As well as the trains and champagne bars, the first floor also boasts The Oyster Bar restaurant and The Booking Office, the latter of which we were lucky enough to dine at. It is beautifully restored. The old wooden panelling adds gravitas, the restored red brick adds warmth, and the sheer height of the ceiling finishes off this truly magnificent setting. The atmosphere is embellished by a stylish, European feel to the low chairs and service, and they have adopted the old fashioned serving model of kitchen porters delivering the goods to the shop floor, for the waiting staff to dish out.
To start, the British charcuterie plate (or rather wooden slab) looked fit to burst and was a generous portion indeed. Whilst a simple dish, it was a clever and discrete nod to Europe. The clam chowder provided creamy mouthfuls of delicate sea, neither over-salted nor overly fishy. Its only flaw was an unfortunate skin which must have been missed at the kitchen pass, or more likely it sat there too long under hot lights whilst several more pigs were commandeered to load up the charcuterie plate.
The medium rare rib eye steak had spent a couple too many seconds in the heat, but it was more than acceptable. The chips, which arrived in their own little basket, were triple cooked and beautifully crisp (why cook once or twice when you can keep going a third time?). A rather boisterous half bulb of garlic accompanied the steak, and it was not clear whether it was decorative or actually intended to have been roasted and therefore a true accompaniment. Either way, it was not quite at home, and needed some significant additional oven time to soften and sweeten it up.
The oxtail and kidney pie was attractive enough in its own pot, but there was a disappointing chasm between the pastry and the filling. It provided a decent enough depth of gamy flavours, but needed more kidney and a little less oiliness. The accompanying ramekin of buttered peas and carrots paled into insignificance against more delicious triple cooked chips.
To finish, a true girder of Yorkshire curd tart was accompanied by golden raisin ice cream. The pastry was stunning- light and firm but with a gentle flake if challenged. The only disappointment was, again, a sloppy kitchen pass, resulting in a slick of renegade ice cream gently slicking across an otherwise lovely looking dish. The sherry trifle with orange biscotti was heavy on the whipped cream, but also generous on the sherry. The only confusion was an accompanying pot of granola which livened up the cream but presented Muller yoghurt-esque dilemmas.
There's no doubt that the Booking Office is a special place and a great first London encounter for anyone hopping off the train. However, if it wants to impress our European cousins there are still a few Ps and Qs that need a thoroughly British ticking off.
