A STAR PERFORMANCE
The Press and Journal, 28th October 2006
I was wondering why The Stage Door restaurant had such a warm, relaxing feeling - it kept washing over me all through our visit. It was so good I wanted to stretch out and stay all night. My theory was that it had something to do with its past as a theatre and cinema. That's it, I thought. There were so many laughs down the years that they have soaked into the walls, making it a happy place. You might be wondering, at this stage, what I was drinking. Perhaps it was me who was getting too happy. It was a rather pleasant rose from Provence, actually, but I was only intoxicated by a lovely dining experience from start to finish.
We entered from elegant North Silver Street, which runs off Golden Square, and clambered up a draughty, twisting stairway that was probably not unlike many a stage door entrance in grand old theatres. We were soon bathed in warmth and light, though, as the doors swung open at the top to reveal a large, sweeping dining area topped by a spectacular arched, Art Deco ceiling with skylights dotted about. To the left was a section with a glass partition, which was the former smoking area, packed with diners, even although it was not yet 7pm. These turned out to be guests taking an early theatre menu who were grouped in the same place for ease of serving, presumably. We were guided past them to the smart, spacious and lightly populated main dining area illuminated by soft lights and candles. We felt like the toffs going to the dress circle. We were struck by how welcoming the staff were. As time drifted by, we also noted how consistently attentive and efficient they were.
We settled into a table for two which was unusually roomy, not at all like those awkward, cramped tables for two where you need to be a circus juggler to keep things from falling off. There was a transatlantic atmosphere in the air. The background music was playing Sammy Davis Jr's classic, Bojangles. Peering through a large plant between us and the next table, I could hear our dining neighbours were from Texas and the waitress taking their orders turned out to be from upstate New York. If I had craned my neck any further while eavesdropping, I would have fallen into the plant pot, so I cannot tell you any more about them, except to say that Americans do enjoy meeting each other in faraway lands.
Menus in hand, we ranged far and wide over an interesting selection. For starters, my wife chose aromatic crispy duck on a julienne of vegetables with spicy plum and ginger coulis. I went for king prawns wrapped in Parma ham and coated in crispy batter with a chilli mayo dip. I hoped it would come quickly as I was feeling a little peckish, but I kept thinking of a light-hearted message from head chef Alan Macdonald, written on the front of the menu, asking diners to be patient while his team created their masterpieces. "It took Van Gogh three years to paint The Sunflower, but just five seconds to cut his ear off," it read. It makes you think, does it not? With my ear to the ground, I could tell the starters were on their way, and they actually arrived pretty quickly. They were presented excellently. Delicious chunks of duck on the plate opposite, surrounded by a meandering light stream of sauce, made for an unusual and delightful starter. For me, the ham embracing the prawns and sandwiched between the batter coating were great combinations.
I asked Kate, our American waitress, to hold back on the wine until our main courses arrived. What was interesting was that after she poured our first drink, she popped back periodically to serve top-ups just when we needed them, but not in a pushy way. It was a nice touch. For mains, my wife chose breast of chicken stuffed with ham, cheese and herbs, with a basil risotti, in a rich red wine and mushroom sauce. I went for roast chump of lamb on a potato and onion rosti, with carrot and parsnip puree and light mint jus. My mouth is watering just writing about it, such were the powerful and lighter flavours working superbly together. The presentation could not be faulted, either. Both were first class. A slightly embarrassing time after ordering had elapsed when we decided we wanted a dish of garlic mushrooms as well. I feared an "ear bending" from the kitchen, but it was no trouble at all. Apple and plum crumble with cinnamon ice cream for me and peach melba meringue and ice cream, with raspberry coulis, for my wife rounded things off. Yes, they were as good as they sound. I must mention the waiting staff again. They never stopped working the tables in a polite and unobtrusive way, and were an object lesson on how it should be done. At just over £60, it was great value as well.
So the final curtain came down on our visit to The Stage Door, and what a great performance it was.
