August 18th, 2009
In Bloomsbury sits the Balfour Italian Restaurant on Marchmont Street, London. I have been before and was pleased to re-visit, arriving with a colleague around 7.30pm yesterday evening. There were ten other diners eating what looked like nicely prepared meals, so we looked forward to our own. I ordered up a Tomato Bruschetta and a Sirloin Steak. To drink we asked for a bottle of white Pino Grigio. The restaurant is small on the ground floor, with seating for around 30 covers. There are 5 tables outside under the canopy where a couple sat smoking under the overhead electric heaters. Inside the decoration was smart and nicely understated with a clean Italian feel.
Our starters soon arrived and we both agreed that these were good. My Bruschetta was nicely presented on slightly toasted Italian bread with a great seasoned salad side. It was perhaps just a little too big, but that is better than the other way round. Our mains quickly followed. My sirloin steak was excellent, beautifully prepared and seasoned. Served up with fresh home cooked chips and salad, it was the perfect end to a very long day in London.
By the time we left at 10pm, the place had a few more customers and the staff seemed very busy, but not so much as to miss saying a proper goodbye and thanking us for our custom.
I will go back to this great little restaurant.
Rating: 3 Stars.
Posted in Food and Drink