"Dining can be fun."

A review of Oslo Court Restaurant by Iain Holland written on Saturday 13th of December 2008

Of course, to truly appreciate the food at Oslo Court your hatching date must be pre-1960. Therefore, your first serious dining experience, maybe for your grandmother's 80th birthday, would have offered you then a menu with such delights as Tournedos Rossini, Weinersnitzel and Duck in Cherry Sauce. The chances of finding any of these dishes on a 2008 'English' menu are extremely remote of course.

The most wonderful aspect of Oslo Court is that it not only captures a reasonable exactness of past dishes but also the essence of a long past style of dining. The 'décor' (for that is what it truly is) is a sublime 'peach' with no attempt at understatement or even irony. The waiting staff are flawlessly efficient and properly dressed in black tie and jackets for the men or a more maidenly equivalent for the women. None are even slightly obsequious or condescending (so common today) and simply take care of their guests. Charm isn't an easy talent, but is always on the menu here. You do truly feel that front of house staff really care and whatever 'nonchalance'they may truly feel is left behind when they're working.

The menu is truly vast, an encyclopaedia Brittanica of long forgotten delights. The last time I visited, June 2008) I ordered a 'Coquille St Jacques' to start - it was utterly delicious. I followed this with a 'Beef Wellington' and a mountain of vegetables which just kept arriving. As I probably hadn't eaten a 'Beef Wellington' for 30 years this too was very good, though spoiled, a little only, because I like all meat virtually raw - not too easy to achieve when cooked in this manner.

Then came the cabaret, so to speak. The dessert waiter probably came with the property? He's loud to the point of being gauche, funny to the point of being hilarious and only utterly charming if you've been prepared for him - as I had been of course. His histrionics concerning the (what appeared to me) very ordinary dessert trolley were, perhaps, somewhat overly purple in their praise. Overall the dessert trolley was the only disappointment and scarcely warranted the exaggerated claims made for it by its screeching salesman. I especially noted his comment that the Tiramisu was better than that served at the Ritz. I was more interested that the Ritz served Tiramasu than any comparison available! Of course the dessert was very good but, really, also very ordinary.

For those interested in such things there were a few minor celebrities dining there too.

Personally, I'm not really sure whether dining concerns perfect food or a perfect environment. Overall the food wasn't, by a long margin, perfect. No restaurant with such a huge menu could create perfect food. There are no considered pretentious melding of flavours at Oslo Court, the food was about filling your plate, excellent service and an eye for making the customer satisfied by the experience.

I would highly recommend Oslo Court to anyone but a gourmet. In my opinion, let the gourmet have his Turbot, Puy Lentils and Polenta served by precious staff in a room like a barn. Give me Oslo Court and long may it reign.

Definite 9.5/10 for fun.

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