Chiswell Street Dining Rooms

Enjoyed an excellent meal at this newish restaurant. The set menu offers a refreshing change from the usual set menu staples with a very tasty and interesting vegetarian option on offer and at a good price – £20.12. The smoked haddock risotto was beautiful – the risotto was cooked to perfection and the smoked haddock neither over or under whelmed the dish. Service was polite and helpful. Would definitely dine there again.

Dined on the pre-threatre menu before going to a show at the Barbican and was very impressed. Great value for only £27…the fishcake was beautiful and the pudding was to die for. The feel of the restaurant was welcoming, especially on these cold evenings and except for the bizarre taps in the ladies, it was a wonderful meal!

Having passed the resteraunt on a daily basis, the lively atmosphere and elegant decor had piqued our interest. We finally got around to going recently, but what a disappointment it turned out to be.

My friend's foie gras was good, but my oysters were a complete rip-off. Charging £13.50 for half a dozen oysters that were barely the size of a 20p coin is unacceptable.

The standards slipped further with our mains. The sole was so overcooked that we only managed a few mouthfuls. The “herb salad” contained no herbs at all and no dressing – it was evidently mixed lettuce of the kind you buy in bags at a supermarket.

Service during the meal was patchy – we had to ask for our wine 4 times.

Whilst I am unaccustomed to complaining, the fare was so substandard that I couldn't help but be honest when the waiter asked if we'd enjoyed our meal. This was followed up with a visit from the manager, who, whilst offering us a small discount, provided an apology that was caveated and patronising.

The most offensive bit of all was that the £1 donation to a charity which was added to our tab (this appears to be done automatically without consultation with the diner) was included in the subtotal upon which the 12.5% service charge is calculated. Appalling.

It takes a fair amount for me to say that I wouldn't bother darkening the doorway of a restaurant again as everyone has their off days, but there's a first time for everything.

We visited during the “soft launch” as a party of 6 and, having visited the Botanist before, came with expectations that were largely met. Housed in an old pub, it is more dining room than gastropub with a lovely bar area for drinks. Service was very attentive, but this was to be expected as the staff numbered customers almost 1 to 1 and had clearly been told to try and impress during the soft launch phase (we were bizarrely asked if we were enjoying the service during the meal!). The food has a traditional Britain meets bistro France feel and overall whilst very good there were mixed reactions to some of the dishes. The starters of scallops, snail & bacon pie, smoked eel and cheesy tart were all excellent, but the mains of lamb and steak didn't meet expectations (steak was well cooked but we've had better quality at the Rivington and Smihtfields nearby for less; lamb was billed as a cassoulet but came with spring greens and was lacking in flavour) and whilst I was happy with my dover sole, I could imagine others being less satisfied with a small piece of well-cooked fish being served with a tiny portion of broccoli on the side . With 50% off food, we thought the food was very good value but weren't sure we'd be as happy without the deal. I'll be popping back for a drink once it opens but expect I'll head to other places nearby for better value cooking.

With the paint still drying Chiswell Street Dining Rooms opened their doors and welcomed us with great enthusiasm. We ordered a selection of cocktails and then were shown to our table. I had the scallops with samphire to start, these were beautifully presented on their shells with a light creamy sauce. I'm not overly keen on cream so could have had less sauce, but overall the Scallops were delicious. My best friend chose the Fois Gras, which she loved, but she commented that the bread it was served on was a little soggy, which made the dish seem very rich. Her boyfriend went for the Snail Pie, which was divine. I was lucky enough to sample a bite, and although a little salty, the combination of bacon and snails created a wonderful flavour.
For main couse I chose the Lemon Sole with some “Love Chips”, these were delicious and went very well with the fish. The Cod was chosen by my best friend for mains and the boys went for veal and lamb, both of which were boy portions! On the presentation side the lamb and cod would have been awarded full marks whereas the Veal and the Sole looked quite lonely on their own, but all of the mains were very tasty. We chose a Brazilian Merlot to go with our dishes, and this was delicious and worked very well. It wouldn't have been my first choice from the wine list but it was a very good wine.
For dessert I shared the Tarte Tatin which, as it explained on the menu, was a portion for two. The apples were cooked perfectly and the pastry melted in the mouth. The boys went for the Valhronna Chocolate Tarte and the Chocolate Fondant. Thankfully we decided to share a bite of each pudding, so if I was to choose again I would defnitely order the Chocolate Tarte, I had food envy, it really was fabulous! Overall a super evening and I will definitely be going back.