ONE08 is a restaurant inside the Marylebone Hotel in London in a very “foody” part of town. Competition is hot in Marylebone village, so standards needed to be high to compete.
We visited ONE08 on a Monday night and were pleasantly surprised to see it quite busy. The atmosphere was light, energetic and had a definite buzz about it. We felt at home right away.
We were quickly seated and presented with a fixed menu and given a change to take a look around. The room has a long bar at one end, lots of glass and mirrors and a nice red accent throughout. The décor is completely different to the hotel within which the ONE08 sits, so you don’t feel you’re in a hotel restaurant.
Service was good, with competent staff who knew the menu and which wines to select with our course choices. They brought the food quickly and waited for us to finish before whisking the plates away, two things essential for any quality eaterie.
“The ONE08 restaurant is a great place to slip into on your way past.”
The menu was straightforward, and makes a big deal of having sourced ingredients locally. We had Butternut squash soup and roasted autumn vegetable bruschetta with rocket garnish to start. Both dishes were fresh, vibrant and full of flavour. A great start.
Main course was an 8oz rib eye steak and a grilled English lamb rump with slow roast shoulder, more autumn vegetables and pearl barley, savoy cabbage and rosemary sauce. We added sides of creamy mash and buttered spinach in lieu of a dessert.
The steak was tender, juicy and cooked exactly how we wanted it. A good steak should be the cornerstone around which every restaurant should revolve, and this one was a good one.
The lamb was equally tender and came with a selection of vegetables and a nice rosemary sauce. The ingredients were left to speak for themselves, and it was easily possible to pick out each one from every mouthful. The rosemary wasn’t overpowering and was used to influence the sauce, not control it. The only downside was the side of buttered spinach. It was way too salty for our taste.
The ONE08 restaurant is a great place to slip into on your way past. We’re not sure we would seek it out, but when you’re in the area, it’s well worth a try.
The Bill: £55 per head
