Polentina in City of London, Westminster

Came here for lunch , ate the whole menu between 4 of us and left smiling , the weather was dull and grey but the food made up for it. The service was brilliant and wine recommendations also first class

Looked forward to eating here after reading Grace Dent’s glowing review in the Guardian on 15/7/2023; seems like most of the other diners were here for the same reason. Assumed that the restaurant had only recently opened so I was really surprised to learn that it had actually been trading for over two years. Quite mysterious how it had evaded critics, culture vultures in London for so long. Idiosyncratic space in the the ‘arse end of nowhere’ - Dent’s accurate description - which is the canteen of a clothing factory overlooking the likely minimum wage earning staff hard at work, separated by full height glass windows. A bit like a human zoo, so a bit problematic to begin with to be honest. The food was not bad, not outstanding by a long chalk, but the mozzarella in the salad was plainly industrially produced, not fresh. Not sure how to describe it overall, maybe cucina povera/ rustica? The service was very haphazard: appreciate that there was basically just one person serving in a room of c28 covers; serious issues of pacing and sequencing, we were served our focaccia when we had finished all three courses. The very patient couple next to us waited 45 minutes before they were attended to. A real bum note however was the wine service. I asked to see the wine list to be told that they only served wine by the glass and that they had no such list, which seemed bizarre. Anyway, the waiter at length agreed that I could actually buy a bottle of wine (how unusual in a restaurant). I asked said waiter to recommend a bottle of wine that was proportionate to the cost of the food and not to stiff me in the final bill by my discovering that it was the most expensive available (rookie error, and I’m an old git). The waiter rocked up with a bottle, my wife tasted it and pronounced it ok, so the wine was duly poured. A little while later I asked what the cost of the bottle was, turned out that it was some 55% of the total bill, which I thought was definitely sharp practice. Doubt I would return.

After reading the rave review in the Guardian I was keen ti try this oddity. I loved the bizarre location and surreal view of the sewing factory. The food was good but not nearly as good the the guardian would have you believing. But the menu changes every day, so perhaps it just depends on what day you go. The menu on the chalk board s very few choices so it’s perhaps a bit more like a canteen than a restaurant. I enjoyed the dishes. The main courses were notable mainly for their textural ranges rather than their outstanding flavours. And they weren’t big standard dishes either. Ice cream flavours were unusual and imaginative. Overall, a reasonable meal in a wacky location. So for me this was a novelty restaurant that I would take someone who has a strong enjoyment of the bizarre.