The Eagle Farringdon

Negatives first: you can't book for fewer than four people, but, on a busy Sunday lunchtime we did get a seat at a counter with tall stools which was fine. Also, it was quite noisy - but, as I said, it was busy and full. It was good to have looked at the website and so on, so that we knew out meals might not arrive at the same time - which they didn't, but that was also fine.  So not muich that is neagative at all!

We only ordered one starter and that arrived pretty quickly. That was plenty for two of us and the portions for each main course were also VERY generous though very reasonably priced. The wine is also very reasonably priced - under £20 for a delicious Chenin Blanc in this case. 

When paying, there was an option for gratuity and when I asked if cash would be better I was told that any gratuity, even if on card payment, is shared with all staff, which I thought was a good sign. You also get the choice of which percentage to include. 

All in all, certainly to be recommended. 

Negatives first: you can't book for fewer than four people, but, on a busy Sunday lunchtime we did get a seat at a counter with tall stools which was fine. Also, it was quite noisy - but, as I said, it was busy and full. It was good to have looked at the website and so on, so that we knew out meals might not arrive at the same time - which they didn't, but that was also fine.  So not muich that is neagative at all!

We only ordered one starter and that arrived pretty quickly. That was plenty for two of us and the portions for each main course were also VERY generous though very reasonably priced. The wine is also very reasonably priced - under £20 for a delicious Chenin Blanc in this case. 

When paying, there was an option for gratuity and when I asked if cash would be better I was told that any gratuity, even if on card payment, is shared with all staff, which I thought was a good sign. You also get the choice of which percentage to include. 

All in all, certainly to be recommended. 

Following very positive experiences at both sister restaurants ‘Anchor & Hope’ and ‘Queen Street’ I was pretty excited by the prospect of ‘The Eagle’. The schlep from Covent Garden for lunch mid week was a mild deterrent but worth the £9 cab fare…surely? True, the food was good simple cooking. The makeshift tapas starter of serano ham and smoked salmon were both fresh and tasty. The main course of Barnsley chop with caponata went down pretty easily and was well cooked. My friends sausages looked so good he didn't offer me any and the gilt-head bream was well charred and tasty as hell. The issue here was not the food but the service. I've nothing against a “no booking” policy but a rather nervous manager more than confused my simple intellect as he sought to pair couples and small groups together on tables, incessantly moving chairs in preparation for people who never turned up. He was followed by a waitress who was the linchpin of interaction with the clientèle but who could only muster enough enthusiasm to ‘slap’ down food on the old oak table in the corner, avoiding eye contact and any notion of a smile. The guy at the bar who took our orders was so rude it left me pondering why he was working there at all. Shame really as the chef clearly ran an effective kitchen that produced modern English fare that focused on taste rather than detail.