Opera Dinner at Bel Canto Hyde Park

If the thought of another evening dining out with friends and family leaves you with a sense of impending doom, Bel Canto is here to rescue you. Themed as French cuisine with an operatic twist, watch as the waiting staff break into song in front of your very eyes, leaving Verdi to provide the entertainment while you retreat to your third glass of wine.

Located at basement level in the Corus Hotel, Hyde Park, it does seem a little out of the way in terms of attracting punters. On the evening I attended there were just two tables filled, one of which was ours. Granted it was a Tuesday, and the evening before a tube strike, but even the hotel guests didn’t seem interested in making their way downstairs to try it either.

After joining my table, no sooner had I selected my wine when two of the waiting staff burst into a romantic serenade from opposing ends of the room, and it was a joy to witness. Both parties were of an excellent standard, and there was an air of interactivity to the story as the vocalists encircled our table. Suitably applauded, our starters came shortly afterwards. The rather amusing description of the crab and lobster mille feuilles starter I chose is described on the website menu as “Build with fresh crab meat and lobster, cuccomber and chooped mango”. Grammar aside, the dish was a delightfully fresh, subtle yet flavoursome creation.

After another equally polished vocal rendition, our main courses arrived. However, those on the table who chose fillet steak (myself included) were about to witness a five-minute farce, complete with confused cooking times and muddled-up sauces. It can happen anywhere, but at Bel Canto it wasn’t handled very well. At one point our waiter exclaimed: ‘I don’t know what these are,’ as he looked down at the plates… oh dear. 

When my steak did finally arrive it was a very satisfying piece of meat, but the accompanying peppercorn sauce was presented in a red-hot shot glass which was impossible to pick up and pour until about five minutes later, thus absolutely pointless. My companion’s duck leg confit was a little dry and oversalted – two simple errors that nevertheless make all the difference. Dessert was much better, with my panna cotta and mango coulis being a real a lip-smacking offering that finished off the meal well.

Bel Canto is a rough diamond which just needs some polish. The food is a good standard overall, but at £42 for three courses it needs to flush out the silly problems. The operatic angle is certainly a talking point done with great aplomb, but it does distract later on, and the singers need to come back down to Earth when they are needed on the tables as the service suffered a little. It would be interesting to see how the atmosphere would transpose when at full capacity, but it is certainly a unique dining experience that many would like to try.

Bel Canto
Corus Hotel
1 Lancaster Gate,
Hyde Park 
W2 3LG

Tel: 020 7262 1678