Out Of The Blue, Battersea

Out of the Blue is one of the closest restaurants to my flat and I have always been happy that it is so.  My parents are of the same opinion and when they were down they took me and my cousin for dinner.

I booked the day before for 8.30pm and we were seated at a good table but whilst I think of it I feel I must mention the lighting here.  Above some tables hang large lampshades, very low and very bright - intended for use as a main light.  Hence by the end of the evening it was giving us a bit of a headache and casting a horrible light over our table.

Anyway, we ordered tap water and rose when we were seated which came promptly.  To start we selected breads with olive oil and balsamic and some fried Spanish beans (apparently  broad beans).  Well, it took ages.  I think our waitress was new because she appeared to be serving several tables very scattily and not really apologising for the fact that it was 9.30 and our starters had only just arrived.  And they brought a side order of green beans in pesto instead of the Spanish beans.  We pointed out the error and she looked flustered and confused.  Then she offered to bring the right thing but we reassured her we would eat these as they were here and we were starving by now.  Luckily another waitress, I think probably an owner/manager, noticed the situation and brought the correct order free of charge.  When they did arrive the beans were interesting - very dry but had an unusual flavour.  They were very obviously butter beans though and not broad beans at all.

And so the wait continued - it was 10.15pm when our main courses (our very easy main courses I might point out) of a beef burger, a chicken burger, a vegetarian pasta dish and a risotto arrived.  The food was very good except that the burgers came in the most pathetic buns I have ever seen - literally from a pack and you could see where they had been ripped apart.  Far too small for the burger.  It made me a quite cross that this was what they deemed acceptable - this isn't, after all, a particularly cheap restaurant.  My chicken was good quality though and tasty.  My dad enjoyed his beef burger (although they didn't ask how it should be cooked) and apparently the risotto and pasta were good.  I didn't hear any rapturous praise but we were hungry and tired by now.  As the clock crept towards 11 we headed home and I, for one, was disappointed.

Two courses and half a bottle of wine: £25 per head

Value: 6/10

Service: 5/10

Atmosphere: 7/10

Food: 6/10

SCORE: 24/40

Out Of The Blue Bar and Kitchen, 140 St John's Hill, London, SW11 1SL.  Tel: 020 72078548.