More than just a hotel restaurant, Bistro One Ninety serves up good food with creative touches.

The Venue
Located in the Gore Hotel, Bistro One Ninety is a small, cosy restaurant with an old fashioned feel. Although the room is tiny, they’ve made the most of the space and there are quite a few tables. Those around the edges have bench seats covered with some scattered pillows. Lining almost every spare inch of the walls are paintings and portraits of all different sizes and subjects, plus a few mirrors, which gives the place an elegant, 19th-century style.

The Atmosphere
Thanks to its quirky-yet-sophisticated decor there’s a good atmosphere, and the restaurant is popular with couples and small groups. With a location so close to the Royal Albert Hall this is would make for a great spot for some pre-theatre dining, but unfortunately both the staff and the kitchen have trouble when the restaurant is crowded. On a more leisurely night it’s a different story, and when the staff have time they’re more than happy to go through the menu, recommending dishes and wines.

The Food
There’s a theatre menu, at £21.95 for two courses and £23.95 for three courses, but it suffers in comparison to the creative dishes on the a la carte menu. Considering that starters start at £5.95 and mains at £12.95, the pre-theatre menu doesn’t really represent value for money. You’re better off going a la carte, which is a mix of British, French and Mediterranean dishes, all with interesting twists.

A saffron risotto with seafood (£7.25) comes with a prawn, mussel and squares of tuna and sea bass, all of which taste fresh and are well cooked, particularly the mussel. The saffron risotto is al dente and a nice golden yellow colour, with a savoury, almost spicy taste that highlights the light, salty flavours of the seafood. Chicken liver pate (£6.95) includes a generous portion of smooth pate, curled into a shell-like shape next to a fresh leaf salad. Two long pieces of crisply toasted white bread and a sugary sweet homemade tomato chutney complete the dish.

The Arabic-style tuna steak (£16.95) has a crisp crust with a surprisingly strong, earthy flavour that works well with the hearty tuna, which is cooked medium and slightly pink. It’s served with a vinegary tomato jam and a large portion of salad interspersed with cucumber and tomato slices. The Hampshire pork fillet (£15.95) is described on the menu as being stuffed with Indian spices, which you can really taste – a sharp, vibrant flavour that complements the well cooked pork, which rests on another al dente risotto, this time a creamy white one flavoured with coconut. A small tower of caramelised bananas adds another interesting element.

Most of the desserts are in the same vein as the creative mains, such as a blue cheese tart with pear chutney. Although you might expect it to have a strong, pungent taste, it’s very subtle and only slightly cheesy. The pear chutney served with it is like crystallised pear than chutney, but it adds a nice sugary consistency to the dish. Hot chocolate fondant (£5.95) has a perfect texture, with a lightly crisp outside and dark, gooey inside. The actual cake itself is rich but not too dense, and it’s given a bit of a lift thanks to the ice cream on the side.

The Drink
Bistro One Ninety has a lengthy wine list, with an equally lengthy section devoted to fine wines. Prices start from a reasonable £18.50 a bottle, however there are no options on the menu by the glass. Most of the options are from France and the rest of Europe, although some new world wines make an appearance as well. The sauvignon blanc from South Africa is light, crisp and mellow, whereas the sauvignon blanc from France is a thicker wine with slight honey flavours. Another option is a refreshing sauvignon blanc from New Zealand, so crisp that it’s almost fizzy, whereas the New Zealand malbec is deep and indulgent without a hint of an aftertaste. Champagnes, dessert wines and ports are also available, as well as a choice of several house specialty wines from about £25.

The Last Word
Although the decor is attractive and the location is good for the Royal Albert Hall, the service and the cooking suffer if the venue is too crowded. Head there when there are no performances on so you can really appreciate what they offer.

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