The Wigmore, now here is a pub that knows how to do food

So after a visit to The Guinea Grill which didn't quite work for me it was nice to visit the Wigmore which is Michel Roux's take on a pub. It's attached to the Langham hotel where Michel Roux runs their main restaurant meaning his kitchen can oversee the food. The Wigmore is tucked round the side of the main hotel on the site of their old spa. A lot of effort has gone into the decor to re-create the turn of the century gin palace which for me was the apogee of British boozing. I took to the place as soon as I walked in. It's big airy with lots of seating. There are plenty of staff to take your order and as well as sitting in the front or slightly more clubby back room you can dine at the bar itself.

I've been a couple of times so far the first visit with my lovely wife where we sat in the back room and sat in comfort sipping a couple of lovely IPA's and devouring a pair of truly excellent chicken & ham pies. They were creamy, tasty and perfectly cooked. The service was charming and the cost was very reasonable. What I liked was that though the room had been newly fitted out it managed to convey the feel that it had been there for years. It certainly knocked the spots of any other pub I had eaten in.

I returned with a work colleague to go through some bits ahead of a meeting. This time we sat at the bar which was wonderful. There was plenty of room to spread out our papers which we finished going through before our food arrived. My colleague went for the Cheeseburger & grilled ox tongue which he loved. Not a combination you see anywhere else but he polished it off in no time. I went for their signature XXL stove top 3 cheese & mustard toastie which was properly amazeballs! it reminded me of the great toasted cheese sarnie you can get at Borough Mkt but this was 3 times as big. It comes served to you with a big weight on top which is removed with a theatrical flourish. I also have a side of fat chips with bloody mary salt which were great.

Again service was slick and the bill entirely reasonable. This is a great spot serving big tasty food at reasonable prices. If you travel around the UK this is not a conclusion one comes to when dining in other hotel pubs and bars! I really have to applaud Michel Roux and the Langham on trying something new with the Wigmore that totally works. Just writing this account up makes me want to head back there for a pint and to sample some more of their excellent fayre.