Theo Randall at the InterContinental

Food was excellent. This is one of my favourite Italian / pasta restaurants in London. The pastas were perfectly made... The services, however, had lots of room for improvement. I don't think I've ever seen a waiter carrying a kitchen plastic tray to collect plates from customers in a 5* hotel restaurant, not to say whilst he was collecting the forks and knifes they went flying towards us... And when he eagerly offered to take a photo for us, he was actually disturbing the table next door. It was amusing to us (and some hilarious comical moments) but deffo not to the ladies next to us when he was trying to take a photo for us with the tray nearly hitting the lady's head. The managers were very friendly and warm - and they handled the situation very well.

We are now regulars and we booked for my wife’s birthday. As expected the food and wine pairing were magnificent and the whole experience was made even more special because of our waiter Peter. His knowledge of the wine, food and above all his personality just topped the whole experience. Theo and his team always gives us a wonderful day out.

Whenever I’m asked about my favourite restaurants there’s one place that always springs to mind. This is Theo Randall’s Italian restaurant in the intercontinental hotel on park lane and after our latest visit it not hard to see why. We’ve enjoyed many a fabulous dining experience at Theo’s which has included Brunch , Regional Tasting Menu’s and just like our visit on Saturday the amazing A la Carte. As you enter the hotel you immediately look to the right and there you will find the restaurant. A warm and friendly welcome will be waiting for you before you’re escorted to your table in the stunning dining room which has now undergone a little makeover. Once we were seated the team who are one of the best in the hospitality industry moved into action. Every member of staff are very pleasant and polite which just adds to the experience. As I said at the beginning on this occasion we decided to opt for the A la Carte Menu. Once we had chosen our food we spoke to sommelier Astrit to choose a bottle of wine. This was a 2022 Arnaldo Caprai from Umbria that complimented the food perfectly. The evening began with some focaccia and the heavenly tomatoes on toast along with the zucchini fritte which are always a favourite. This led to the ANTIPASTI. Here we would enjoy the Calamari in Padella - Pan fried squid with Cannellini beans, chilli, anchovies, parsley and chopped rocket and the Carne Salata - Thinly sliced cured beef with wild rocket, zucchini, parmesan, aged balsamic vinegar. These were two fabulous dishes and perfect way to begin. Now we would move to the PRIMI course. Here we were in heaven as the amazing pasta dishes were presented. The Cappelletti di Vitello - Fresh pasta filled with slow cooked veal, porcini mushrooms , parmesan and the Tagliatelle Zucchini e Gamberetti - Fresh pasta with prawns, courgette, Datterini tomatoes, parsley and fresh chilli were simply stunning. Things now got even better as next to come was the SECONDI course. This was Italian cooking at it’s finest as we opted for the Arrosto di Faraona - Roasted guinea fowl stuffed with prosciutto di Parma, lemon zest, thyme and mascarpone, on pagnotta bruschetta with mixed greens and portobello mushrooms along with the best veal dish I’ve ever eaten. The Controfiletto di Vitello - Pan-roasted Veal Loin with wild mushrooms, Amarone sauce, potato purée and spinach was absolutely delicious and will live long in the memory. We now needed a little break and it was at this point chef Theo came over to see us. This gave us the opportunity to personally thank him and his team for the amazing food , wine and service. We also discussed the changes to the look of the restaurant which we thought were a definite improvement. Now we could finish with the DOLCE. Here I would enjoy chocolate heaven in the form of a Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake with Espresso Gelato a perfect way end a truly wonderful dining experience. We ended with a surprise cocktail from Astrit that brought the incredible evening to an end. I really can’t recommend a visit to Theo’s highly enough as in my mind you will be treated to simply the best Italian food along with a fabulous selection of wine and friendly service. I can’t wait to visit again and will be keeping an eye on the monthly regional tasting menu that are exceptional value for money. Many Thanks to Theo and all his team for an amazing dining experience and look forward to seeing you all again soon.