It would never occur to me to a go to a DoubleTree by Hilton hotel for dinner, especially not one located in the wasteland strip of Westminster between Trafalgar Square and the Tate Britain.

The only people to frequent this area are lost tourists and worn-out civil servants.

But the newly opened Art St Kitchen had a promising menu packed full of fresh ingredients prepared with suggested culinary flare; “burnt cucumber" and "pumpkin gnocci" caught my attention.

So it was with a degree of optimism my sister and I, who works as a cook at a Soho café, arrived at the Art St Kitchen- alas the food was as soulless as the venue itself.

Lounge music and pale leather furnishings failed to create a buzz in a painfully empty restaurant- there was one other couple seated when we arrived.

We were greeted and taken to our table by incredibly attentive staff who remained so throughout the evening.



Things started (and ended) well with a delicious glass of the house Sauvignon Blanc but unravelled when the food arrived.

The newly-opened restaurant was elegant but empty


The menu was made up of sharing plates with three recommended per person.

My sister opted for a plate of pumpkin gnocchi, sage, walnuts and pecorino as her main and I picked pan fried hake, paprika hollandaise, broccoli and lemon.

We chose to share two smaller plates; burrata, caponata, capers and basil and raw and grilled courgettes, mint and lemon.

The menu consisted of sharing plates with three per person the recommended amount



Starting with the small plates the most blaringly obvious thing was that the burrata wasn’t a burrata.

Burrata is fresh buffalo mozzarella filled with melt in the mouth stracciatella and cream which flows out when the mozzarella is cut open.

The 'burrata' was mozzarella without any creamy filling



But this was just a blob of mozzarella probably straight from the packet.

The caponata was bizarre - a mix of olives, capers and tomato made it look Italian enough but there was an undercurrent of Asian flavour to it - five spice perhaps?

The pumpkin or butternut squash that came with the gnocchi was hard and undercooked

The courgettes were by far the best dish of the night, but while they were pleasantly fresh and lemony they failed to pack a punch.



The pumpkin gnocchi didn't look or taste freshly-made and the pasta itself didn’t contain pumpkin.

Instead tough little cubes of undercooked squash were scattered across the plate with a sprinkling of bitter burnt sage and no detectable sauce.

The hake was very salty and lacked other seasoning



My hake was salty and lacked other seasoning with the bland bernaisse bringing nothing to the dish.

The broccoli was pleasant but again lacked seasoning. There was no slice of lemon in sight.

The gluten-free sticky toffee cheesecake was delicious


Delicious desserts dwarfed the disappointing mains. I had a gluten-free sticky toffee cheesecake which was wonderful.

Light and creamy with crunchy bits of toffee it was the star of the evening.

The Paris-Brest was tasty but the choux pastry didn't taste fresh


My sister’s Paris-Brest (choux pastry filled hazelnut cream) was also tasty but the slightly chewy choux made one wonder whether it had been bought in rather than prepared on site.

All in all Art St Kitchen served poor food on flashy plates.

Each of the dishes were well -presented but the primary-coloured plates they were served on seemed a cunning distraction from their lack of flavour.

The menu sounded great and the service was spot on but the food was disappointing



The staff however were brilliant and the wine was delicious.

But with some of the mains at £15 a pop, the real art of this place is beguiling people with a great-sounding menu that doesn’t deliver.

Art St Kitchen

Price: £13 to £15 per main

Address: Art Street, Westminster, London, SW1P 4DD

Opening hours: 12pm to 10pm, 7 days a week

Telephone: 0207 932 4600

Website: artstkitchen.co.uk

Parking: For hotel guests

Dress code: N/A