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Absolutely incredible. The food was stunning, creative and superbly cooked. Starters were the Scallop Sashimi and Lamp confit followed with mains of Roast Cod and Roast Mallard. Deserts were The Chocolate Tart and Cheese board. Faultless. Every dish was expertly put together. Great attention-to-detail with complex and delicious flavours. The Prix-Fixe is excellent value for money coming in at £42 for three courses plus wine on top. Can't recommend this place enough and hope they keep their standards high and their feet on the ground as word on this place gets out. Attentive, friendly service – love this place and probably my new favourite place in London!
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Without doubt one of the worst meals I've had in a while. Managed to nab a nice outside table and whilst waiting for our food read some gushing TimeOut review talking up organic ingredients and delicious food. Unfortunately the food was a complete let down. The mains that were ordered varied woefully in quality. I ordered a Burger which is really hard to mess up and they did. It arrived in a brioche with a burger of no discernible flavour or seasoning. I asked for medium rare – I got something that was like a brown-grey gloop with some luke warm cheese on it. I asked for a guacamole as a side, I got some couple-of-day old flavourless yellow, light green paste. To top it off I found an elastic band in the accompanying salad to which the waitress blankly said she would have a word with the kitchen but no offer of a discount.
Best meal I've had all year hands down and I don't offer that praise lightly. The food was innovative and delicious. We ran through the taster menu and every dish was absolutely faultless. I'm going to be a food bore and break it down as it was that good. all the dishes in my opinion were undersold on their description but maybe this is one of those placed where the reputation is built on word-of-mouth so they don't need to try too hard on the descriptions cause it's all going to be amazing. And it was. Peas and Mint – sounds simple, It was a concoction of different flavours, textures, temperatures of fresh garden peas and mint that totally delivered – there was a lot going on here with just a few simple ingredients. Mixed Alliums In a chilled pine infusion – probably the weakest dish but this was probably more of a pallet cleanser; coodled free range egg with woodland mushrooms and smoked butter – like a fry up in an egg shell and presented in a box of rustic farmhouse hay – deliciously rich, I could have eaten this twice., braised halibut and coastal herbs – again undersold, Poached Halibut in a flavoursome seafood bisque / foam; BBQed lamb, runner beans and less calermint -, perfectly executed piece for the carnivore. Artisan cheeses, Ripe peach, Custard cream pie – absolutely delicious take on a classic. Apparently this place is booked out for months, I can see why… the head chef Ollie Dabbous himself came out and checked up on our table to see how we enjoyed the meal which was nice touch and he patiently answered all of our questions. Hope they go from strength to strength and look forward to the next visit, free slots at the restaurant permitting.
Stopped off here for a quick business lunch with one of my clients. Not sure why there are so many complaints about the service, thought it was perfectly fine. It was a lovely sunny day so we sat outside soaking up the atmosphere of Lamb Conduit's Street. We ordered a series of plates; Chicken Livers, Patas bravas, Cod croquettes, seranno ham, meat balls and many more. Some were better than others but on the whole not bad at all. Dishes range from 6 out of 10 to 7 out of 10. I would say the chef should pay more attention to seasoning and try tasting some of the dishes. A few such as the cod croquettes were pretty bland and underseasoned. This isn't one of those venues you come to treat yourself, it's more a quick and informal catch up place.
Quick and easy bite to eat and absolutely delicious, unfussy and unpretentious. The biggest USP of this place is the wine pairings with the food which are recommended. The main dining space is light and airy downstairs. Ordered the confit of duck, roast potatoes and salad. Delicious and perfectly pitched in terms of portion size. The bill was surprisingly not too heavy on the pocket. Ace.
Visited on a very unusually hot day (for our terrible London Summer so far) and the restaurant was pretty packed outside but less than half full inside. Thought this to be strange as I've heard the Chef has been poached from Barrafina (one of my faves). The food was a mixed bag. Nothing was awful but it ranged from excellent to so so. usual staples such as the Patas Bravas and Tortilla were exactly as expected and well executed (very authentic and done in the Basque way). the mains such as the pigeon were so so but the sirloin and cod were both excellent. The food was good but it lacked the rustic deliciousness of Barrafina and the execution here is a bit more pricey and upmarket. Would certainly try again and it's definitely recommended you give it a go.
