57 Haymarket
London
SW1Y 4QX

t: 44 020 7437 7639

The infamous brand Planet Hollywood returns to London with a new location and a 5 million pound facelift. The restaurant has now opened in Haymarket, London and of course Crumbs for Men were invited down for a butchers into the restaurant that serves up to 280 customers in five seating areas over two floors.

I was given the booth next to the Austin Powers' 'The Spy who Shagged Me' plaque by the window and settled back, taking a moment to absorb the atmosphere inside the joint. Planet Hollywood could be described as an overstimulation of the senses; there is so much going on in one place; my eyes were dancing all over the place whilst watching montages of Mr Bean and Will Ferrell movies whilst waiting for my Cajun shrimp starter, taking in the memorabilia like the glass encased bikini that Ursula Andrews wore in Dr No and wondering if the child relentlessly screaming for their daddy would ever find him.

I began my meal with one of their movie inspired cocktails - being that it was one of my favourite movies of '08, I opted for 'The Dark knight', made from Jack Daniels, Amaretto, Coke and Lemon, described as "a glimpse of heaven on earth" and I was quick to agree. My date went for the 'Iron Man' made with Bacardi, Malibu, Captain Morgan Spiced Rum and 151 rums twisted together with pineapple juice.

After a nosey around the bathroom (I can't help it, a fetish of mine) I was pleased to find the lipstick kiss and autograph of one of my favourite actors, Gary Oldman, nestled alongside the likes of Madonna, Tom Cruise and Mark Walberg (remember him?) Neon handprints lined the upstairs wall; George Clooney, Antonio Banderas, Demi Moore, Bruce Willis - wow, the two of them can never get away from each other, ask Ashton.

For my main course I decided to play it safe with the Planet Hollywood classic cheeseburger, but this idea fell flat considering that the burger arrived cold and left me wishing that I had tried something else - perhaps a dish from their Chinese menu? Deciding to stick with what's good, thanks to legendary barman Salvatore Calabrese, for my second batch of cocktails I decided on the 'Hell Boy'; Russian standard Vodka, Bacardi, Southern Comfort, midori, Amaretto, Tripple sec, sweet and sour mix and cranberry juice. This cocktail was so delicious that following a taste, I vowed that any cocktail that passes my lips from here on out has to include Amaretto.

One of the highlights of the evening, other than the cocktails, had to be when one of the waitresses spilt a tall beverage down the back of a customer's clean white shirt, leaving him and almost everyone else nearby stunned into silence. I did manage to do a bit of celebrity spotting whilst on my rendezvous with Planet Hollywood, as my 3rd, 4th... or was it 5th waitress was a dead ringer for Reese Witherspoon.

Planet Hollywood is a great place for families and kids - one girl sat the duration of her meal with her mouth wide open in awe of the big plasma TV screens on the wall. For those who are more interested in quality foods and a more personalised atmosphere... I'd advise you to keep looking; perhaps you could save your Planet Hollywood trip for the first date where you won't have to worry about filling uncomfortable silences.

www.planethollywoodlondon.com

Written by Christy Black