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23 May 2013
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Dabbous three stars

39 Whitfield Street, London W1T 2SF

£43.00 Modern European Bloomsbury, Fitzrovia
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Square Meal Review of Dabbous ?

Dabbous was a mega hit from day one, and has become one of London's hottest (and hardest-to-book) tickets; it has also turned ex-Texture chef Ollie Dabbous into a fully formed superstar and earned his self-named gaff our BMW Restaurant of the Year 2012. This small, energetic place is a youthful antidote to the frippery of old-school fine dining with its stark, industrial interiors and sensational cooking – a palate-challenging procession of ‘faultless' small plates ranging from a coddled free-range egg with woodland mushrooms and smoked butter (‘like a mini fry-up in an egg shell') to barbecued ibérico pork with acorn praline, bitter turnip tops and zingy apple vinegar. On-trend ingredients and new Nordic combos loom large, but Dabbous hasn't lost his classical roots – witness a clever chocolate-and-hazelnut ganache with custard cream. Enthusiastic staff get top marks, and the French-led wine list offers exceptional drinking at this thrilling new-wave bistro.

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Overall Diner Rating

 
Food & Drink
8.1
Service
8.1
Atmosphere
7.5
Value
7.5

Based on 16 ratings. Rate it!

 
  1. Dabbous

    39 Whitfield Street, London W1T 2SF
    Overall rating:
     
    Palmyra K.

    Outstanding Restaurant

        (1)

     
    • Food & Drink: 9
    • Service: 8
    • Atmosphere: 7
    • Value: 7

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  2. Dabbous

    39 Whitfield Street, London W1T 2SF
    Overall rating:
     
    Nicole G.

    The most overrated restaurant in London

        (4)
    1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
    Editor's pick

     
    • Food & Drink: 5
    • Service: 6
    • Atmosphere: 6
    • Value: 4

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  3. Dabbous

    39 Whitfield Street, London W1T 2SF
    Overall rating:
     
    James B.

    The Good, The Bad and The Uh Oh

        (2)
    1 of 2 people found this review helpful.
    Editor's pick

     
    • Food & Drink: 5
    • Service: 10
    • Atmosphere: 8
    • Value: 6

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  4. Dabbous

    39 Whitfield Street, London W1T 2SF
    Overall rating:
     
    Andrew M.
        (1)
    0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

     
    • Food & Drink: 2
    • Service: 2
    • Atmosphere: 2
    • Value: 1

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  5. Dabbous

    39 Whitfield Street, London W1T 2SF
    Overall rating:
     
    Neil M.
      Gold Reviewer  (52)

     
    • Food & Drink: 8
    • Service: 8
    • Atmosphere: 5
    • Value: 7

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  6. Dabbous

    39 Whitfield Street, London W1T 2SF
    Overall rating:
     
    Caped C.
      Silver Reviewer  (23)
    1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

     
    • Food & Drink: 10
    • Service: 8
    • Atmosphere: 9
    • Value: 8

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  7. Dabbous

    39 Whitfield Street, London W1T 2SF
    Overall rating:
     
    The Discerning Pig
        (2)
    1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

     
    • Food & Drink: 9
    • Service: 7
    • Atmosphere: 8
    • Value: 9

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  8. Dabbous

    39 Whitfield Street, London W1T 2SF
    Overall rating:
     
    Leeann T.
      Silver Reviewer  (14)
    1 of 2 people found this review helpful.
    Editor's pick

     
    • Food & Drink: 7
    • Service: 8
    • Atmosphere: 3
    • Value: 6

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  9. Dabbous

    39 Whitfield Street, London W1T 2SF
    Overall rating:
     
    Alex W.
        (1)
    1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

     
    • Food & Drink: 10
    • Service: 10
    • Atmosphere: 10
    • Value: 10

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  10. Dabbous

    39 Whitfield Street, London W1T 2SF
    Overall rating:
     
    Ray B.
        (4)
    1 of 2 people found this review helpful.
    Editor's pick

     
    • Food & Drink: 10
    • Service: 10
    • Atmosphere: 10
    • Value: 10

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  1. Published : Thursday, 16th May 2013

