PJ’s Bar and Grill: Covent Garden, London

PJ’s Bar and Grill

Date of Visit: 24^th October 2013

Ambience

As we entered, the bar was right by the front entrance and it was very noisy with people standing around for drinks.  The main dining area was further inside the restaurant down a few steps so we figured the noise level wouldn’t be a problem except for we were seated opposite the bar where a few smaller tables were set up.  Luckily, the crowd around the bar fizzled out quite quickly (I suspect the crowd were parties awaiting their tables to be set up).

The front of the restaurant looks very much like a pub and quite rustic looking.  When we were seated, the first thing I noticed was that the seating area was too high for the tables so it wasn’t the most comfortable meal.

Food

We started with a glass of prosecco each since there was something to celebrate (well done if you are reading this J).

For starters we had scotch egg with chorizo and braised lamb with chive & potato cake.  The scotch egg was tasty, albeit the sauce was overly salty and the chorizo quite hard.  The braised lamb was very appetising as the shredded lamb was in a spicy and sour marinade but the potato cake tasted a little stale.

 

For mains we had Chicken Cordon Bleu and Grilled lemon sole with scallops and king prawn.  The chicken breast of the Cordon Bleu was fairly tender and the cheese wasn’t as overpowering as I expected so it wasn’t bad.  The fish on the other hand was very bland but I give them credit that the fish was cooked very well (i.e. not overcooked).  The potato gratin was a little too oily and the scallops were tiny but the best part of the dish was the king prawn – very meaty and juicy.

 

We skipped dessert as I got some cake from Euphorium Bakery earlier in the day which needed to be eaten.

Service

It took a while for us to be seated even though our table was ready but this was due to a misunderstanding from the servers as they thought we were part of a larger party who were already waiting at the bar.

When we were seated, the service was quick and efficient and we were asked a number of times if we needed more drinks and if the food was ok.

Summary

I found the food here hit and miss – some part of the dishes were tasty, other parts disappointing so I don’t really rate the food here.  If you are in the Covent Garden area, there’s plenty of other choices around.