Trader Vic's at the London Hilton

I really wish I had cancelled dinner at Trader Vic's and paid more attention to the bad reviews I read…

What a total disappointment! On the positive side, the setting is lovely. The staff were attentive and friendly. They work hard for their 15% service charge. The mai tai was great (and worthy of it's hefty £11.50 price tag). Other cocktails we ordered were also great. It is clearly something they do right. Unfortunately that's where the positives end!

The food was horrible. I mean truly horrible! The cod croquette starter was like 3 frozen potato croquettes that had been baked and thrown on a plate. I doubt they had any cod in them,. Nor been near any cod!! They may have once shared a freezer with some cod but there wasn't any cod actually in them. The chicken in deep fried dough was the same except the chicken was some kind of paste and did taste a bit like chicken. The “pork stew with black beans” consisted of cheap pork ribs that were mainly fat and gristle. I had read this in previous reviews too so should have taken heed. The “black beans” were actually red kidney beans and was the main constituent of the stew. It looked a little like gruel. I did wonder whether I had wandered into a soup kitchen. The desert was nice. The fortune cookie had no fortune in it. My bad luck for ever stepping foot in Trader Vic's I guess.

This is one of the first times i have been utterly horrified by a top table deal. It is not good value for money. It was not good for my digestion either!! The 15% service charge is a bit of a joke. I do not mind paying for good service but good service does not include removing unfinished drinks from the table or removing plates whilst others are still eating. An epic fail for what could be a really nice restaurant. I had such high hopes but such a poor outcome.

Trader Vic's is one of those establishments that has been around for donkeys years, relying heavily on trade from the London Hilton Hotel in which it is located, I severely doubt it would remain open if it wasnt so popular with hotel guests. It is also pretty well known for ‘ladies of the night’ (to be polite) touting their wares to businessmen and the like.

The drinks are superb, despite being mostly rum based and INCREDIBLY alcoholic! The Tiki Puka Puka is one of my all time favourites and comes adorned with a beautiful orchid flower. The bar food is actually way better than the restaurant to be honest… I always go with friends and we order lots of different bar snacks including fantastic spare ribs, crab rangoon, perfect calamari and lots of other delicious treats.

I would say Mahiki ripped this concept off completely and ruined it with their chavvy overpriced version of a Tiki bar-cum-club. Ditch Mahiki and go to Trader Vics… These bars were the epitome of chic in the 70's and 80's!