Katana @ The International

I recently took a client for lunch. This is a well-decorated (modern clean lines) place in a lovely location. But if you love Thai food, this is not the place for you. This is where you can take friends who usually dont eat foreign food. I can't beleive there is actually a chef here, because the food was gloppy, overly sweet, and uninventive.

The appetisers all came with sauces that looked and tasted like thousand island dressing- thick, creamy, too sweet, and gloppy. This included the chicken satay. The actual chicken was tenderly grilled, but flavorless, and the sauce ruined it. The chickpea patty appetiser was actually decent.

The curries had no real flavor, other than way too much coconut milk and too much sweetener. You'll find the same curries for half the price in any high street Thai restaurant. The "inventive" duck red curry with lychees tasted like a dessert, with no real flavor.

The service was very polite and well intentioned, but quite new (we had to go and ask to have our water refilled; and our appetiser plates cleared).

The bar below seemed quite trendy. I'd recommend this restaurant only if you need someplace sophisticated but not overpriced in the Trafalgar Square area. If you are looking for brilliant cuisine, skip this place.