Duo Restaurant - Renaissance Heathrow

The newly rebranded Duo restaurant at Heathrow’s Renaissance hotel has done away with a popular and successful buffet which offered considerable variety, left in place a limited and very expensive à la carte and added an even more limited table d’hôte menu. We had been driven to the restaurant by the bar’s £7.50 soup and £12 sandwiches and found ourselves no better off except for the improved view of departing aircraft.

I could not believe that tandoori chicken was not accompanied by rice – none was available. I thought gratin potato might not be an appropriate side. While I was imparting my opinions to the manager I also pointed out that gateaux is a plural and that if I ordered the black forest variety anachronistically offered on the table d’hôte, then I would expect many or several rather than the more likely one.

We ordered with reluctance and with considerable sympathy for my money. My partner’s delice of salmon was well cooked but the polenta probably had not been acquainted with the promised garlic. My chicken was in fact beautifully prepared and I survived an unexpected encounter with the red chilli hidden in the onion accompaniment.

Tangerine delice even with a free portion (compensation for the lack of rice) was a disappointment. Served at room temperature rather than more appropriately chilled it was no more than an unspectacularly topped sponge.

Good quality food with inconsistent preparation and pretentiously overpriced means 2/5.