So there was about a seven year gap between my first visit and second visit and I am happy to report The Ivy is as good as it has ever been. Managed to get a Fri lunchtime slot for me and my guest with literally only three days notice. The dining room is as buzzy as ever and as some other diners have reported, the tables are a little too close together… The food however was excellent. Starters were duck salad and poached salmon with horse radish creme – both really good. We decided to go for the rib eye and all the trimmings. It's a steak and It's the staple of many restaurants however this was exceptional to say the least. Highly flavoursome and melt in the mouth medium rare perfection. Better than the Hawksmoor or Gaucho in my opinion. The deserts were Creme Brule – yes another omnipresent dish. However again, possibly the most delicious example of this desert I have ever tasted in any restaurant – that nearly took the score up to 10 out of 10! Not sure why this place has attracted so many complaints of being over-rated as we had a great meal, The service was also spot on, attentive and not over bearing. Well worth a trip I think although for me it's not the type of place I'd want to spend an entire evening in, probably best used as a lunch venue.
Ate here on a Tuesday night for a work do. Ok so sometimes eating on company expenses sweetens the blow of the amount of money you're about to spend but I can honestly say the meal was excellent. I would have been happy spending that myself. The dining area is a weird mix of canteen type seating with Damien Hirst's odd art suspended from the ceilings. I like art and have my opinions. Anyway, the food? Starters were my colleagues Heaven and Earth (A Hix staple) which is their black pudding and mash potato starter which was very good. Mine was the Steak Tartare – which was also very nice. The beef had been hand chopped coarsley and garnished amazingly. Ok enough abou that – the main was the show stopper. A Whole Farm House Roast Chicken with Wild Garlic Sauce, bread sauce, shoe string fries and chestnut and thyme stuffing. Ok it's roast chicken, anyone can make it .Not like this. Hix know how to turn this into a spectacle as they bring the whole chicken to the table which has been speared on a verical skewer and it's carved right in front of you. This is food as advertising as it got other people in the restaurant talking and observing. The chicken was amazing and melt in the mouth! That is something I would easilyclassify as a death-row meal it was that good. So good, I ate myself into a food coma and was pretty close to asking them for a doggy bag to take the rest home. Unfortunately there was no room for desert. Had to be rolled down stairs to Mark's bar (amazing decor by the way) for a post dinner Amaretto on the rocks to help with digestion.
Superlative. Thoroughly enjoyed the dining experience with every detail taken into account with friendly and efficient service. Delivious cooked food with a twist and some nice twists. Would definitely go back. Ordered the lightly cured salmon and the Black Angus Rib Eye, smoked potatoes, charred egg plant – delicious. Good buzzy informal atmosphere. Most people were dressed for business but it really wasnt that stuffy a place. Look forward to my next visit. Pretty faultless all round.
I hate to write reviews that are overly critical but I don't have much choice. China Tangs is ridiculously expensive for food that is not as good as some of the better places in China Town if you know where you are going and are also a quarter of the prices and twice the portion size. There were a number of things that niggled especially as we were paying top dollar for the experience. The ambiance and decor of the restaurant is very nice as were the quality of the cocktails we ordered. However we ordered our starters to be told that we would have to have our mains first as there was a lengthy wait for the crispy duck. Not being funny but surely a restaurant of this standing should be better prepared and should not run out of its signature dish? So we ordered our mains and ate them before the starters. A combo of salt and pepper squid (delicious); scallops (bland) and Szechuan prawns (average) arrived with side orders of mushrooms and stir-fried rice (so so). Portion sizes considering each main was £20+ were daylight robbery. The starter finally arrived Back To The Future style after the main and to be honest was pretty delicious, what little we got of it. We ordered a whole Duck, it didn't feel like we got a whole duck. The menu states its ordered in two parts. You get the breast filleted into small pieces with pancakes. There were far more pan cakes then duck breast. The rest of the carcass is taken back and shredded and sauteed and returned to the table, What we got was the smallest dices pieces on a tiny saucer. Not sure what happened but no way had we eaten a whole duck between four people. I can't really tell you what happened as I don't have a clue. £46 for a whole duck where we got tiny amounts of meat (no matter how delicious) is a rip off. All i can say is I will never return to eat at this restaurant with service like this when you are treated like an idiot. I hate it when you go to places like this that are as expensive as this and you leave looking for the nearest kebab shop as you're still starving! Open letter to Kate Moss; listen darling, always been a massive fan of yours and I know your friends with the proprietor but really recommend you head down to Soho and checkout the likes of The Mayflower where you'll get a meal that is twice as good and a quarter of the price.
