Drones

Drones closed in 2008; it was around 14/20 standard.  It is now the site oif American steak house chain Palm. The notes below are of historical interest only.

Another addition to the Marco Pierre White family. This low-ceilinged room is done out in wood, with some black and white photos to give a bit of turn-of-the-century clubby feeling (Drones was the club in Jeeves & Wooster). The menu was extensive, along the lines of other Marco places, but this one has some nods towards older dishes that have long since passed away from modern menus e.g. Crème DuBarry soup, game, asparagus with Hollandaise sauce, oxtail en daube. One meal started with salad of crab, piled into a circle with a mayonnaise sauce, atop a “Russian salad” of diced carrots, sweetcorn, potatoes and beans served with little snips of chives with some chervil (13/20). 

My chou farci a l’Ancienne was spicy minced pork and some spinach wrapped in a Savoy Cabbage leaf, sitting in a pool of rich tomato sauce (15/20). For main course lemon sole was simply cooked but well-timed (14/20) while Black Chicken was roasted, served with a chipolata sausage, a single strip of bacon as a garish, some al dente beans and a bread sauce (14/20). 

For dessert, compote of fresh fruits were mainly red berries held together in aspic (14/20). Lemon tart was served on its own, and was the usual high Marco standard (15/20). Coffee was fine, and the bread is good. The two page wine list had some interesting choices (e.g. a red Alsace wine), as well as various old faithfuls. We drank Au Bon Climat Chardonnay. Service was generally good, though the elderly waiter who led us to our table managed to take just one drink order from us before disappearing, then brought us still water instead of sparkling, then brought a glass of wine we had not ordered. Otherwise things were smooth enough.