If you are a restaurant attached to a performance venue then you know that the majority of your customers are not in for a long, leisurely dinner. So you need to plan with your kitchen and waiting staff how ensure there is a quick turn around.

Full marks then go to the restaurant at the Roundhouse for serving up a short, pre-theatre set menu to keep things simple.

Full marks taken away from the restaurant at the Roundhouse for not being able to deliver said menu in time for paying customers to actually be able to eat their food before the performance starts.

Yep that's right. Things didn't start off well when I had to ask three times for my drinks order to be brought. Two courses were ordered at 6.05pm (play starting at 7.15pm). Starters arrived at 6.15pm, not bad. Starters finished at 6.35pm delayed slightly due to my companion having to take a work call. At 6.50pm however, the plates still hadn't been cleared.

Waitress called at 6.55pm and enquiries made about main course to which we were told they were cooked in order and ours would be at least 10 minutes. At which point, faced with shovelling food down like the Cookie monster eating packet of biscuits, we quit while we were ahead, cancelled the mains, refused the offer of a free tea or coffee (only another glass of wine would have placated at that point) and quickly headed to the bar in search of other sustenance before taking our seats.

It's kind of ironic because most waiting staff in restaurants, of a certain price range in London, seem hell bent on hovvering over you and clearing the moment you've put the last morsel of food in your mouth.