SilverSurferS5's Reviews

I went to this restaurant/karaoke bar with a group of friends. I usually like Chinese cuisine so I looked forward to a different, unique experience…
Unfortunately, the first thing you notice about this place on entrance is it is merely functional, not well presented at all. If anything, it looks run-down. We all know the saying, “Don't judge a book by its cover!” But in reality, with restaurants we do because, somehow, it tells us something about what we should expect from the food. If a restaurant is beautifully presented, we expect great looking and tasting food – although looking at Maroush Gardens, that is DEFINITELY NOT THE CASE! Hakkasan on the other hand, is consistently excellent.
So this place, walking up the steps into your private karaoke room, doesn't promise much… The room we were in was in good condition, everything worked, it was spacious enough and the walls were strangely padded all over – as if they expected us to have wrestling matches in there!
We all sang along and the choice of music was surprisingly good but certainly not particularly up-to-date or flawless in any way. The atmosphere is self-made so that too was good but what about the food?
Unfortunately, it really was bland. Nothing special at all, just average. We even had lobster and that was certainly no match for other lobster I've had. It isn't horrible food, it is just, as I said, average – as if the food is secondary to the karaoke. Some people will go to this restaurant, have a great time and forget about the food (because it is very forgettable) and say it is a great restaurant. It isn't. It is an average restaurant with a unique novelty which can be a lot of fun.
The service is ok, no worse than most Chinese restaurants. I have a lot of Chinese friends, yet somehow I get the feeling the Chinese restaurant workers don't like non-Chinese customers, it is almost as if they see them as second class citizens – people they do not look forward to serving. Perhaps I am wrong on the whole but this… More

This restaurant is currently my favourite. I find comments like, “2 hour limits being irritating” to be IRRITATING! Why would anyone want to spend over 2 hours in any restaurant? You could not possibly eat for such a period of time unless your stomach(s) is/are (a) bottomless pit(s)! Try to understand, it is a busy place, they want to serve as many people as they can and I think they do so very well. Service is not just good, it is outstanding, the waiters are helpful and ooze class – they know what they are doing, they know what they are talking about and they ALWAYS get you what you actually want. It is dark inside, yes, but your table will be well lit and your food will not only arrive promptly, it will be cooked and presented to a standard of sheer excellence.
Parking is hard to find, though they do a very good Valet service which you are charged a very reasonable £10 for. The location isn't ideal, to be frank, it is located within a one-way labyrinth of narrow roads in the sort of place you'd probably expect to find a rat-infested cafe rather than a top-notch restaurant.
As for the 2 hour table limit “rarely being handled with grace” – I completely disagree. In my own experience, I've been an hour late before on a busy night and I was not once hassled to leave promptly. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but it hasn't happened to ME and I am reviewing the place based on MY experience, not hearsay from someone with a bee in their bonnet.
Next, we come to the decor, I would call it classy, not dark or old fashioned. I've taken many a friend to this restaurant and have only had complimentary comments; “Wow!” being the most common and these people are not easily impressed – like me. The best example is right at the start, the way they have transformed what was presumably a boring dark stairway into an interesting, mystique inducing introductory passage into brightly lit reception area which leads into a gorgeous restaurant. There is a lovely fragrance as you walk down the… More