Caxton Grill benefits from its glamorous association with the St Ermin Hotel. However, the restaurant itself is surprisingly laid back and cosy – and that is most definitely a good thing. Now if they can only nail consistency with the menu they'll be on to a winner.

The Venue
Walking past the St Ermin Hotel, you’ll be forgiven for being a little taken aback by its sheer beauty. It’s almost worth seeking out the hotel entrance to this restaurant rather than walking a few doors down to the less glamorous way in via the street.

Caxton is divided into a bar, terrace and dining room, and it’s perhaps surprising to find a cosy, comforting restaurant when they so easily could have gone for cold marble and painful neutrality. Instead, the furnishings and comfortable sofa-style seating are made from soft fabrics rather than sticky leather, and the brown and dark green colour scheme mixes with flashes of red and orange for a pleasant step away from the same old, same old whites and creams.

The Atmosphere
Hotel restaurants often come with a hint of pomp, which is glaringly absent at Caxton Grill. However, sometimes the friendliness of the staff veers into amateurish as some of the basics of restaurant etiquette are forgotten – and at these prices, you’d be forgiven for expecting more. Still, if you’re fed up with the endless fake smiles that you find in nice restaurants then you’re likely to look upon this as a breath of fresh air. And the diners – a mix of hotel guests, local workers and tourists – don’t seem to mind.

The Food
Although not cheap, Caxton Grill’s menu certainly doesn’t hit the dizzying heights of similar hotel restaurants – and they do some well-priced set menus for £49 for three courses that include wine.

For starters, the pumpkin seed-crusted Ragstone goat’s cheese (£7) is a pleasant way to start your meal. The cheese is nicely tart and works well with the crunch of the pumpkin seeds, which add depth to the flavour of the dish. It is served with a not-too-sweet poached pear and a tasty – and delicate – honey and balsamic dressing. However, it pales in comparison to the simply exquisite chicken soup (£6). It may sound utterly uninspiring but it is, in fact, a stand-out dish. It comes served as a bowl of gnocchi, vegetables and chicken, to which the waiter theatrically pours the consommé. And it is this perfectly seasoned, delicately flavoured consommé that wins the day and is easily the equal of soups served in some of the capital’s best restaurants.

And that’s what makes the main courses so frustrating. If a kitchen can produce a soup that good it should be able to do the same with a simple pasta dish. Not so, apparently. The summer squash tortellini (£15) is a disaster in comparison. The pasta itself is well cooked and homemade but the overt sweetness of the squash filling is sickening and tastes more like a dessert than a savoury course. It’s compounded by an overpowering lemon flavour, which drowns out any of the dish’s subtleties and is hard to stomach. Similarly, the whole Norfolk lobster (£28) is also too sickly. The lobster is removed from its shell (where’s the fun in that?) and the amount of meat you get for the price is on the meagre side – although it is meaty and well cooked. However, the sweetness of the lobster is compounded by the overpowering creaminess of the honey, garlic and cream sauce. That is all you can taste and – again – it starts to become cloying after just a few mouthfuls.

If you can stomach dessert then steer clear of the banana beignets, which – ironically enough - are lacking in sweetness. The doughnuts are too hard and the banana too stodgy with a starchy texture that coats the teeth. The honeycomb ice cream that accompanies it is delicious though, and just about saves it.

The Drink
The wine menu at Caxton Grill is excellent with a good range of prices, covering old and new world bottles with some unusual regions and grape varieties included. The staff are also well versed on the menu and are able to recommend bottles to match your food, which is a nice touch. They have a good choice available by the glass if you’re not looking to drink too much, or want to experience a selection of different wines.

The Last Word
Caxton Grill could be an excellent restaurant if they could sort out the consistency of their dishes. The kitchen clearly has a high level of skill – it’s just not reflected in every dish and at this price range, you expect it to be.

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