorsed by Fluid London and are simply those of users who wish to publish their independent experiences of 101 Pimlico Road.

“Have been to 101 a few times since it opened and it is getting better every time. The food is consistently good and the service is now very good since the arrival of the new manager. the express lunch option is unbelieveable value. i had 2 fantastic courses, a glass of wine, a coffee and with service the bill was £24 a head. great stuff.”
Atmosphere: Value: Quality:
Foodie1, London (6 months 25 days ago)

“This is quite a new restaurant but it’s doing very well considering its youth. It’s nice to see a British restaurant in Belgravia as an alternative to all the Italian restaurants in the area. The decor is both modern and classic and does as well as it can with the space provided. I noticed a subtle fragrance of perhaps cinnamon when I first walked in and it instantly gave me a good feeling, before I’d even sat down. The service was exemplary and the food was delightfully inventive for a lunchtime. £22 for a 2-course meal (I recommend the confit of black leg chicken) and a large glass of Mendoza Sauvignon Blanc: what a steal! Keep an eye out for the interesting designs on the ceilings of the toilets (it’s the little touches).”
Atmosphere: Value: Quality:
Leigh, Tooting (7 months ago)

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Additional Information

• Cuisine Type: British
• Average Price: £30.00 including drin
• Dress Code: casual
• (Independent/Freehouse)

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