Apsleys

We ate at Apsleys last Saturday and had a superb meal, in lovely setting.

This place has good service and looks great. It's ideal for a romantic meal, with the tables well spread out (ask for one of the tables round the outside, which are slighly raised from the main floor and quieter). However, it wasn't overly busy, for a Saturday and may be quiet midweek.

The food was excellent, with the first courses of Pheasant parcels and the Ravioli being superb. My only complaint was that the Sea Bass didn't come with veg, but the only potato option on the extras were roast potatoes, which don't go with light fish! Apart from that minor blip, the food was very tasty and well presented.

There are some reasonably priced wines amongst the expensive wine list, especially a lovely New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

Overall, a very pleasant dining experience.
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PJE
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, September 23, 2008

With its luxurious interior that recalls more elegant and decadent times, The Lanesborough ought to be home to a restaurant that is aligned with the hotel's five star status.

The dining room has been recently relaunched as an Italian, and given a rather un-Italian name: Apsleys. We visited as part of a group on what would have otherwise been a rather quiet evening for the restaurant. It was clear that the staff were happy to have something to do as the service was charming and very efficient.

The bread and parmesan appetisers were fresh and came with good olive oil. My starter of succelent pink veal with tuna paste and capers was tasty. However, the main courses were simply a let down. My friend's chicken breast was apparently dry, surely classic mistake no.1 in chicken cooking. My own shrimp risotto was undercooked and crunchy, while the shrimp was badly burnt, giving the risotto a strong bitter note. The surprising thing was that the waiter obviously knew it wasn't up to scratch, as he enquired specifically whether the risotto was satisfactory.

Tiramisu was better, but by that stage I had had too much wine to properly appraise it.

Although we didn't let the food detract from a very enjoyable evening, Apsleys didn't meet the standards set by the rest of the hotel, which is a shame.
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Forth Bridge
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 2
Wednesday, August 13, 2008

I was there with my friend for afternoon tea. Finger sandwiches were very nice and fresh, wide selection, not only boring smoked salmon and cucumber... There was also mini quiche! Yummy!

Very wide range of teas available, and the service was very respectful, friendly and quick. Maybe because they have a lot of waiters... The piano was playing live and the atmosphere was a bit too formal, but I like it for a change. And what I didn’t like: price.
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Hirosima
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 3
Friday, August 01, 2008

I suppose that this place embodies everything that is wrong with dining out in London high-end restaurants.A fortune has been spent on decor (like the Dorchester), but there seems to have been no one in charge of good taste.The decor is awful.The service is very good with lots(too many) staff,well drilled and eager to please.The food reads well on the menu,but the execution is very poor.For those of us who have eaten in Italy,the food here does not measure up to a reasonable restaurant in Italy.While the ingredients are all present,it is as though someone has been following a recipe or TV show,who has never actually developed any real idea of what the food should taste like and look like.We left a lot of it and the prices are excrutiatingly expensive.Reduce the staff numbers,get a new chef,and redecorate the room.Seems they have got this all totally wrong.Fire the person who was in charge of this project too for wasting all this money.And calling an Italian restaurant Apsleys...that should have set off all kinds of sirens!

Maybe restaurants in hotels don't work so well.Are there any that are successful?
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C.Elder
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 2
Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Service was second to none, food fantastic and prices reasonable for the location. Will use again.
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Thursday, March 20, 2008

The Conservatory Restaurant is a real old-fashioned high-end dining experience in the premises of the Lanesborough hotel. The classic decor is simply magnificent and the service impeccable. The pianist plays on the backround adding to the atmosphere that almost makes you think you have performed a time journey somewhere to the 1930's.

We were in for the unlimited champagne dinner offer (for £40) and were not disappointed. Champagne had the characteristicts of the appellation and was enjoyable, although not grand, just as one could expect. And there is no need to suspect that one would need to call the waiter wthen the glass is empty - actually, we never managed to get our glasses empty during our dinner.

Portions were beautiful and pursue some original ideas, but still they remain a bit unimpressive. Part of this could be due to the fact that we were ordering from a short menu that clearly avoided the most exquisite (and expensive) lobster and foie gras -type delicacies the restaurant naturally has to offer. Still, a bit more could be expected of a restaurant with this price level and reputation even on the less expensive side of the menu.

All in all, the treat was well worth the money and we had a most memorable anniversary dinner. The rumour has it that the Conservatory is to be renovated and changed to a modern italian restaurant so anyone wishing to make the time travel to the present interior and atmosphere shoud go soon.
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Erkki Nurminen
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Cheap, its not. But the setting, the food and the service are definitely worth the money.

I was taken there for a birthday present and after a drink in the Library Bar we we shown to our table. As a vegetarian, I was keen to see if Paul Gaylor's dishes would live up to my expectations. Oh, and they did. Wonderfully imaginative dishes that tasted great and were presented beautifully. It's so nice to find a restaurant where the vegetarian dishes are treated with equal respect as the meat and fish.

The atmosphere of the restaurant with its greenery and running waterfeatures along with the music and dancing (if you want to) just added to what was a perfect evening.

The service was impeccable, the waiters were very knowledgable and were there when you wanted them and weren't when you didn't - which is just the way it should be.

Perfect and highly recommended.
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Gaz
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Monday, September 25, 2006