Galvin at Windows has a décor similar to any establishment at this end of the market and certainly of the kind expected in a such a prestigious location as Park Lane; heavy linen tablecloths, dark wooden furniture plus a couple of funky, modern twists (metallic tubular wine rack plus a fringe-y curtain effort dividing the bar & restaurant) apart from one thing. The view from the 28th floor of the Hilton Hotel is stunning. Especially as Hyde Park is next door and there don’t seem to be many high buildings around to spoil the view across North & West London. Miss R and I could see not only all the way up Baker Street, but also the Wembley Arch in the distance.

The cuisine is ‘Modern French’, by which I generally understand that the ingredients are from all over the place and cooked in a French style. There were three menus on offer on the evening we visited, which were the La Carte menu, at £38 for three courses, the Menu Prestige, which was £58 for three courses and the Degustation, which was a tasting menu comprising of eight courses from the previous 2 menus, at £75 a head.

Once we’d selected our menu and chosen what to drink (I accepted the kind offer of the sommelier to choose a wine for each course for me) we received our first taste of food, from a young waitress who presented us with an “Amusing Bouche” (sic). I can only assume she was new on the job as she’d been accompanied by not one but two other waiting staff and I hope that gaffe didn’t land her in any trouble, as we didn’t see her again for the rest of the evening. In regards to the Amuse Bouche, it was a bit disappointing in that was really just some tuna mayo, served in a fancy glass with a kind of bready tweel. It tasted alright, but as a gateway to the rest of the meal, it wasn’t a particularly great advertisement.

The starters fortunately raised the game and the Jerusalem Artichoke Velouté (soup, effectively) with a Mushroom Brioche was very, very good. The Velouté was creamy and full of flavour and the brioche was quite mushroomy, although not enough to overpower the delicate artichoke. My Marinated Blue Fin Tuna with Shredded Mutton was also good, but I wasn’t really convinced by the pairing of tuna & mutton. I didn’t feel they really went that well together, although the Riesling selected for me by the Sommelier was an excellent match (Riesling Tradition, Domaine Albert Mann, 2007).

Main courses consisted of Slow Cooked Belly of Old Spot Pork, braised cheek, clams, gem lettuce on a bed of Puy lentils. A pretty classic combination (although the addition of clams is not one I’ve seen too often) and one which was cooked very well, providing both tender & flavoursome meat. Miss R’s dish of Fillet of Braised Halibut with lemon oil, Crab Pommes Ecrasées once again trumped mine, although Miss R was less impressed with this than her Velouté starter. Once again, the Sommelier selected a winner, this time a Saint-Joseph from the Rhone Valley (Saint-Joseph, Le Grand Pompee, Paul Jaboulet Ainée, 2005).

The dessert menu was less impressive and after some deliberation, Miss R went for the Dark chocolate palet d’or, cookie crumbs & malted milk ice cream whilst I selected the Marinated Pineapple with lime & chilli with apricot rice pudding. The Palet D’or was exceptionally rich, so much so that Miss R could not finish it, an almost unheard of occurrence. My pineapple was a rather confused affair, with the rice pudding coming in a separate mini-kilner jar. It was like two separate desserts, neither of which really went with eachother. On this occasion, the Sommelier bowled a duff ball, suggesting a Sauternes to go with my dessert, rather than the Jurancon recommended on the menu. Whilst I’m not sure that the Jurancon would have been a lot better with a dessert that had so many contrasting textures & flavours, the Sauternes definitely clashed.

Whilst Galvin at Windows had pleasant & efficient service, a calm but not pedestrian atmosphere and some very good dishes, it just lacked that extra je ne sais pas pourquoi (sic) that would probably lead to an award of a Michelin star. Whilst it is an expensive menu (although we were subsidised by a voucher given by Miss R’s friends for her birthday – Thanks!), there are several deals for both lunch and early dinner that make a visit a much better value affair. Even if you don’t fancy coming for the food, the bar next door is most certainly worth a visit for the views alone.