There are ten restaurants at The Ned, spread out over its sprawling floors and corners. In a not-so-secret hidden basement spot is The Parlour, which presents both dinner and a show.
Live acts perform at one end of the room in a puddle of warm light on a sort of American prom style stage. Perfectly made Picantes, plush velvet upholstery and dinky dimly lit table lamps create a sense of occasion and the buzz from the cocktail slinging crowd is palpable. In fact, there’s a steady stream of birthday cakes making their way out to tables on our visit, proof that this is a place for celebrations.
The upbeat staff are generous with their time and the sense of hospitality is a theme throughout. It’s reflected in the menu which in its eagerness to delight is like a short masterclass in please-all plates. There’s a jumble of chicken liver parfait and smoked salmon with blinis, plus burgers, Caesar salads and Dover sole. It’s this run of classics that makes the yakitori section feel slightly at odds with the rest of the offering but if you don’t mind starting your meal in Japan and ending things back in Britain then there’s no harm done.
At £16 for two, the wagyu beef skewers prove an expensive bite, but grudgingly we have to admit they’re delicious, and the well-heeled crowd doesn’t seem perturbed by splashing the cash. A tuna tartare is fresh with citrus and loaded up with creamy avocado so that there’s little to dislike. The lobster salad is generous, piled with sweet meat and served with a marie rose sauce for high end nostalgia, while other throw-back classics include the chicken Kiev. The latter has been suitably ritzed up with black truffle and bursts with butter at the tap of a knife.
Come sweets it’s hard to deviate from the baked Alaska as the smell or caramelised sugar wafts around the dining room, but a sweet rum-soaked sponge with coconut and pineapple proves the perfect note to end on.