Restaurants | 27 October 2007

St Alban, 4–12 Regent Street, London SW1

St Alban is the latest restaurant from Chris Corbin and Jeremy King, who have almost mythic status as restaurateurs, and rightly so. They are, after all, the team that at various times have been behind The Ivy, Le Caprice, J. Sheekey and The Wolseley but never Garfunkel’s, which is weird but, hey, if it ain’t broke why fix it? This newest opening is on Regent Street but not on the groovy bit. It’s on the sombre, shopless bit south of Piccadilly Circus, and on the ground floor of a block so dreary and anonymous I miss it several times. At one point I even end up in a different restaurant entirely. Is this St Alban? ‘No.’ You’re not St Alban? ‘No.’ Who are you then? ‘Divo.’ Not St Alban? ‘No.’ Are you sure? ‘Yes.’ Quite sure, because I have been up and down the street several times? ‘Yes.