David's Reviews

Let me begin by saying that the food was mostly excellent. The asparagus and shaved parmesan worked wonderfully. One of the diners had the tricolour salad whih she thoughly enjoyed. My beef steak was well cooked and very tasty. There could have been more rosemary potatos but I guess that comes down to portion control. One of my fellow diners had the seafood mixed grill, which he said was good and tasty but was quite expensive for what it was.

Sadly the service was dreadful. The waiter's standard of English was poor. On placing the order I tried to ascertain whether our meals were complete or if they needed any side orders. He just did not understand the question so I ordered French beans and broccolli anyway. As we were enjoying our gin and tonic aperitifs he brought the botle of Chianti and offered a taste. I pointed out that I still had half a glass of gin and tonic left and I would try the wine when that was finished. Why do restaurants offer wine tasting when they can see you are still drinking the aperitif? Some drinks don't mix well and it spoils the enjoyment of both of them. It should be basic customer serviceto observe this and also, I assume, they want their wine to be appreciated. This delay in the wine tasting proved to be our undoing. Gin and tonics were completed. The starters arrived, were enjoyed and the plates taken away. The full bottle of wine just stood there and was ignored by every member of staff that passed our table. Eventually I brought it to the attention of one of the, assumed, management team. His response was “Well you could have asked” I pointed out that asking was what I was currently doing. He then asked if I wanted to taste the wine and I said yes. He poured the wine into the white wine glasses after I had said it was OK. One of our group insisted it served in a red wine glass and got some interesting non-verbal communication. At no time did anyone top up our glasses and for the rest of the evening we were left to fend for ourselves… More

We have recently been to Quaglino's on 2 separate occasions to enjoy their special menu. The evening comes complete with a glass of champagne and the lunch with either a glass of red or white wine. Incredible value for money.

On both occasions the food and service were very good. The portions were ampleenough to be enjoyable and not leave feeling full and uncomfortable. My starter of carpaccio beetroot with goats cheese and walnut was excellent. The beef I had was well cooked and extremely tender, accompanied by a very tasty and subtly flavoured horesradish mash. 2 of my party also opted fro the beef, I am not sure what a featherblade is, but with clean plates and appreciative comments I know it was a good choice. 1 of the party opted for the stone bass. I am told it was delicious with a hint of chilli. In fact, it was called the best fish dish that had been enjoyed for some time.

For desert I have enjoyed both the Eton mess and the Passionfruit mess. 1 of my guests today had the ginger and rhubarb and I am told it was delicious with the rhubarb not being over sweetened and retaining it's tart flavour. The pavlova looked to be a little tough to cut but I am reliable informed tasted terrific.

Whilst there amazing offers continuie it is a place to visit on a regular occasion and enjoy the experience.

Sunday lunch on a warm weekend proved to be a very enjoyable experience. The ambiance and service were both very good.

I began with the parfait of foie gras and chicken liver. It was very well served and full of flavour once one got used to the consistency of the parfait against a pate. My partner had the chilled pea and mint soup which resulted in some acknowledgment of the excellent flavour and how refreshing it was.

For mains I had the roast beef and yorkshire pudding. The beef was excellent. The Yorkshire pudding was very large and a bit over cooked but the flavour was good. From my research, over a number of years, I can report that there are better Yorkshire puddings in London but this was acceptable. The salmon was off the menu and my partner had the alternative, which I think was sea bass. There was a very small quantity on the plate and we were not advised on the need to sides. Some Jersey Royals would have complimented it very well.

Onto desert, we both went for the meringues in cold custard. It was very well presented and with the cherry compote and the caramel it held a number of very delightful flavours.

The set Sunday lunch is now £30 and there was no offer of an a la carte menu so one assumes that is all that is on offer. We enjoyed a very good bottle of wine to compliment the meal. The wine list is quite extensive and, in most cases, reasonably priced.

We look forward to returning and sampling the fuller menu.

