Cinnamon Cay

Reading the reviews below I honestly wonder if there is a second Cinnamon Cay on Lavender Hill that we had the unfortunate experience of visiting last Saturday.

The food was bad.

We ordered from the two courses for 13.95 menu. To start veal carpaccio and crocodile croquettes both were tasteless. My veal had a vague meaty taste. It seemed as it had been refrigerated or frozen for quite a while.

Mains of guinea fowl and scallops. The scallops were ok tasting, not the best and a bit overdone, but ok nonetheless. They came with bits of pulled/roast pork and a brown sauce. Quite a strange plate it looked as though the chef was throwing together whatever he had in the kitchen to make a meal. The guinea fowl was ok but again rather tasteless. We also ordered a side of bok choy which tasted nicely of lighter fluid and nothing else.

On the pros side the staff were nice. Although a little scatty. My glass of Champagne turned into a glass of white wine and they all seemed a little new.

A bill of 60 for two courses and a few drinks. Not great value for money considering the special offer.

A disappointing local. Maybe it was the chef's night off.
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N Thomson
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 2
Wednesday, December 05, 2007

I've been to Cinnamon Cay twice now, both times on a friday night and with no reservation. This wasn't a problem on either occasion and they squeezed us in - I would definitely recommend booking to guarantee. The food is just delicious, just the right portion sizes and the fusion style is thoughtfully executed resulting in mouthwatering dishes. Most recently I has scallops to start -amazing, followed by the lamb rump which was so also delicous! The staff are super friendly and attentive without being intrusive. Food and wine are both reasonably priced and excellent value for money. It's such a gem of a restaurant on Lavender Hill - I would defnitely recommend it!
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Thursday, October 18, 2007

Stumbled across this restaurant with my boyfriend last night and decided to give it a go. Not usually a fan of "Fusion Food" as it can be pretty dire I was more than pleasantly suprised. We started with the scallops and stir fried pork which was delicious, followed by the Chateaubriand which was sensational, definitely one of the best steaks I have had in a while at that price. The desserts were fairly average, my parter went for the crepes while I had the creme brule but by this time we were completely stuffed anyway and probably didn't need them.

The atmosphere was great and the staff truly delightful, managing to get the right balance between being attentive but not intrusive. Something many waiting staff in other restaurants fail to do.

Great wine list. Excellent food. Fantastic value. Suberb atmosphere and staff. I'll definitely be coming here again!
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N Phillips
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Friday, September 07, 2007

Was at Cinnamon Cay on friday 9th of March, we had a 8pm reservation, which on arrival we felt was a little too early as it was very quite. The restaurant itself was tasteful, small in size, which gave it a nice intamate feel.

The food was excellent, I in particular had never tried crocodile, my partner had it as a starter with chilie jam, it was fantastic, 'tastes like chicken'

For main we both has springbock for main, which I again had never tired, was very nice, the sweet potatoe wraped in chorizo was beautiful, think we ate the main without talking to each other.

Overall great place to go to, excellent attentive service, good value and quality food.
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B Jones
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Monday, March 12, 2007

I booked Cinammon Cay online through London Eating, having tried another restaurant, only to discover they had a one month waiting list! My initial feelings were that it was noisy, but we were next to an enormous xmas party, and when they cleared out, it was just fine. The service was attentive, helpful and knowledgeable. If they didn't know something, they went & found out. The atmosphere was delightful, the open-plan kitchen was just over my shoulder, but I hardly knew it was there, and the food was not hurried, but by no means slow, and the cuisine was exciting and delightful. My mussels, octopus & chorizo salad was heavenly, and a host of other dishes including springbok passed our way. Everything was piping hot and nothing went to waste. I will be going back, and I will be trying even more dishes! Highly recommended, just remember it's a 12-15 minute walk from Clapham Jn.
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Hotshot - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Friday, January 12, 2007

I went here on a Saturday night with my girlfriend for her birthday. Never felt the need to write a review on here before but I have to say, it was amazing! The menu was simple, but what a delight! We enjoyed a starter, a main, super sweet with a wonderful bottle of wine - and we're still talking about it one week later. Only downside was that despite great decor, there was a draft in the place, but we'll be going back still. Also, reckon £25 per head was underplaying it, it cost us £35 per head, but like I said, worth every penny. The waitresses were also very good.
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MungoJerrysBeard77 - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Sunday, January 07, 2007

This place rocks. Took my boyfriend there last night for his birthday and wasn't disappointed! They didn't have a cocktail menu but when I asked if I could have a champagne cocktail they were more than happy to accommodate. We chose to have the two courses for £13.95 and both were lovely…my boyfriend especially liked the Springbok. The service was perfect; the atmosphere for a Tuesday night was really good too and given is it around the corner from where I live, defo going again.
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Helly
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, November 15, 2006

a very nice place for dinner.

staff very nice and friendly just what you need from your local restaurant.
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lindsay
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Saturday, September 23, 2006

I have been to Cinnamon Cay a couple of times and been very happy with the fantastic food and superb service. This was not the case, unfortunately, on Saturday night when I attended a 30th birthday with a large group. My starter which consisted of 4 New Zealand mussels were so overcooked they tasted like they were cooked halfway across the world, and as for my main course of halibut, (which I have ordered there before and been very pleased), it arrived 15 mins after everyone else burnt on the outside and raw in the middle...after I sent this back I had to wait a further 20 mins to have a new fish but on the old plate which consisted of cold oyster sauce and soggy cabbage. Cinnamon Cay, you have an excellent reputation in a very competitive area - please don't let huge groups into your restaurant if you can't cater for them properly; your staff seemed a little embarrassed by what they were handing out to say the least. Having to then fork out £40 per head for 2 glasses of house wine and 2 burnt dishes left a girl who loves her food very disappointed.
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Anna
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 2
Monday, September 04, 2006

We took advantage of the 2 courses for £12.95 deal this week and enjoyed a delicious dinner, agreeably served in slightly cramped and dimly-lit surroundings. The crocodile croquettes were particularly good. There is now a non-smoking area. Altogether a very pleasant meal, and excellent value for money: we shall return.
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Robin - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, April 26, 2006