    That Hungry Chef! :: Dabbous, London

    t must have been around this time last year that I called Dabbous for a reservation only to be told that the earliest dinner reservation was 10 months away and the earliest lunch reservation was 6 months away. Now, with figures such as this, ones curiosity takes a carte blanche and draws up all sorts of ideas, most of them geared...
    More from That Hungry Chef! »

  2. Starting with The Good: The staff are absolutely fantastic – friendly, knowledgeable, never intrusive. Some of the courses (we had to have the tasting menu) were genuinely truly innovative and delicious. It began with the highlight of the meal; a starter of Avocado, in a white onion and Chinese tea broth was utterly incredible...
    More from BragItUp.com; thoughts from a sale spotter »

  3. There was an awful lot of buzz around the opening of Dabbous earlier this year and the restaurant managed to get a Michelin star within its first year. Getting a reservation for Dabbous is akin to scoring a ticket to the world cup final; the restaurant is booked out for months in advance. When a restaurant garners so much publicity it usually is a let down and we were keen to see if in the case of Dabbous, the hype was justified...
    More from FoodiesOnTheProwl FoodiesOnTheProwl »

  4. I think I was one of the lucky ones, only a four month wait for my table at Dabbous. Upon arriving I spoke to front of house who informed me the next available table for dinner is November 2013! It's crazy, a wait I have only heard for the likes of Noma. Dabbous have a great PR company and have recently been awarded a Michelin star I’m not surprised. Ollie Dabbous, Head Chef has done a great job here, in under nine months his restaurant and him are now one of the most talked about subjects in London...
    More from londonfoodaholic »

  5. Published : Sunday, 28th October 2012

    samphire and salsify :: Dabbous

    At the time of writing this, a table for lunch at Dabbous wasn’t available for 5 months and for dinner it was a wait of 1 whole year. This must be the most booked up restaurant London has ever seen, and having just received a Michelin star, I imagine its popularity will only continue. Ollie Dabbous (pronounced da-boo) has a CV that can do nothing but impress, having worked at Le Manoir and more recently Texture, with brief stints at Noma and The Fat Duck to name but a few...
    More from samphire and salsify »

  6. Published : Sunday, 7th October 2012

    Saying it straight :: Dabbous. Round 2

    Even saying the words “round 2” will irritate some people. It would irritate me. It’s still incredibly hard to get a table here: partly due to the size – I guess around 35 covers – but mostly due to the quality of the cooking, which is unlike anything else in its price range. We started with a drink downstairs. I’m not sure why the bar isn’t being used as an extension of the restaurant and the lawyer in me is thinking planning permission or building regulations. Who knows. But it was empty. I assume that most people don’t know that you can get quite a lot of the restaurant dishes down here with your drinks because, given the booking situation, it should be mobbed...
    More from Saying it straight »

  7. Published : Monday, 24th September 2012

    LONDONcalling :: Dabbous

    So eventually we are in. I have tried every combination of dates available and had to settle finally for a Tuesday lunch rather than wait another couple of months for a weekend slot. This simply means a day tripper journey of over three hundred miles instead of a leisurely overnight stay and another restaurant the following day with a chilled out return back home...
    More from LONDONcalling »

  8. Published : Wednesday, 12th September 2012

    doughnuts&swine :: Dabbous

    I’ve been busy. So I haven’t been blogging. I have continued to eat however. And now I am back (for those of you possessing a modicum of interest). Since my last post back in April I have sat exams, undertaken a half iron triathlon, worked in Uganda, climbed Kilimanjaro (overrated), worked in Ethiopia, savoured the Olympics, had weddings in New York and the Cotswolds (neither of them mine), worked in Washington D.C. wrote a dissertation for an MSc and enjoyed Bestival. So I’m not lying when I say I’ve been busy. At this point you’re also thinking I’m a bit of a wanker. And you’d have a point. I have had some excellent and not so excellent food during this period (Ethiopia being a low point, as was eating copious amounts of Maltesers whilst writing my dissertation – they are not lighter than ordinary chocolate). I’m going to start with the best of the best however, and the subject of this blog. For my birthday, 3 of my friends and I booked into Dabbous for lunch...
    More from doughnuts&swine »

  9. Published : Wednesday, 29th August 2012

    Saying it straight :: Dabbous. It’s the DB’s.

