The Riverfront at the BFI

Trying to find somewhere to eat dinner on the Southbank a few days before Christmas is a nightmare, especially when short of time. The whole area bursts with families rewarding themselves for a successful day's shopping or about to see a show at any one of the venues nearby.
My T was taking me on mystery date a few nights before Christmas and we met up near Waterloo at about 6pm. Eventually after a futile attempt to queue at old faithful Giraffe, we gave up and ended up a few doors down at the Riverfront at the BFI. Behold! There was no queue (well, two people waiting in front of us equates to no queue when compared to the hordes at Giraffe). The difference was also in the welcome we received, we were unequivocally dimissed from Giraffe, even when asking if it was possible to eat at the bar, where we could clearly see seats were available. At the Riverfront on the other hand, we had a big smile from the chap on the door (concierge?) and were reassured that we would be seated within five minutes or so as some people were finishing up. True to his word, we were seated and able to order immediately having perused the menu while we waited.

I'm ashamed to say that I've never been to a movie at the BFI which is certainly something I plan to correct in 2012 but I've come one step closer now I know how good the catering is there. We had a wonderful meal that was reasonably priced and delivered with the friendliest and most efficient service I've come across for a long time. My main, slow cooked leg of Duck with Butternut Squash and plum chutney was delicious, though could have done with more chutney. Priced at £10 it was very good value and for an extra £3 I added a glass of house red. T opted for a veggie burger which I'm reliably told was very good and I can faithfully tell that the chips were excellent. For dessert we shared an absolutely fantastic sticky toffee pudding that came with cream. It was epic.
The atmosphere is great as well, the place is buzzing which is helped by the open plan kitchen and the busy bar adjacent to the restaurant. There are also nice nods to the cinematic venue which I liked, such as pictures of classic movie stars on the menus which double as your place mats and the restaurant name that looks like an old cinema sign.

The fact that we were in a hurry wasn't an issue here as the service was excellent and above all it was friendly, they must be accustomed to serving people scoffing down  a quick bite before scuttling to cinema, theatre or concert hall for a 7.30 start. Although service charge is added to every bill, there were no qualms about it as we were so chuffed to have had a two course meal in the space of an hour with such top service.
The catering is run by Benugo and the quality the company is known for is evident here. I will be going back, for a movie and to check out the other restaurant of the bfi also run by Benugo. I'm also just hoping that this wasn't a fluke visit of awesome but here's hoping they maintain this level of awesome. Watch this space.