Hot Pink Grill, as the name says, is sold as an open grill restaurant with fine and well-resourced cuts of beef, chicken and so on. Opposite the Wimbledon Theatre, it quickly flashes you a neon-style logo on seemingly plain Norwegian wood, and its windows peer into a diner-like approach to layout and design with red leather seating booths and the sauce dispensers. However, the wooden panels and hanging lamps hint to a cottage or perhaps the good old gas station joint on those forsaken American country roads.
From the visual effects, we quickly move to olfactory ones which overwhelm from the moment you enter the door. The vent do not seem to be working so expect a smell of grease permeating around the kicthen area, not far off from those old fish 'n' chips or grease spoon joints of the 60s when smell of fried stuck on your clothes.
Menu is interestingly minimalistic and narrows it down to a simple grid of value (£3 to £10) by type of meat (beef, chicken and veggie), some sort of tac-toe scheme which probably makes it easier to handle and at the same time is the exact opposite of a complex but variegated menu. All drinks are own brand, a reminder to all products are made with unique recipes and the place cares for the environment.
No orders at the table. You order at the till, pour your "refillable" soft drink at the machine and then wait for the grub. We felt the place was understaffed for a Friday lunch when we saw one man only taking our orders and payment, and also making coffees and other special drinks in between.
Food looked very nice on arrival and was rather filling. Sauces that came with the meat dish were not that great but the veggie one received praise for the actual food and the sauces - quite a surprise when it is not the restaurant's speciality. Drinks were a big disappointment, with both Hot Pink Cola and Hot Pink Lemonade tasting plastic and fake (or should we say a Coke stripped of its artificial sugars!); milkshake was good but not special.
There was a constant reminder of "eco-friendly" philosophy, talking about well-resourced food, more recycled waste, no bottled water. However, the buzz was not as strong as expected with some of us not realising it and also the whole experience hardly reinforcing the message, especially when the whole thing seemed a rough copy of a 50s plastic diner with a hint of Norwegian wood and "grease" smog invading our nostrils.
Our verdict is as follows:
Quality of Food 3.33
Hygiene 4.00
Value for Money 2.67
Speed of Service 3.00
Quality of Service 3.00
Ambience & décor 3.67
Hot Pink Girll gets an overall rating of 66.1%
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