Whigham’s

Whigham’s is a very popular West End wine bar, featuring atmospheric wine cellar booths and showcasing a dazzling wine list. It’s smart, sophisticated and modern, but with more than a hint of old school class.

Our little questing crew had eaten here on many occasions previously, and our collective view was that it could be very hit and miss. I recall eating excellent oysters, once, but then my dining companion sending back her main course, just a few minutes later. So, what were we in for today, we wondered.

The menu had a nice array of dishes. We struggled with it and our very patient waitress eventually guided us to some decisions. Patrick chose from the specials board, going for smoked haddock and spring onion risotto, followed by an 8oz ribeye.

Mina opted for smoked salmon, followed by the coley (a popular fish with us, over the past couple of quests).

I chose the mussels, followed by the beef casserole.

Our starters were two hits and one miss. My mussels were excellent and reminded me of the mussels MJ and I had in , during festival time. Mina’s smoked salmon was good. Patrick’s risotto was not. The smoked haddock gave the dish good flavour, but the rice was way overdone and far too dry. There was some curious seasoning going on with it, as well.

Our mains were two misses and one hit.

The beef in my casserole was as tough as old boots. The broccoli mash with which it was served showed some promise. It was a little over-seasoned to compensate for what I suspect wasn’t the most flavour-packed piece of broccoli, though.

I think Mina’s coley was OK, but the chips it came with (which she’d specifically asked for, instead of the mash the menu offered) weren’t too good.

Patrick’s steak looked really good to me. The chips, again, weren’t brilliant, and he had some reservations about the accuracy of the cooking of the steak, but that seemed to be a hit as far as I could tell.

In an unusual move, we all opted for desserts. Patrick’s sticky toffee pudding looked like gooey goodness.

Mina’s strawberries and cream looked decidedly underwhelming.

My cheese plate was rather unimaginative, but I suppose it did the job.

Overall, Whigham’s is much as we’d remembered it: very hit and miss. My mussels were outstanding, but most of the rest of the stuff was pretty uninspiring. Certainly, if you’re visiting for a glass of wine and someone mentions, “shall we eat here?”, I’d say “yes”, but be prepared for peaks and troughs.

Scores

Blythe scores Whigham’s
3/5 for food
3/5 for presentation
3/5 for service
3/5 for setting
giving an overall 12/20

Mina scores Whigham’s
/5 for food
/5 for presentation
/5 for service
/5 for setting
giving an overall /20

Patrick scores Whigham’s
/5 for food
/5 for presentation
/5 for service
/5 for setting
giving an overall /20

Today’s late Lunch Questers were: Mina, Patrick, Blythe

We wore: beautiful new coat, a look of post-exam relief, the weeping eyes of an incipient cold

We ate: smoked haddock risotto, smoked salmon, mussels, coley, ribeye steak, beef casserole, sticky toffee pudding, strawberries and cream, cheese

We drank: Guinness, lager, sparkly wine, water, coffees

Total bill: £90