Racine

As New Yorkers, we aren't as familiar with London restaurants as we would like to be, but we thought we had done our homework before trying Racine. The online reviews seemed positive, the place looked bustling when we passed it at lunchtime.Our Sunday evening meal couldn't have been more disappointing. There were two specials for the day — at 6:30, only one was available. Skirt steak (the replacement for the lamb special) was slapped on the white beans meant for the lamb. (Not a good marriage.) The meat was barely edible — I left most of it on my plate. The soup was bland and tasteless, the dessert mediocre. Our bottle of wine helped us through this very sad meal, but we were left wondering how and why this place could get so many rave reviews. Our waitress was sweet, as was the hostess, but really — the food was pathetic. We were the only diners in the place, which also struck me as odd, given the location and apparent reputation of the place.

If only you could still find ‘Old school’ restaurants like this in Paris. The interior is not inviting and the service can be a bit stiff and too French but once the food arrives both of these slights can be forgiven. A recent dinner included kidneys in a mustard sauce served with possibly the best mashed potatoes of the year. The sea bass was similarly enjoyed as was a starter of Lardon Salad.

Not welcoming when we (wife and I) dropped in for a latish supper. Very disapointing first visit…never again.

This restaurant has gone from being a French star with greast service to a very mediocre restaurant with poor service. What happened the polished French staff? What happened in the kitchen? Such a shame, as it used to be a regular. Not any more.

Cote-de-boeuf was one of the three best steaks I ever had (the other two were at Charlie Trotter's in Chicago and Rockpool Bar and Grill in Melbourne). Excellent!

Went there last night. Asparagus was raw, duck breast tough, steak tartare almost inedible. What a disappointment. Never again.

this is my kind of restuararnt, great food charming staff and a cosy atmosphere. This is traditional french cooking at its best, just shows you dont need 3 michelin starrs to deliver faltless ymmy food. fish soup is great when on menu, rich and full of flavour, grilled veal chop is superb as was cote de boeuf, great. wines are very good value to £25 gets you a full bodied red. deserts are yummy. one of my most favourite restuarants in london. defo reccomended.

We ate at Racine on a Sunday early evening in April 2010, just after it opened at 6pm. So atmosphere was difficult to judge fairly. But tasty ,hot, food was freshly prepared and served in good time. Rabbit was as good as expected and the Steak was properly cooked as ordered. A suitable choice of reasonably-priced wines (mostly French) was available. But the optional service charge rate at 14.5% was perhaps a bit sharp.

Four of us dined at Racine last Saturday [23 May 09] and agree that the food is well worth a fanfare: perfect French Onion Soup, succulent foie gras, excellent spatchcock and a whipped spinach and truffle side that is to die for. Unfortunately on this occasion, all the hard work and skill in the kitchen was let down by the front of house. The service, when there, was attentive and informed. However, it was more reactive than proactive and not well co-ordinated. Wine lists were not proffered, water not refilled and, horror of horrors, wine glasses not refreshed. Indeed, we had to resort to grabbing the decanter directly from the service table ourselves. We four dine together regularly and don't stint on menus or the wine list. Indeed, we would have spent more if more had been proffered. After some internal discussion we decided to halve the service charge — pour encourager les autres. The manager did not seem surprised and indeed only came over with some reluctance and a less than enthusiastic apology. Henry, you're doing a great job in the kitchen, but your manager needs to monitor the covers and glasses properly and co-ordinate the service, not just cling to the cash register