With the reputation of Marco Pierre White resting heavily on its shoulders, Marco suffers from the weight of expectation. As lavish as you might expect from a restaurant based in the heart of Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge, it’s a decent enough place that just falls short of its promise.

The Venue
The beating heart of Chelsea is its huge football club at Stamford Bridge, and this is where Marco Pierre White chose to place this restaurant, named in honour of his son Marco. It’s certainly a fine choice – whichever football team you support you can’t fail to be impressed by the enormity of this football club. Located a short walk through or around this impressive stadium, the large sign announces you’ve reached your destination. It’s especially impressive at night, with beautiful lights reflecting the splendour of what’s inside.

You can’t help but be impressed by the interior of this cool restaurant. You’re immediately met by a large, black front desk with Marco written on it in big lettering. Behind this is a glittering pillar of golden lighting that is simply stunning and a fitting centrepiece to the restaurant. To the left and right of the main desk are the seating areas. Beautiful circular white-tablecloth laden tables adourn these dining areas, with leather booths surrounding the outer edge of the venue. There is plenty of lighting with lamps hanging down over selected tables, but these are kept dimmed and the mood is seductive. A bar can be found at the back of the restaurant, which is simple with a few orange stools for people waiting to eat. All in all, it’s attractive and what you’d expect of a top class Chelsea restaurant.

The Atmosphere
With such a beautiful restaurant, located as it is in the heart of Chelsea, the mood is expectedly romantic – almost seductive. That said, families are as welcome as couples – although the latter make up the majority of the clientele. Chelsea players and the FC associates are often spotted eating here and there are plenty of glamorous types around. Dress smartly and turn it into an occasion.

The staff are professional, although service can be a little slow – especially when the restaurant is busy, and you may find you don’t get as much time as you’d like with the sommelier. There isn’t much in the way of friendly banter, but the staff do their best to accommodate any wishes or requests you may have and some go that extra mile, for example, showing you to the door of the toilets when you ask where they are. On the whole, it’s pleasant.

The Food
The food at Marco is a real mix – from very good to under par, which, at the high prices charged, can be a little disappointing. Starters cost around £10 a dish and include a rather delicious salmon with fromage and toast. Rather than the usual thin slices of smoked salmon that usually comes with such a starter, it’s instead a nice slab of salmon fillet, akin to what you’d get in a good sushi restaurant. Light, delicate and beautifully seasoned, it tastes fresh and very subtle, not as rich as some. The cream cheese works perfectly to balance this, adding a stronger, creamier flavour and texture and it tastes great lightly spread on the toast. However, the seafood ragu is disappointing in comparison, coming poorly presented without any of the flair of the salmon. The colours are all very beige and it looks almost unappealing. It tastes OK, but isn’t spectacular, all the flavours melting into each other in an overly-powerful seafood taste without any of the subtlety or finesse you’d expect. The prawns are also rather rubbery. It’s not a bad dish, it’s just not that good.

Mains are also quite pricey, but what you’d expect – coming in at £15-£25 depending on your choice. The roasted rump of lamb with clams, parsley and roasting juices is beautiful to look at, and definitely not measly in its proportions. With plenty of clams to satisfy any appetite and beautifully pink, thick slices of lamb, it’s a great mix of flavours that work surprisingly well. The lamb is succulent and tender – juicy and moist, and the clams are cooked perfectly with no hint of toughness – delicious. However, this is let down by the rib-eye of Aberdeen Angus a l’escargot salade verte, jus viande that, although nicely presented, isn’t a great dish. The l’escargot are too overpowering and don’t work particularly well with the steak. The steak itself has reams of fat running through it, and can be almost uncomfortable to chew, especially if you like your meat leaner. Although flavoursome, the texture is a bit too slimy, and at £16.50 you expect more.

Desserts are all a pretty safe bet. The tarte sablee of chocolate, glace au lait is a chocolate-lover's dream being rich with a deep chocolate taste. The ice cream cuts through it perfectly with a sweetness that just softens the chocolate. The lemon tart is also very nice, just tart enough with the lemon to not make your mouth uncomfortable it has a nice creamy texture and a sweetness that cuts through the citrus.

The Drink
Champagne as an aperitif is a must, with an excellent selection of crisp, sweet Champagnes that get the meal off to an excellent start. There’s a large selection of wine, which, perhaps surprisingly, caters for a decent range of budgets and they’re all of a good quality. There’s also a large cocktail selection at the bar, with pre-dinner, Champagne, fruit and after dinner cocktails coming in at £9 a go. There’s a nice choice of the classics – including a Bloody Mary with a top secret recipe. Also worth a note is the huge selection of whiskey on offer, including the incredible Johnny Walker Blue at £35 for 50ml.

The Last Word
Marco has so much promise – a talented celebrity chef as the driving force, an incredible location and setting, and a brilliant drinks menu. The only downside is the hit and miss nature of the dishes, which isn’t really what you expect of a place like this.

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