69-71 Westow Hill
London
SE19 1TX

T: 020 8761 1175
W: www.exhibitionrooms.com

"The Ultimate Neighbourhood Restaurant"

Located on Crystal Palace's busy Westow Hill, the newly opened Exhibition Rooms, formerly the Chang Thai restaurant, sits comfortably amongst the other eateries on this popular road, bringing to the neighbourhood authentic and modern British cuisine by head chef and co owner, David Massey, formerly of Battersea's Butcher and Grill and Harvey Nichols Fifth Floor Restaurant.

The other masterminds behind this impressive 1851 inspired restaurant and bar are co-owners Nick Christodoulou, Wills Logue and Geoff Ridgeon who have successfully worked to recreate their own homage to the Great Exhibition of London by tastefully filling the restaurant with antique dr purchased from various markets in the South of France, Morocco and London.

One of the many highlights of The Exhibition Rooms has to be the menu. For a starter I ordered the Freshly Picked Cornish Crab, served with green papaya, mango, coriander and spring onion salad with nam jim dressing, which was heavenly. The Pan Fried Wild Halibut that I ordered for my main course was so light that it melted on my tongue. My meal was rounded up with the White Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake (I made up my mind about my dessert way before my visit) which is made with crispy chocolate buttons inside; you simply must give it a try on your visit.

The downstairs cocktail lounge is the binary opposite to upstairs, it takes on an air of French opulence with the zebra printed chairs, purple velvet walls, and 'The Cave'; which is a small secluded area complete with a leather bed, that can be hired out for private drinks for 6 - 10 friends (please take note that The Cave area is for hire, not the bed - for those of you with the smutty minds).

I really enjoyed my visit to The Exhibition Rooms and found the staff to be wonderfully attentive and full of excellent meal recommendations. This is a great addition to the area; I'd say that the other eateries had better beware of the new kid on the block.

Written by Christy Black