OXO Tower brasserie - restaurant review

Just got back from a lunch in the sunshine, on the terrace at the OXO Tower brasserie.  I couldn't really take pics, as it was a business lunch - ooh get me!  This is actually a real shame, as one of the best things about the place is the lovely river views.

I started with the squid (Cumin spiced fried squid, chimichurri, roasted tomato, barrel aged feta salad, tapenade), which was very good but was overcomplicated with far too many ingredients and flavours.  Delicious crispy squid but I don't think it really needed all of the above plus fennel and chick peas.

My sea bass main course was very disappointing.  On paper it sounded fab: Sea bass, fresh Devon brown crab champ mash, truffle beurre blanc, fennel salad.  In practice it was bland (apart from the random sprinkle of capers, which was just jarring).  There was no trace of crab in the mash and the only evidence of truffle was a drizzle of oil at the side of the plate.  The fish was well cooked but you would expect it to be at £25. 

On the plus side, the service was excellent: considerate and unimposing.  The setting really can't be beaten on a sunny afternoon.

Unfortunately, the food really lets the place down.  Far too many ingredients and flavours on the plate and poorly composed dishes.