A little limp at Ishtar

Huseyin Ozgun has had an interesting life: trained in Turkey, head chef to a Saudi Arabian sheikh in Switzerland, chef to Michael Jackson on tour.

It's hard to believe that Marylebone can live up to this, and perhaps it doesn't; for despite the rather nifty decor, Ishtar feels a little limp.

The menu is large and promising. Grilled king prawns were a good start - but you don't need to be a high-end chef to grill a prawn. My humus was unexceptional and the lamb pan-fried atop it tasted fatty rather than seasoned.

Our mains, too, were well-conceived but poorly executed. If you're going to have two pages of meat dishes, most of them lamb, you must be sure the meat is tender. But even pears and plums (a nice idea) couldn't disguise the parched nature of our lamb, while veal with aubergine, tomato and mushroom practically moo-ed for moisture.

The place is reasonably cheap (£65 for two courses and a bottle of wine, with service) and certainly cheerful, but there are details other than grilling time that need sorting out.

The cocktails lack bite, which won't get a restaurant that wants to be a bar very far (Ishtar has a subterranean lounge to prove its bar credentials). The staff are friendly but inept, with that charming habit of trying to turn a wine glass into an eternity pool.

Still, it seems hard on them that there's no space for service anywhere on the bill; I was half out the door before I realised I hadn't paid any.

10-12 Crawford Street W1. Tel: 020 7224 2446. Tube: Baker Street

Ishtar
Crawford Street, London, W1U 6AZ