Rotisserie at Harrods

All the major cities in the World have their own character, composed of the people and institutions which make them unique. Mention London and many things come to mind: Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Big Ben, Chinatown. Mention shopping in London and Harrods, the behemoth upscale shopping market located in the Chelsea section, dominates the discussion. It is well known for being the provisioner for many of Her Majesty the Queen’s household goods. The Christmas department is the stuff of legend. Their food court is high-​end and unlike any other, except in England they call them «Food Halls.»
My new friends Shelly and Amy decided to ditch a group dinner we had booked at Lido in Chinatown last Saturday night to go to Harrods and invited me to join. How could I refuse? Shelly suggested the Food Halls for dinner. I’m in. We cabbed it from Chinatown to Chelsea in about 15 minutes, the ride in a classic black cab cost 15 pounds.
We ended up at the Rotisserie at Harrods for dinner. The almost empty counter should have been a warning of things to come. The Rotisserie has a standard menu and writes specials on blackboards hanging on the walls. I saw Crème Brulee on the desert board, a favorite and made a mental note.
The waiter who served us was unfriendly and snooty from the get-​go, delivering what I call, «service with a sneer.» We paid an extra 12% for this «service,» by the way, it was itemized on the bill, except they just called it service. I guess the sneering part was a free throw-​in.
I tried for the ribs but they were out. The rest of the menu was very poultry and lamb heavy. I had lamb earlier and didn’t want a roasted chicken so I went for a Chicken Caesar salad. I also ordered one of the Harrods House Beer selections. The beer came promptly and was delicious. The rotisserie is an open kitchen design so all the food preparation happens in front of the customers. The grill chef was in his own world, not putting forth much effort. The waiter personally made my salad right after taking our order and delivering the beer then set it on a shelf by the grill to receive the chicken which was being reheated. My salad sat there for over 20 minutes while the rest of the meal was prepared. The chef threw a pre-​cooked chicken breast on the grill a couple minutes before the meal was served, cut it up with his poultry shears and viola! The worst Caesar salad ever, at your disservice. I didn’t eat the whole salad, but I picked through and tried to make it work. The flavors were not great, but the real problem was the lettuce. It was very oxidized, full of red spots and specks, tasted bitter, and was wilted and warm from sitting on a shelf by the grill for over 20 minutes.
After the terrible salad I changed my mind about desert.
There are some interesting, popular options in the Harrods Food Hall, the Rotisserie is not one of them. Avoid. Wait for a seat at another place. Eat somewhere other than Harrods. Don’t eat here.

I had the chicken shawarma for a quick lunch at the Rotisserie in the Meat Hall located within the Food Hall at Harrods. Fresh free-​range chicken cooked on a flame roasting spit that was marinated and served with pita bread, hummus, tabbouleh, mixed pickles, and tasty chili and garlic sauces. The service was excellent and my meal was delicious!

Skip it.
We had lunch here because there were a couple of open stools, and most of the other spots were full. First, you’d think at a rotisserie/​schwarma place, the service would be fast. Unfortunately not. We had to wait almost 15 minutes for our food (one half chicken, one baby chicken, one side of dauphinois potatoes) to arrive. It wasn’t worth the wait. The chicken was underseasoned and the skin hadn’t fully crisped. The vegetables were bland and undercooked, and the potatoes were cold. And the prices are outrageous. Six pounds fifty for a TINY side of potatoes, 20 pounds for a half chicken, etc. Don’t waste your time and money here. Just leave Harrod’s and get a decent bite outside.