By 1873, Piccadilly Circus was the hub of the greatest empire the world had ever known – a suitable location a truly extraordinary restaurant interior. Remarkably, that neo-Byzantine fantasy still exists in pristine form today.
The tenant of the site in recent years has been Marco Pierre White. His upscale venture called The Criterion was both wrong for the site – too déclassé nowadays for a restaurant with any pretensions – and disappointing of its type. He let it limp on for more years than did him much credit, but now he’s found a new concept that might just work.
Say what you like about Piccadilly Circus but it remains a very handy location, and the new operation – part of MPW’s co-venture with Mr Dettori – certainly provides a spacious, elegant and comfortable setting for mid-price dining right in the heart of town, and there are few enough of those.
Not least for legal reasons – the interior is listed – the mirrored jewel case look of the other Frankie’s premises (in Knightsbridge and Chiswick) is missing, and the appearance is very much as it ever was. We do not in fact find it very atmospheric, remarkable as it is, but the wow! factor for first-time visitors is undeniable.
The food is in standard Frankie’s format. We visited on the first day of trading – as it turned out, before the ovens for the ‘signature’ pizzas were even in place – and found the pastas, salads and so on menu pretty well realised. We doubt this will ever be a culinary ‘destination’, but as long as standards don’t drift too badly – as they did in the Criterion days – this should establish itself as a thoroughly useful West End rendezvous. See you at Frankie’s?
