No. 5 Cavendish Square – Marble Arch, Thursday 26th August, 2010

All hail Toptable once again. The website responsible for most of my restaurant bookings once again let me know I had acquired enough points for a free meal. Free is good, especially if you've been splashing out the way I had throughout summer last year.

Of course, the meals you can actually get through the Toptable menu are not usually of especially high quality, but free is free so we plumped for three courses at the Italian restaurant No. 5 Cavendish Square; part of a hotel. Typically for the area, the building itself is full of wonderful high ceilings and the location and stature alone suggests you're eating where politicians, emissaries and ambassadors do their chowing down.

To cut to the chase, the large dining room has practically zero charisma and charm. It's empty, hollow and poorly-lit. There isn't much to be said for a restaurant when only two tables are populated and you feel as if you're grabbing a bite before an early meeting in the conference room tomorrow.

Food wasn't much to write home about either, but bearing in mind that it was free and the restaurant was near empty, I couldn't complain either. (Who honestly complains about a free meal anyway?) The menu was actually pretty decent for a set affair - it would've cost £30 for three courses usually - and we didn't dislike anything.

We started with a decent enough carpaccio of beef which came with rocket and shaved parmesan. It wasn't anything particularly special but there were no mistakes there either. A slightly more rough and rustic baby octopus stew with potatoes was more impressive, simply because it didn't taste like by the numbers Italian fare trotted out by a kitchen that didn't care what it was serving (left). It was fresh, zesty and rich.

Main courses continued the rustic theme, with some salmon laid on top of a grilled pile of vegetables. It didn't look especially appealing but it was a decent effort which was rather warm and enjoyable. Similar to the octopus to start, some Sardinian gnocchi (sort of like baby gnocchi) with sausage and tomato sauce was stodgily joyous: a real comfort food dish (right).

Desserts were both unadventurous and passable. Tiramisu and a chocolate almond tart were both eaten and finished. Nothing to write home about and nothing too special. I suppose that sums up the experience of eating at No. 5 Cavendish Square. It wasn't food I'd want to spend £30 on but it wasn't bad. I wouldn't really go back there if I were paying but I might if it were free. Not to do them a disservice, but this place is so bland that freebies might be the only thing that keeps customers coming in.



No. 5 Cavendish Square