The National Portrait Gallery has been a favourite gallery of mine for years and I recently renewed my Membership now it’s reopened after three years of major refurbishment. I used to be there so often that it became very familiar and now I’m trying to adjust to finding my way around the new layout and even struggled the first time I went back to find the cafe I used to frequent so often, even if I wasn’t going to an exhibition. With its close proximity to Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, Theatreland, etc. it was a great, convenient place to pop into when in the area or to meet people. What I didn’t frequent was its restaurant. For years people told me I must go; it was brilliant. So, finally, in 2015 I went before attending an evening lecture. I was greatly disappointed (click here to see my review). However, that was nine years ago and since then the gallery has not only undergone the major refurbishment but Richard Corrigan has taken over the restaurant. Surely it was worth trying again? I suggested it to my friend Sharon when we were deciding where to meet. The menu looked interesting … expensive, but it was Richard Corrigan. So, we went for it. Sadly, while the gallery offers a sparkling new look, there wasn’t much change in the restaurant …

The gallery closes at 6pm on Wednesday and my email confirmation for the restaurant, which I’d booked for 6.45pm, said to use an entrance in Orange Street, just a little way round from the main entrance. As we went in we were greeted by a security guy who gave us directions, another waited nearby at lifts telling us to go up to Level 4 – the top level. It was great to have this personal touch making it a smooth process to get to the restaurant, especially as it was a bit dark with the gallery closed and if we’d had to search for signs it might not have been as relaxing a start.

Once up in the restaurant, I was delighted we’d been given a table right by the windows. The restaurant is quite famous for its views; how could you not enjoy this panoramic view of London. To one side we had a clear view of the London Eye; straight ahead were Nelson’s Column and Big Ben. We both took photos!

The menu arrived and water was brought (we asked for just tap water). We ordered 2 glasses of Bacchus (125ml at £12 a glass).

I chose Gazpacho, Courgette Cream (£15) to start. When it was put before me, there were three lovely green quenelles of the courgette cream on the plate, which looked good. But then the waiter poured the gazpacho from a jug all over. Why? Why not pour the gazpacho into the bowl at the edge so it just flowed across and the courgette cream remained untouched – at least on top. Not only would it have looked more attractive, it would have given me a chance to enjoy the courgette cream without the strong taste of the gazpacho seeping into it. As it was, it was a ‘good enough’ gazpacho but not exceptional.

Sharon’s starter was more of a disaster. She chose Parmesan Custard, Romaine Lettuce, Anchovy Crostini ((£12). It looked pretty but as she started making her way into it, she became puzzled. Where was the Parmesan custard? She eventually uncovered a very few small blobs (barely bigger or thicker than a one pound piece) sandwiched between some lettuce. Surely this wasn’t it? If you describe the dish with ‘Parmesan custard’ first, it should be the main ingredient. It wasn’t what we’d imagined. I suppose I thought it would be a bit like a quiche without pastry: a nice round, thickish circle of lovely custard with the lettuce and anchovy toast more garnish. Sharon called a waiter, showed him the tiny pieces of cream. Was this right? He seemed a bit puzzled too and offered to bring more cream – a small pot soon arrived, quickly followed by an obviously more senior member of staff who offered to bring a new plate; they’d redo the dish (it was lucky I’d chosen something cold and could just pause my eating). The new plate arrived quite quickly and, as you can see in the right-hand photo, there was much more cream. Is this how it’s supposed to be? asked Sharon. The answer was more of a mumble than a straight answer and we concluded that probably not … and that mostly it came as the first plate. This seems to me to be a very poor description of a dish and, frankly, why be so mean with the custard? Some Parmesan custard is hardly an expensive ingredient; we’re not talking caviar here.

Sharon’s main dish – Steamed Dover Sole, Wild Mushroom, Samphire (£39) – was much more successful, thankfully. But it was quite small given the price. We thought, as we looked at it, there were only a couple of sole fillets. I don’t think I’ve ever ordered Dover Sole in a restaurant before and not had a whole fish. Still, apparently it was tasty and quite filling. She ordered some Covent Garden Greens (£6) to accompany it. I didn’t take a photo but while they looked nicely cooked – i.e. not overcooked – they lacked any art (and we were in an art gallery) in presentation, just some simple greens spooned onto a side plate.

I chose Beer Battered Cod, Hot Tartare Sauce, Parsley, Lemon (£32). Chips I had to pay extra for – £6. How do you serve what is basically fish and chips without making the chips part of the dish? They were nice enough thick chips, which I shared with Sharon. The fish was okay, thick moist cod inside. My first taste seemed a bit salty and I wondered if the batter had been over-salted, but it was all right, and nicely crisp and thin. The hot tartare sauce was, I guess, what made it special, different. It was nice enough but I thought the chunks were too big for the dish. I couldn’t help thinking of the glorious fish and chips I’d had in April at the Aldeburgh Fish and Chip Shop – a mere £6.50. Well, it was takeaway, but it was at least as big and, really, nicer.

We decided against having a dessert and instead ordered some fresh mint tea. These came in individual plain glass teapots, which was much appreciated. I joked to the waiter about the number of restaurants that put fresh mint into a cup or mug and pour water over it and it’s then unpleasant to drink, whereas when it’s made in a pot, you can pour out clear mint tea without any leaves!

So, sadly, this wasn’t a better experience than 2015. It was also very expensive – the bill with tip, and with a 10% discount as I’m a NPG member, came to £148. Eating in London has become very expensive, there are now no longer all those amazing set menu deals for early evening/pre theatre that there used to be. But even so, I expect more for this amount of money; I expect more from the Portrait Restaurant, especially when it carries Richard Corrigan’s name. Having said that, I should also say that the service was very good – our waiter friendly and helpful.

The meal may not have been what we’d hoped for, but I had a lovely evening catching up with my friend and we did enjoy the amazing view and ambiance of the restaurant. But I’m not going to be hurrying back there …