Visited for a friend's birthday and overall pretty ok but I'd say it's not quite what I'd expect from a place bearing Gordon Ramsey's name. Thought long and hard about the score for the food and for me it's a 6 / 7 out of 10. Atmosphere wise the dining area is very impressive in terms of its decor. New York style art deco, very buzzy, spacious and as big as an aircraft hanger. The food for me was a mixed bag. Ordered a combo of things between the group. Pressed Chicken and Fois Grais terrine, delicious but for me maybe a little on the salty side. Prawn Cocktail was pretty good. Scallops also good but ruined by the fact they were gritty (not washed properly and a bit sandy?) – The Manager to his credit took it off the bill and mentioned something about the cooking process however we were not 100% convinced with the reasoning. Mains were veal (huge slab of meat), seared Tuna steaks and a combo of sides – chips and green. All of the food was competently cooked but none of it had the wow factor you'd expect from a Ramsey operation. I'm probably sticking my neck out but I would say the Tuna isn't as good as something you might get at a high st chain like Sophie's Steakhouse. I'd say the Tuna steaks were maybe even a little over seasoned. Service was however excellent as our waiter was kind enough to arrange a birthday dessert for my friend. Think I will give it another go but I will probably stick to Saturday nights to eat there as given it's location, it will probably be packed with City Boys flashing their cash during the week.
Absolutely brilliant and a little gem in the middle of Soho. Food was exquisitely cooked. Started with the Mozarella and Radicchio plus Courgettes shavings – fresh delicious flavours. Lamb with Polenta for main was melt in the mouth goodness. Definitely will be heading back for a return visit.
Used The Red Fort for business lunches and also for pleasure. The food is excellent and faultlessly cooked. Highly recommended is the shared platter for starters – a meze of choice parts of the starter menu; tikka salmon (melts in the mouth) and tikka chicken, delicate spinach patties filled with cheese and green chilli, monkfish amongst other choice bits. The mains were the king prawns (very meaty and substantial), stone bass, lentils, rice and paneer to share. All exquisitely cooked. Whilst the food was good the dining experience was not faultless. Slow, inattentive service – there when you're ok and not requiring service and nowhere to be seen when you are trying to pay the bill. Prices are on the steep side and maybe 15 – 20% maybe too expensive. However we had a lovely night and enjoyed the experience so much we would return.
Firm favourite from across the years for both work and play. The food is always consistently delicious and hearty! The only thing I would say is the indifferent slow service…However I can live with that as the food is great and the prices are reasonable!
Occupying the site of a former legendary Shoreditch venue known as the TBar, this restaurant is an interesting mixed bag of a proposition. to be frank the service was substandard. Not one detail was executed to the letter, on point or promptly. This became a huge matter of frustration as several times a bottle of wine or drinks were brought to the table and the waiter didnt bring enough glasses, pour glasses for everyone and just sloped off without completing the tables drinks orders.The food? Pretty ok pizzas with interesting fresh ingredients but to be frank the execution was no better than Pizza Express.The venue was super hot and stuffy. I couldnt wait to pay the bill and get the hell out of there to get some fresh air. I probably wont make a return journey back to this venue as there are too many superior places to eat in this neck of the woods. Keep up this level of service and you wont have any customers left…