London City's 1901 Offers Pricey Portions, Walk-Up Wine Cellar

There's a theory that as times get tougher, people go for comfort food. So in London, tiny portions of fancy French cuisine are out and hearty servings of traditional British favorites such as bangers and mash are in. Well, maybe.

My guess -- I wouldn't elevate it to a theory -- is that people are thinking about value as much as comfort. When we feel the pinch, we don't care if food is British, Indian or Italian, so long as it tastes good, it's not too expensive and there's plenty of it. We want to fill up without feeling ripped off.

The flagship restaurant at London's Andaz hotel (formerly the Great Eastern), called 1901, is swinging in line with a trend by focusing on local seasonal produce. It's au revoir to French fine dining and how do you do to grouse from Yorkshire, poached and roasted breast, butternut squash and creamed cabbage, juniper jus.

That's not a bad move, and chef Dominic Teague displays the same skill and flair he did in this establishment's former incarnation. Obviously, you won't get a dud dish. More than that, you'll get some very good cooking with combinations of flavors that work, without necessarily being predictable.

From a starter of pumpkin veloute, organic creme fraiche and smoked chestnut, through a main of hen pheasant slow-braised in cider, pithivier of leg, purple sprouting broccoli, to a dessert of Irish coffee parfait, whisky custard, hazelnut crisp, the food is as fine as ever. The room, which was beautiful before, has been improved by a makeover that has uncluttered the space.

Timing Question

So far so good, but is this really the right restaurant for the times? Fine dining is fine dining whether the cuisine is French or English, and I found myself looking at the price of the dishes and the size of the portions and wondering if they represented the best use of my corporate credit card.

The simplicity of charging 10 pounds for all starters and 22 for mains is admirable but those are big numbers and I don't want to pay that much for, say, mackerel with pickled cauliflower followed by chicken with leeks and ceps. Desserts are reasonable at 7 pounds and that's worth anyone's money for Irish coffee parfait, whisky custard and hazelnut crisp. There's a very good (mainly English) cheese selection at 9 pounds for five pieces.

I have three other reservations about 1901. First, there is the name, which sounds like it commemorates a battle or the dawn of a century. The hotel dates to 1884, and it refers to the year when the original layout of the space that houses 1901 was completed. It doesn't tell me this is a modern British restaurant.

Pop-In Cellar

Second, and more a matter of personal taste, the playing of middle-of-the-road pop creates an ambience of corporate hospitality rather than the intended message of casual luxury. Third, I don't get the design feature of a walk-up wine cellar and cheese store. I pay high prices in restaurants in the hope people will serve me, not for the pleasure of exercising my legs.

There's much to recommend 1901, particularly Teague's cooking, his pretty plates, the friendly and professional service and a large selection of wines by the glass. But if I were trying to work out a formula for a successful restaurant for a time of recession, it wouldn't involve big prices and small portions.