Review of Hilton London Bankside 5*

Oxbo is a newly opened restaurant in the Hilton Bankside and I'd advise you to get along as soon as you can. They were running a soft launch so they meal was only being charged at 50% which seemed like too good an opportunity to turn down however I will definitely be back even at full price. The restaurant itself is nicely decorated with a large open kitchen so you can see exactly what is going on in there. The evening started with a free glass of prosecco before we sat down and had a look at the menus. If nothing on here takes your fancy then the specials board displays a pretty big selection of various sizes of different cuts of meats. This was my kind of book! After deciding on a lobster starter, 950g porterhouse and then a couple of desserts we sat back to wait. Our waiter arrived and asked what we were having and then proceeded to recommend a few different wines for us, all at the lower end of the scale which was surprising. Even more surprising was the fact that he then insisted that we try them all before deciding. We plumped for a Pinot Noir at £30 which was delicious. When our starter arrived it looked a little bit more style than substance and sadly wasn't as full of flavour as I'd hoped but was still ok. This was to be the only disappointment of the night. When the main arrived it was a big check of meaty goodness cooked to perfection. This was served with fries and a choice of sauces. We went for red wine and the bechamel and both were very good. A side of winter cabbage, bacon and onions was a great accompaniment. The deserts we chose came after we requested a 15 minute wait just to allow everything to settle and I'm glad we did. The berry creme brulee was very good and the cheesecake was great. If they could just change the base to be less chocolately I think it would be the best one around. All through the meal the waiters were chatty and very attentive and the icing on the cake was as our waiter was pouring the last of the wine there was a definite imbalance between the two of them. He apologised and then reappeared with the restaurants bottle of the same wine to top up the second glass free of charge. I hope that they will be able to maintain the high standards as the food was great and the service was some of the best I've received.