Continental Diner's Reviews

Everything here points towards the “new breed” of continental-inspired London brasseries. However, this branch of Galvin doesn't feel very authentic. The service is good, but the hype about this place is difficult to understand. It is a welcome addition to this part of W1, but it has failed, in my oppinion to give the feeling of “occasion” it – and the two star rating on this website – promise. Especially the food is, while the ingredients seem well-sourced, slightly under-whelming.

Terroirs is a very good restaurant with a great concept. The small-dish approach really works for once and it is the kind of place where (uncharacteristically, for its Trafalgar Square location) everything seems possible. The wine list is inspired and the food is very nice and perfectly balanced. As promised, this is a rather rustic experience but all the more endearing. A well desereved thumbs up!

Verru is a very positive and nice restaurant in a convenient location. It combines a pleasant atmosphere – in the evening very nice lighting – with truely superb scandinavian food. With its roots accross the baltic in Estonia, the kitchen has a self-assured take on northern Euroean cooking, an executes it to a very high standard. This might just be the best scandinavian cooking in London at the moment – especially with some formerly famous places having let their guard down recently. The service is very good and the overall experience pleasant. For friends of Herring, Verru's own Herring starter is a fantastic choice. Even the wine list manages to be interesting and reasonable at the same time. Let's hope the team keeps up the good work!

Very good service, food and dependability. Everything is possible, everything is fresh and most importantly everything tastes great. If only some more expensive restaurants in London could achieve this level of service. Well done!

A true british classic which has survived the acquisition by its new U.S. owners (Fairmont / Savoy) surprisingly well. Both the bar and the dining room are beautiful rooms, the service is very good the food difficult to fault. A must-see for tourists, a very special place for an important meal and most importantly a place one can rely on.

The below review was written before the year-long closure in 2010. The restaurant is now open again under the same management.

Eight over eight is a classic example of a restaurant resting on its laurels. The formerly less known sibling of E&O in Notting Hill started drawing large crowds and instead of rising to the challenge, it started dropping its standards. This is very dangerous when serving a cuisine which is highly dependent on execution and good service. A pity.

While the venue does have it's charms – especially considering the urban surroundings of Shoreditch – the Hoxton Grill relies too heavily on its Soho Hotels Group DNA. Service is O.K. but not consistent and then there is what the food: meat dishes are a bit better, but steer clear of the fish which was on the verge of catastrophic.
All this is a shame as this part of London would need a place like the Hoxton Grill aims to be. I suggest a drink at the Hoxton Hotel's bar instead – dinner definitively elsewhere.