Jo K's Reviews

The French Table is tricky to comment on. Yes, the food was pretty good, but too many flavours on one plate, combined with closely packed tables, lead both the tastebuds and the elbows to be little over-crowded. You may find you can hear the imitate discussions of couples on your neighbouring table whilst tucking into your expensive fish with avocado, coriander, chilli, etc, etc.! The service was friendly and helpful, and the wine list was great. However, if you fancy whispering to your dinner partner, in a long line of tables, in a very stark, white, and rather pricey restaurant, then perhaps this is for you. I'd like to give it another shot, but I wouldn't say I'm in a hurry.

I am not exactly what you'd call a regular Michelin Star restaurant goer, but some friends and I decided to treat ourselves as a one off, and choose Arbutus as our Christmas treat to ourselves. I'm afraid, I feel that it was a complete waste of money, and definitely overpriced. Yes, the service was good, and I suppose the bread and wine was quite nice. But not being the religious type, I was looking for far more than bread and wine. The goat's cheese and beetroot salad was poorly presented, and frankly could have been prepared at home. The house special, Bouillabaisse, was bland, poorly seasoned and a real let down. Perhaps I've been watching too much MasterChef, but this was a big disappointment all round. Not recommended at all.