The Colony Grill is the latest venture from Corbin & King, but certainly not their best. Just as this famous restaurant duo gave us their take on the grand European café with The Wolseley, on the French brasserie with Zédel and the Austrian experience with Fischer’s, here is their interpretation of the traditional Grill Room of the 1920s. The Colony is located in the tastefully classy and discrete Beaumont Hotel in London’s Mayfair and one cannot help being impressed by both the hotel and the entry into the restaurant, which is a clear homage to the architectural and artistic delights of the art deco style. While the tables were well-spaced and our group of three benefited from a side booth looking into the main dining area, the dark brown art- and photo-covered walls as well as the total absence of natural light began to grate as the meal went on, feeling almost claustrophobic to me by the conclusion of our experience. Onto the food, and if you like solid and traditional – but ultimately rather uninspiring – dishes, then this is the place to come. Wanting to hedge their bets, the Colony offers a range of soups, fish dishes (oysters and the like), salads and egg-based options (anyone?!) to begin, followed by club sandwiches, grills, more substantial fish options and other meat dishes for the mains. While the former are priced competitively, with starter options averaging at about £10, £30+ for a steak or a piece of Dover Sole is passive reminiscent more of fine dining than what one might more reasonably expect here. Perhaps there is a Corbin & King premium? Moreover, as with the also somewhat disappointing Kaspar’s in the Savoy, would the same diner wanting to spend £17.50 on a dressed Dorset crab really want to follow this up with a Shepherd’s Pie main? Attempting to be all things to all people means, ultimately, you end up being pretty average at everything. This was certainly our experience, from the six different dishes (three starters and three mains) our group sampled. My veal Pojarski main (fried with breadcrumbs on a bed of boiled spinach) was poorly executed and unpleasantly salty to name but one example. Neither the pasta or fish mains selected by my other comrades really inspired. We passed on puddings, but for the more sweet-toothed diner, the ‘bespoke sundae’ option (where one can customise an ice cream/ topping/ sauce combination for a set price) is an innovative touch. In conclusion: this is a safe, if somewhat bland option for a business lunch; I would rather the Wolseley or Fischer’s any day…