How times change. The modernist 1960s office-block Centre Point, designed by Richard Seiffert and opened in 1966, was long regarded as an eyesore and, in its early, empty years, as a symbol of developers' greed. Latterly it's been reappraised as an architectural classic and fully occupied, with Pierre Condou's private members' club and restaurant Paramount occupying the top floors since 2008.
Now, thanks to egalitarian largesse or the recession, Paramount's remarkable views over London are available to ordinary members of the public, who can book into the 32nd-floor restaurant and 33rd-floor bar and viewing platform. Those views, it has to be said, are rather more spectacular than the food.
On a sunny evening, vistas stretch from the North Downs to the Crystal Palace radio mast. The Thames, the Gherkin, Canary Wharf, the National Theatre and the Royal Opera House are served up to you, and there's a magnificent bird's-eye view of the British Museum. The room pleasantly noisy when full — is a narrow elliptical oblong decked out in dark, Scandinavian-style furniture by Tom Dixon, in keeping with the stark elegance of the building. Chef Colin Layfield offers a multi-course tasting menu (£55), but we went à la carte, where prices are on the high side of reasonable.
My wife chose better than me. Her darkly striped foie gras and duck terrine with apple and fig pastille was indecently creamy and rich, while my double-baked Roquefort soufflé was airy but surprisingly bland. Her sea bass was simple, the skin crisp, the flesh firm, the accompanying samphire and caviar cream augmenting the subtle flavour of the fish. By contrast, my five-spice monkfish, though meltingly tender, was overpowered by a supersweet coating of chilli jam, which also defeated the saffron risotto.
Glazed Lemon pudding with champagne and raspberry, pistachio sponge tasted better than it looked, the alarmingly green sponge resembling the miniature bushes you get on architectural models. Banana parfait, lime caramel, banana milkshake and spiced banana cake was — perhaps unsurprisingly — so banana-y I couldn't taste the lime.
The food is nothing to complain about, but nothing to rave about either. Warm bread, an immaculate side order of buttered greens, excellent coffee and good service all help make a visit to Paramount a success. But really, this place is all about the view, and that's worth the price of a meal on its own.
It's up there with Galvin at Windows on top of the Park Lane Hilton, and connoisseurs of aerial views will want to check it out. Indeed, once the restaurant in the Telecom Tower reopens, you can collect the lofty-London set.
Paramount, Centre Point, 101-103 New Oxford St, London WC1A 1DD, (+44 020 7420 2900; paramount.uk.net).
