MP’s, the bistro that forms part of the Parliament House Hotel, had been on our long list of places to visit, for a while. I found myself caught in two minds, when leaving my place of business, one evening, so decided to pop in, given its extreme proximity.
Exterior
The Hotel itself, from the quick look I got, is quite plush and stylish, in the traditional style, with rich carpets and loomingly austere portraits on the walls.
MP’s has recently been refurbished, with their curious decor now something akin to a late 80s provincial hotel. Although it’s clean and tidy, it feels tired and in need of a refresh, already. It has a strangely mismatched feel with the style of the rest of the hotel.
Scotch egg
Their menu looked quite appealing, though, and I was particularly taken with the notion of a haggis Scotch egg. The belly of lamb sounded quite good, too, so I ordered both of those.
The starter was good, with a crisply cased haggis ball containing a runny-yolked quail’s egg. The sauce had a bit piquancy to it, too.
Lamb
The main course was less impressive, with rather routine lamb, served with carrots and shallots, in one of those entirely nondescript brown savoury sauces. It was like a wedding banquet dish, where everyone would have nodded and been fairly content, but as a restaurant dish it was entirely underwhelming.
So overall, MP’s Bistro is just a little sad. It seems trapped in a bygone era, or at least is serving solely a functional purpose within a hotel that shouldn’t be exposed to non-residents. If you happen to end up here, you won’t find things to be anything less than solidly good, but I think, like me, you might leave feeling rather sorry for those involved in this moribund enterprise.
Scores
Blythe scores MP’s Bistro
3/5 for food
3/5 for presentation
3/5 for setting
3.5/5 for service
giving an overall 12.5/20
Today’s quester was: Blythe
I ate: haggis and quail scotch egg; roast belly of lamb
I drank: house red
I wore: www.tieclub.co.uk tie
Total bill: £20.75
