Squaremale's Reviews

Well, I wasn't going to add a review because this place doesn't need any more good ones, but I just read Continental Diner's review, and can only assume he didn't “close out” his date.

Scott's isn't perfect, and if spending your time among people 100 times richer than you is going to put you off your grub then don't go. But they produce consistently lovely food, have a great menu and wine list (yes, the latter is very marked up – please refer to the address), and I have always had great service – warm, friendly and efficient.

And I've brought dates here and they've loved it, for the right reasons. So as not to make Continental Diner jealous I shan't comment on the related “closing-out” status.

And if I was 100 times richer no doubt I'd even get a nice table…

Slightly quirky place – long and narrow on both floors, and so all a bit rammed in – I hope they got a good deal on the rent. Staff were lovely and attentive, if a little hazy about menu details. Good menu and wine list. Food was OK – duck liver pate/chopped liver was nice, asparagus fine, and the cote de boeuf for two was well cooked and nicely presented – but not great quality (my fault – broke my rule of only eating steak in steak restaurants) – and sides were disappointing. Reviews note that lip service is paid to desserts, and they were right – unsatisfying chocolate mousse. The bill was OK given the location (although indicated they didn't get a good deal on the rent).

Have been here a few times and it has always been excellent. Great service, even when stuck away upstairs (still a lovely room, but I prefer the ground floor), top food and a lovely atmosphere, not buzzy but just very natural. This is streets ahead of most places in Covent Garden.

April 2010

I've been to Trinity a number of times and have always had great meals, but hadn't been for some time. I went for dinner on a Friday evening a couple of weeks ago. As we walked in I saw that the reception desk was stacked with copies of the book that the chef/proprietor has written, but it didn't occur to me at the time that this might be relevant to what was to follow. On the way out, however, I pondered whether the point at which the chef writes a book is the point at which you should stop going to the restaurant.

I won't go through all the food, but the sweetbread dish I had for main was particularly disappointing, bland and definitely not caremelised; at £28 it was the most expensive dish, and that was just too much. The chocolate hot pot was odd, not quite sure what it was trying to be and lacking chocolatey depth of flavour, and the pistachio ice cream it came with didn't really taste of much. The food overall just seemed like it had gone down a step compared to my previous visits. We had a lovely evening, the atmosphere is still great and the service remains very friendly, welcoming and efficient, and I will go back for those reasons – and in the hope that when I walk in the only thing on the reception desk is the table plan…

December 2008

When we arrived, at about 8pm, all the other tables for two (which are positioned around the perimeter of the room) were already occupied, whereas the larger tables in the middle were empty. The larger tables filled in due course, deservedly so. So, I wonder if it is a booking policy to get all the tables of two in first, or is it just that romantic couples are dining earlier so as to be early home for a cup of tea? Or something. Answers on a postcard…

Starters (braised oxtail and mackerel) and mains (Lancashire hotpot and venison) were all excellent, combining smart, thoughtful presentation with good flavour and decent portion sizes. We only had one dessert – banoffee cheesecake with candied walnuts – and sadly this… More

The following is the substance of a letter I wrote to the restaurant after my visit. I have since received in response a patronising, standard letter, which addressed not a single one of my observations and instead informed me that my experience – all of it! – was a one-off…

From the moment we entered the reception area of the Seafood Restaurant it felt as though we had walked onto a conveyor belt, with the main aim of the staff being to get us to the end and back out of the door as quickly as possible to free up the table for another sitting.

We arrived about half an hour early so we could have a drink before going to our table. However, on arrival we were asked by staff if we would we like to go to our table immediately, and it was clear that was their preference. We chose instead to sit in the conservatory area to have drinks and look at the menus. A pre-starter of tempura sea bass arrived. This was delicious; what a shame it turned out to be the best course of the evening.

We were shortly shown to our table, or rather two seats on a table for six. Closer examination did reveal three tables for two, but only just. It was not possible, even for my slim companion, to get between the tables. We have all been subject to close table grouping, although usually in capitals where rents are sky-high, but even then not to this severity. The six of us joked about the ridiculousness of it all. It really is unpleasant to be forced to hear other people’s conversations so clearly, and to know that your own conversation, however muted, is entirely audible to your neighbours.

Some nice olives arrived, although our waitress attempted to remove them not many moments later, presumably in anticipation of our first course arriving. We asked for them to be allowed to stay. They were then removed after our first course – I was bored of the tug-of-war by then and let them go.

I was asked three times by different waiting staff if I had chosen some wine, and three times I said I’d like to… More

Friendly, smiley and chatty staff, all with good English. Some of whom even were English. So not a bad start for any restaurant these days. Predictable menu executed pretty well, there is a steady hand in the kitchen. Proper, tasty homemade burger, and steak of decent quality, and well-presented. Top-notch Bearnaise. Braised lamb shoulder with borlotti beans looked good but braised means the meat should pretty much fall apart; perhaps this was not cooked for long enough. Some of the prices are a tad too high – £8 for a a few small slivers of salmon carpaccio (advertised as “raw salmon with soy and ginger” so was rather expecting sashimi-style tranches, so disappointing – but nice fish) – and £17-odd for a small rib-eye steak (which ought to be an oxymoron). The bar is good for cocktails, which were well-made and reasonably priced. The wine list is OK, if lacking some inspiration, and prices not bad. Only one bottled real ale which is a shame (albeit much better than none!). Tables for two are a bit small, and a number are too close together, but otherwise, and overall, they have made this modern, brasserie-style space an attractive place to spend time, and I would recommend it.