The clue is in the name: banquet meaning lots of food, and the number eight being an auspicious one in China. This big and bold venture located in the semi no-man’s land of St Katherine’s Dock has large ambitions. The venue delivered, but it did not wow.
Whatever the marketing material may tell you, Banquet 88 is little different to many other Chinese restaurants your reviewer has encountered. Sure, guests can look at boats moored in the dock from their tables (sit nearer the window if you can), but the décor, service, menu and even food quality did not differ markedly. Think of Banquet 88 as being a modern take on Royal China.
Most bewildering is the menu at Banquet 88. It constitutes a veritable book, spanning some 30 pages. Where to begin, if you’re just a party of two? The restaurant states that its ethos is premised on sharing, which works fine for large groups, but is harder for a duo. We defaulted to one of the set menus on offer, complementing it with a couple of bonus dishes.
With such a plethora of options on offer, only a truly impressive culinary team would be able to guarantee that all are top notch. No surprise then that while some of our offerings delighted, others felt distinctly lacklustre. Mini black truffle and pork pastries were both original and very tasty, hinting at decadence and tantalising the palate. By contrast, our aromatic duck felt a little tired, lacking the flavour intensity one would normally expect. That this plate constituted the best photo opportunity from across our meal is also telling. With mains, both my dining comrade and I felt the crispy shredded beef was weak, overly greasy and out of balance. Salt and pepper squid helped redeem things.
It does, however, seem a little harsh to be overly critical on Banquet 88, when the ticket price is so reasonable. Our set menu came in at £46/head, with a cheaper version available for £38. We did also fortuitously spot a bottle of good non-vintage champagne on the menu for not much more than the high street price. Even if this was an error on the part of the venue, we were sufficiently happy that we ordered a second bottle. Good bubbles can help take the edge of more average food.