Michel Roux Jr’s latest restaurant opens at Parliament Square, just in time to catch the new neighbours moving in just around the corner.

The Venue
The entrance to Roux at Parliament Square is actually located on Great George Street, in the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors building. The space used to be a private club used by members of the RICS, and it shows thanks to high, elegant windows and a sweeping staircase at the entrance. Up the stairs is the bar, which features a bookcase lined with heavy, valuable-looking tomes from the RICS library. The ground floor dining area is spread across two rooms; the first is the lighter of the two, with flowery walls matched with the grey carpet, whilst the second features maroon and gold wallpaper. It’s easy to picture the private dining room, a bit further on, packed with politicians.

The Atmosphere
Indeed, it’s easy to see the entire place filled with politicians, especially considering the location and the impressive reputation behind Michel Roux Jr’s name. Things are a bit quiet at the moment but when word gets out you’ll no doubt find yourself jostling for elbow room with an MP or two. Staff are personable but professional, ready with recommendations but careful not to hover.

The Food
There’s no choice of courses on the main menu of Roux at Parliament Square – three are on offer and three’s what you order. The price of £55 is definitely worth it, especially given the level of cooking. There’s also a tasting menu, which seems equally good value at just £10 more for seven courses. The three course menu, though, starts off with some fabulous amuse bouches, including a tart little anchovy and onion crisp and a sugared round doughnut filled with a smooth foie gras mousse. A scallop escabeche is less unusual but no less remarkable, with very soft, silky slices of scallop topped with tiny cubes of carrot.

The menu has six choices each for starters, mains and desserts, and there’s a balanced choice of options for fans of meat and fish and, surprisingly, vegetarians as well. The tomato starter, for example, despite being made of only two ingredients – tomatoes and Ragstone cheese – is absolutely stunning. The small, round tomatoes have been de-skinned and are a mix of bright, vivid colours, so that they almost look like small balls of summery sorbet. They’re incredibly fresh and their flavour is only enhanced by the savoury, fragrant tomato essence poured over the top. The foie gras dish also manages to be lighter than expected, with the foie gras as plump as you could hope and sliced into small rectangles. Two batons of crisp, deep purple rhubarb and a scattering of pale green pistachio are as lovely to look at as they are to taste.

Mains also don’t disappoint, particularly the sea trout, which is a large, thick, perfectly cooked piece with crisp skin, balanced on a bed of chicory and accompanied by a creamy, rich polenta. Berkshire black pork is served in two ways, a slice of belly and two juicy rounds of tenderloin. A few mustard-flavoured gnoccis are fluffy and almost sweet, whilst a few tender carrots and a salty piece of crackling that breaks with just the right amount of crispness finish off the plate.

Before puddings there’s a pre-dessert of strawberry sorbet and strawberry panna cotta, topped with a meringue triangle, which is so good that you’d happily eat it in place of the advertised choices. The lemon tart is a good blend of sharp and sweet but the real star of the show is the yoghurt sorbet paired with the just-ripe raspberries. The passion fruit souffle, which takes about 10 to 15 minutes to cook, is massive, larger than souffles normally are but all the better for it, as you’ll be scraping the bottom of the dish with your spoon before you know it. Petit fours afterwards are just as well constructed as you’d hope – and expect – the standout being a delicate chocolate square filled with orange and star anise.

The Drink
The bar upstairs is, at the moment, still working on their cocktail list but in the meantime they can mix a mean Martini. The wine list is long as there’s a good range of prices, with more than a few at the low end of the £20 to £30 range and one topping the charts at over £5,000. The choice by the glass ranges from £4 to £9 for red and white wines and includes a ripe, refreshing Pinot Blanc (£5) and a clean, light Sancerre (£7). The list is international and there’s a few choices of English sparkling and white wine. A glass of Nyetimber (£12) is crisp and slightly sweet and makes a great aperitif whilst a Muscat de Rivesaltes (£6) recommended by the sommelier has lively citrus flavours.

The Last Word
A meal at Roux at Parliament Square makes for a fantastic treat – whether you’re a politician or just a pleb like the rest of us.

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