Orrery, 55 Marylebone High Street, London W1U 5RB

Orrery, 55 Marylebone High Street, London W1U 5RB

02/09/2013

www.orrery-restaurant.co.uk

She said: the mother-in-law was in town and treating us so I wanted something chic, local and not too pricey. I was delighted to note the Menu du Jour on the Orrery website at £26 for three courses. Perfect. When we arrived at this D&D London-owned eatery on a beautiful summer’s evening and ascended to the smart, spacious dining room above the Conran furniture store, we were ecstatic to be offered a table on the stunning outdoor roof terrace. Our faces and moods descended at speed when we were presented with the menu which offered a choice of a £49 set menu for 3 courses or a £60 ‘Gourmand’ menu. I felt embarrassed knowing his mother would want to throw me off the roof for picking this place knowing she was paying. But after collecting myself and knowing I am always right, I signalled the waiter and asked about the £26 set menu. He wandered off and returned with this menu. When we asked why he had neglected to give us this menu (interjected by my mother-in-law saying ‘because he has been trained not to’) he muttered some nonsense about this offer being available through a partner promotion – despite me saying it was listed on the menu section of their own website. It then turned even more ‘Fawlty Towers’ when I asked if there was an a la carte menu to which the waiter pointed back to the £49 and £60 menu. ‘But these are set menus for 3 courses…what if I just want a main’ I innocently asked. ‘Yes you can have just a main’ he replied. ‘But how much are the main dishes – they are not individually priced’ I promoted. ‘Mmm, well you can say between £20 to £25 for mains and between £15 to £18 for starters’. As he left we all stared at each other in disbelief and burst out laughing wondering when we entered the Twilight Zone. The waiter returned to present a corked wine to ‘him’ and when ‘he said’ it smelt funny the waiter returned with a new wine and a sarcastic offering of ‘it wasn’t funny it was obviously corked’.  Setting aside the ridiculous charade above, the food, setting and price (as excruciating as it was to obtain) was fantastic. I ordered from the £26 menu (!) and had a mackerel starter, a Provencal stuffed vegetable main and roasted fig dessert. Good portions and flavours. The meal was interspersed with various amuse bouche including delicious chocolate truffles with our bill. The rooftop was wonderfully peaceful and atmospheric; it’s rare to find such a spot in London. Orrery really is a wonderful place. Don’t let the outrageous behaviour above put you off – just remember to ask for all the menus and give your wine a good sniff.

He said: another day another walk down memory lane. We’d tried this local years ago after a particularly bad day, figuring that every bad should be balanced by a good. This time the family was in town, which wasn’t so bad but still a nice meal was in order. The big draw of Orrery for me is the roof terrace, up a flight of stairs from the main room, and with seating just half dozen tables. This secluded spot with a view of tree tops and sky has got to be among the best in central London; no pickpockets, no junkies begging for a ‘fare home’, no irritating mime artists trying to break out of their damned box. Just peace, and tasty eats. The food was exactly what you’d expect; at the upper end and towards the French side of the Conran-style kitchen. Service was excellent, but the waiter had clearly been briefed by management to present only the degustation menu at £50-60. She’d done her homework and knew all about the great-value £26 set menu. Getting it, and more info on the mysteriously-price a la carte was pure comedy. Then the carafe of wine arrived, smelling so much of Mo Farah’s socks that no-one opening the bottle could’ve missed it was corked… It all started looking a lot like an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. This is not a place to go if you’ve just finished your anger management course. On principle I would never go back to Orrery just for that unforgivable fleece-the-punters stunt. But despite their best efforts we still had a really good meal at Orrery and I would recommend it – just keep calm.