As previously highlighted in a former review the lunch menu here is extremely good value £19.50 for 3 courses. Additionally there is an option to take 2 courses and enjoy a half bottle of wine for the same price. There are 3 options to choose from for each of the courses. The chiiled asparagus soup with a parmesan biscuit was very good on a warm day. My beef was very well cooked and presented and my fellow diner indicated that the pollock was also very good and it looked well presented and very meaty. We both enjoyed the tart and creme anglais for desert.

We were fortunate in being seated in the conservatory and it is a very beautiful location on a bright sunny day. Sadly the service was a bit suspect. The gaps between the courses were excessively long. Indeed, we were presented with a complimentary glass of wine to make up for the situation. It was a working lunch with lots to discuss so we coped with the gaps very well.

The sampling menus, both meat eating and vegetarian, look very good with or without the accompanying wines. It is certainly worth returning as friends inform me that our experience of the service was very much a lapse and does not reflect the usual dining experience.

On a light and warm summer's evening, this is a superb location for an early dinner booking. The ambiance of the restaurant is superb and sitting near the large windows overlooking the activities outside is great for people watching.

2 of my friends had the £26 dinner menu, which offered extremely good value for money. In particular the comments and clear enjoyment of the belly of pork, complete with crackling, was great to hear. I also gather the crumble and custard was exteremly good. I opted for the a la carte menu and went for the roast chicken. The portion was enormous and when enjoyed with some of the excellent roast potato it was superb. The accompanying bacon and bread sauce enhanced the dish really well. The general comments from my firends, who were dining there for the first time, was that the portions of all the dishes was very generous and certainly met in full the large appetites they had brought with them. The wine list is very good and offers both affordable and high end prices. It was good to see some English wines included.

It is not always clear when making a booking here that there is a 2 hour table turn but we found that did not cause us any difficulty. Some of guests were delayed a little in their arrival at the restaurant but the staff ensured, through good service, that the meal was served comfortably within the timeframe. It did not feel rushes at all.

Since eating there a few friends have advised me that the breakfast at roast is also excellent so that will be added to the diary before too long.

The new Sunday lunch offering at Quo Vadis was excellent. There was a very family orientated atmosphere in the restaurant and it felt very good and relaxed. A 3 course lunch for £35, which includes a half bottle of wine, water, coffee and service was incredibly good value. The service was ever present and attentive without being intrusive. Watching the maitre'd was a masterclass in good management and service. Throughout our visit he knew what was happening at each table and intervened when he thought it was necessary.

The smoked salmon starter was served with a circular accompaniment of hard boiled egg, chopped very finely and herbs. My roast beef was served excellently medium rare, although I was not asked if I had a preference. The ‘trimmings’ were very good, although a 3rd roast potato and possibly a little more gravy would have made it perfection. I am told by my partner that the sea bream was very good and cooked incredibly well. The desert was very good and well presented but did not totally reflect the decscription on the menu.

All considered it was an excellent experience that needs to be repeated sooner rather than later.

Entering The Chancery on a quiet Tuesday evening gives one 2 immediate impressions. Firstly it strikes you as being very functional in design and layout. That is not necessarily a bad thing. Secondly, it is very quiet, or was the evening we were there. I imagine that because of it's location it will be more heavily reliant on a lunchtime trade than an evening one.

The fixed price menu was very good value. I thoroughly enjoyed a minestrone soap with tagliatelle, my friends told me that the scallops were very good and nicely brown on one side. For main course 2 of us opted for the steak and hand cut fries. The steak, for some reason, was sliced as you might find served in a stroganoff. It was very well cooked, medium rare, and therefore didn't need to be presented in this way. The hand cut fries were excellent and certainly were viewed enviously by my fellow diners.

Only 2 of the party opted for desert. The selection of ice cream listed on the menu seemed to cause some confusion when our waitress was asked what flavours there were to choose from. I undersatnd that what did arrive was very good.

It was a very enjoyable evening and ideal if you want a quiet dinner with a colleague or client. If you were looking for somewhere with a little more atmosphere you might find it a little too quiet. The value for money, bearing in mind, it's location at the edge of the City and in the legal environment of Chancery Lane, was very good. It is quite tucked away and may not always benefit from a passing crowd. I think you would need to know it is there and to seek it out. I don't think you will be disappointed.