    *Warning* This review is fairly pointless because unless you have magic powers, you won’t be able to get a dinner reservation until next July or possibly August...
    More from Saying it straight »

  10. We arrived with no reservation. We conquered and we won the battle of the 'no available table till next June' battle. Yes, for those of you who is reading this at the moment, it is currently a six month wait to get a table for this fine establishment that has recently got everyone talking and raving about. Dabbous is the first venture from British Chef Ollie Dabbous (previously head chef of Texture). Although relatively new to the scene, it has already collated tonnes of rave reviews from critics and bloggers alike. It is also due to this popularity that the waiting list seem endless and on a wimp, my dining companion and I decided to try our luck with walk-in at 12 o'clock sharp last Tuesday. Thankfully, we got in no problem at all!...
    More from [FEAST to the world] »

  11. I've never heard that reply to a restaurant reservation before. But then, Dabbous is no ordinary restaurant. With a striking industrial interior housed in a former internet cafe (R.I.P. Cyberia!), Dabbous doesn't immediately strike you as the site of one of the most sought after reservations (April 2013 as of this post) in London...
    More from Fd Over LDN »

  12. Published : Friday, 8th June 2012

    Epipponimus :: DABBOUS. Ollie dabbous

    "A game changer". This was the first thing I ever read about this restaurant. By the time I realised that this place even existed, it had already been open for  4 months. A phone call  later and I had  lunch booked. I still had to wait another 6 weeks until my due date but  an evening slot would have meant an agonising 13 week wait. lunch it was then. The first thing that struck me was the size of the door , it's big. The second thing that struck me, was that the excellent maitre d was someone I knew...
    More from Epipponimus »

  13. Published : Sunday, 27th May 2012

    TwelvePointFivePercent :: Dabbous

    When, just a couple of weeks after Dabbous opened earlier this year, the Evening Standard's Fay Maschler - the doyenne of restaurant reviewers - gave it an almost-unprecedented five stars, the effect was instantaneous. Word spread like wildfire (après Fay, le déluge) and by the end of the week rumours abounded that the next available table at Dabbous was sometime in early 2013...
    More from TwelvePointFivePercent »

  14. Published : Sunday, 26th February 2012

    The Insatiable Eater :: Dabbous: London

    There's been so much buzz about Dabbous since it opened a mere five weeks ago. The simple and elegant food, the rockstar chef with a pedigree CV, and prices which are shockingly affordable (well by London standards). I heard about Dabbous via user restaurant reviews on Bloomberg before the big hitters like the Evening Standard showered it with five stars. Thankfully I booked a few weeks back and had the choice of sittings. Now Dabbous is booked out for the next two months. They deserve to be as this was one of the best meals I've had in London for a long time...
    More from The Insatiable Eater »

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Essential Details for Dabbous

Location of Dabbous

Showing 5 of 15 Reviews

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  1. Dabbous

    39 Whitfield Street, London W1T 2SF
    Overall rating:
     
    Palmyra K.

    Outstanding Restaurant

        (1)

     
    • Food & Drink: 9
    • Service: 8
    • Atmosphere: 7
    • Value: 7

    Was this review helpful to you?

  2. Dabbous

    39 Whitfield Street, London W1T 2SF
    Overall rating:
     
    Nicole G.

    The most overrated restaurant in London

        (4)
    1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
    Editor's pick

     
    • Food & Drink: 5
    • Service: 6
    • Atmosphere: 6
    • Value: 4

    Was this review helpful to you?

  3. Dabbous

    39 Whitfield Street, London W1T 2SF
    Overall rating:
     
    James B.

    The Good, The Bad and The Uh Oh

        (2)
    1 of 2 people found this review helpful.
    Editor's pick

     
    • Food & Drink: 5
    • Service: 10
    • Atmosphere: 8
    • Value: 6

    Was this review helpful to you?

  4. Dabbous

    39 Whitfield Street, London W1T 2SF
    Overall rating:
     
    Andrew M.
        (1)
    0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

     
    • Food & Drink: 2
    • Service: 2
    • Atmosphere: 2
    • Value: 1

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  5. Dabbous

    39 Whitfield Street, London W1T 2SF
    Overall rating:
     
    Neil M.
      Gold Reviewer  (52)

     
    • Food & Drink: 8
    • Service: 8
    • Atmosphere: 5
    • Value: 7

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