Rock Garden has traditionally had the image of being just another London tourist trap. However, while the service and decor do little to stir the imagination, the food here is surprisingly good - and cheap, if you book on line in advance.

The Venue
Rock Garden is situated bang in the middle of Covent Garden, an area that seems to get busier and busier as time goes by. In the venue's favour, there's a pleasant outdoor seating area sheltered by the piazza and warmed by outdoor heaters, which gives you a good view of the hustle and bustle. Other than that, the decor leaves a lot to be desired, with tacky red table clothes, red velvet drapes, false-looking flowers and cheap chandeliers.

The Atmosphere
The outdoor seating area seems to be buzzing with a friendly, touristy crowd of couples and families. The service is friendly but seems hasty - more about getting you in and out, rather than helping you relax and feel at home.

The Food
Being so central you'd expect the food here to be overpriced, but there are a series of good value menus available to book in advance online, such as the party menu at £27.00 a head; the theatre menu, with three courses priced at about £5.00 each; and the game set and match menu, which gives you three courses and a soft drink for £15.00.

The set menu - three courses and a glass of house wine for £15.00 - is for the most part very satisfying. For starters, a generous mezze plate (mysteriously topped with breadsticks) is packed with ham, salami, smoked mackerel, kalamta olives, taramasalata, hummus, marinated artichokes, cherry tomatoes, marinated button mushrooms, feta, roast peppers… and don't forget the rocket! The only drawback is that, all served on one plate, these diverse flavours become lost, with the runny hummus and taramasalata making the experience somewhat messy. Still, all the component parts of this dish are tasty and of high quality.

The mains are far better than their price tag would suggest. The steak Bearnaise is cooked perfectly - a succulent medium rare that will make this quality cut of meat melt in your mouth. The Bearnaise sauce, whilst seeming slightly solid on top, is delicious none the less. The roast chicken breast, sweet potato puree, roasted red onions and red wine jus is delightful, the chicken again perfectly cooked, and nicely complemented by the caramelised red onions and red wine sauce. The dish is also very generous, with a hearty side serving of sweet potato puree which boasts a creamy, delicate texture.

Puddings, while nothing to write home about, certainly fall within the comfort food bracket. The warm waffle with summer berry compote and ice cream tastes good, though the fruit topping is still slightly frozen, while the ice cream selection isn’t particularly imaginative - again not a bad thing, just not what you'd expect from a central London restaurant pulling in so many customers.

The Drink
The wine list at Rock Garden is pretty broad. For whites the house, Castelli Romani, is crisp and went down easily, and while free with the set menu, was fairly priced a la carte at around £14.00. For those wanting to splash out, the Simmonet Chablis 2004 (£30,00 a bottle) and the Premier Cru 2005 (£38.00 a bottle) are safe bets.

For reds, the house, again a Castelli Romani 2005, is perfectly acceptable (also about £14.00 a bottle), while standouts for wine-lovers would be the Atlas Cumbras, Argentina (£25.00 a bottle), or the Saint Anrdre, France 2004/5 (£40.00 a bottle).

For beers expect the usual, Dos Equis (£3.50 a bottle) being an exception, and there's a respectable cocktail list including Raspberry Bellinis and Margarita Primos, both about £7.00.

The Last Word
While Rock Garden can't quite shake its reputation as a restaurant-just-for-tourists, it does have some surprises to offer, such as genuinely delicious main courses and super-value set menus. Overall the food is enjoyable, though this venue has a lot more work to do before it can start pulling in the homegrown crowds.

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