![]() Raised with a respect for fresh, seasonal ingredients, Tom and his twin brother were helping out with the gardening aged six or seven, growing and picking, but also making chutneys and jams. Baking was his mother’s forte, and Tom started baking in the kitchen by the age of eight and making family meals by twelve. It’s all style, no substance and a very poor show.Hailing from a little village in Norfolk, Tom grew up in a house with fruit and vegetables growing in the garden and a family who treated Sunday lunch with reverence. Tom, don’t spend so much money on fancy, fiddly 3D menus if it means short-changing your clientele. If you’re spending £700 on a meal for two, you ought really to feel a little more spoiled than this. We would have discussed our thoughts and feedback with Tom on the night, but we were told he wasn’t there. The shonky, thimble-sized martini I was served at Muse was laughably disappointing in comparison! We also ordered the matching wines along with our vegetarian tasting menus, but again, the staff seem to have been instructed to be super-stingy when pouring! We actually thought the sommelier was letting us taste the wine before she poured it, but it transpired that that was what passes for a FULL glass at Muse! The real insult though was when we took the extra ‘supplemental’ cheese-course (there not being one included on the already expensive tasting menu) and finding that cheese, being a plural or singular noun, was indeed singular at Muse! One type of cheese is NOT a cheese course! Especially not when again you order an accompanying glass of port and are again presented with a thimble-full. Case in point, the very stingy measures applied to the pouring of drinks! I’d just had a couple of fantastic-quality, generous dry martinis at the wonderful nearby Library Bar (in The Lanesbrough). Especially when the staff seemed so hamstrung by his guidelines that it stifled their natural warmth and generosity. This isn’t a church or a museum, it’s a restaurant! So much hushed reverence toward Tom and his Michelin stars seemed a little suffocating. And the staff were very sweet and very earnest. We’ve enjoyed fine dining from hipster to ultra-traditional, so the lack of ‘white-tablecloth’ formality didn’t put us off. Overpriced and pretentious, Tom’s ‘Emperor’s New Clothes’ restaurant left us feeling not a little cheated! My pal and I regularly visit London’s finest and are happy to spend big on our occasional indulgent ‘splurges’, but rarely have we been so disappointed by a dining experience especially one so ‘hyped’. My partner and I were expecting great things at Muse given the reputation of the chef and I love the location but for me it left me wanting which is a shame as it won’t feature on a destination i will return to. ![]() Service was hit and miss as some front of house were somewhat lacking in charisma. Because the restaurant and kitchen is on display in front of you a lot of dishes were just “finished” in front of you and I felt many of the accompanying garnishes pre-prepared from squeezy bottles sometimes resulted in hot dishes coming up lukewarm. Flavour did finally arrive when the desert dishes rolled round. Perhaps it was old and had lost its pungency and aroma. Case in point was the extra seasonal white truffle course which left me wondering if any truffle went on it even though I saw them grate it in front of me. ![]() Whilst the restaurant was beautifully whimsical we were both a little let down by any bold flavours and stand out dishes which I’ve sadly already forgotten. My partner and I recently celebrated our 10 year anniversary which we decided to ring in at Tom Aikens Muse restaurant last Saturday night.
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