The Abbeville

We celebrated my birthday here and were so disappointed. We used to frequently go to The Abbeville for Sunday lunch and it was always good but our meals this time were dreadful. The asparagus, feta, broad bean and couscous salad had one spear of asparagus in it, sliced in half so it looked like there were two spears in the bowl. My husband's belly of pork was 90% fat and almost inedible and my fish cake with coleslaw was disgusting. We skipped desert and went home instead. Our service was not great either. A mistake was made with the children's orders and our main courses were significantly delayed. We will sadly not return.
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Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
Friday, June 13, 2008

Dining is always a subjective experience, but I just can't agree with the recent batch of negative comments. We've been eating here for about a year now and the service has always been welcoming, the food very good. You instantly feel at home whether you are with your parents for a birthday celebration or with your pals and young children dropping by for Sunday brunch.

Context is everything, I reckon. If you cross from the Brixton side of Clapham Park (with our passports) as we do, this is a great pub/restaurant even if it does get busy with the rugger crowd on match days. I suspect that if you are a local you may have higher expectations, but don't ignore the gem on your doorstep.

Enjoy!
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Peter Springett
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Wednesday, April 23, 2008

I'm so disappointed that this gastropub has declined so far - I have been going there for many years for the reliably good food and friendly service. Over the past 6mths (maybe a little longer) the standards of food and service dropped radically. 12 of us arrived on Sunday for a table booked for 4pm - the table was not ready until 5pm but there was no apology for this. The bread and olives we ordered never arrived, not a great start. As for the mains, I've never eaten a lamb shank where I've struggled to remove the meat from the bone - I'm not quite sure how the chef achieved this?! Two lamb shanks were ordered and left on the plate but at no point were we asked if everything was ok. We found it impossible to attract the attention of 'our' waitress and when we got the attention of another we were told that it was not her table so she couldn't help us. Truly appalling. Of the other dishes most were cold, or, at the other extreme, the burger was almost charred to a cinder and rendered inedible. Also, for the one vegetarian on the table, all 3 dishes centered on pumpkin - not that there's anything wrong with pumpkin but it doesn't give much (any) choice. Please go back to your old ways, I've given you so many chances but Sunday really finished it off for me. It's a lovely looking pub, it's such a shame it let's itself down like this.
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Lou - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Monday, February 18, 2008

I am very surprised to read the bad reviews below. My boyfriend and I went for dinner on Friday night and had a great time. The service is extremely good - so friendly and helpful and although the pub was very busy, it was quick and efficient. The food was good - albeit not excellent - but this is a pub after all! I had the fishcake (which was probably more than 50% potato) and my boyfriend had the pork which was very good. The accompanying vegetables - cauliflower cheese and green beans - were enjoyable. The waitress made sure we were okay for drinks all night and the total bill for two mains, two sides and quite a fair amount of wine was around £40 - not bad at all! Will definitely return as am local anyway!
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Katie
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Monday, February 11, 2008

I found this to be one of the most disappointing dining experiences of recent times. I'm not a complainer, I find it uncomfortable and awkward. However, we were compelled to complain to our lovely and welcoming waitress, sadly.

There were 10 of us dining- not a large number. Some people got served at the table. Others had to go to the bar to get there own drink. A tad confusing, but no drama there. Perhaps the olives nuts would cheer us up. If only they ever arrived to our table......

Next up, someone came to take the order. The manager decided to berate her in front of us all as it was "not her table". Very unprofessional and embarrassing for both her and us.

When the right waitress came over, she was excellent and a credit to the herself. The order we placed was a simple one- no fancy requests for changes as, according to the menu, "we regret that no changes can be made to the dishes".

When the food arrived, the lamb was excellent. The venison good- but half a carrot and half a parsnip is not exactly much to go with it. It's a gastroPUB not neaveau cuisine! Then the disaster struck. The turkey and "all the trimmings" had no potatoes or other most standard of trimmings. The reason for no potatoes? "We're running low". I decided not to point out that Tesco is ten minutes walk away.

The burger, plus egg, came without the egg. The pasta with goats cheese, shallots, pine nuts and rocket was stone cold. And missing half the ingredients. Oh dear oh dear. When it came back (hot) it was still missing the ingredients.

Dessert... a hard brownie and the cheese selection. I think the cheese went to the same place as the nuts and olives- that place certainly not being our table.

I would say that only 3/10 enjoyed the food. The rest ate because we had ordered. Perhaps we should have left hungry and gone elsewhere.

The manager seemed indifferent to the problems we had raised other than to take money of the bill. Personally, I wouldn't baulk at the prices if the food was good. The value for money here is non-existent.

How this place can call itself a gastropub is, to be honest, false advertising. The food is overpriced and, frankly, sub standard. The atmosphere was good- must have been a lot of people there unwinding and having a drink. They certianly couldn't have been eating.

Overall, go there for a beer or two if you live round the corner. Don't bother travelling there for a drink, and certainly don't go for dinner.
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Rob
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 1
Saturday, December 01, 2007

Is it a pub? Is it a restaurant? I don't think they know... the drinks service is nothing special, but fine. New interior doesn't distract from the food. Had lunch there last week; food not very hot (tasted like it was over-seasoned and then left for while on a hotplate), sauces had formed a skin like old custard, and the service is included at 12.5% on the bill. Fine, in a decent restaurant, BUT THIS IS A PUB (I think, but maybe I should ask the staff?), and not offering good service at that. Wander elsewhere for a decent meal.
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AJF
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 4
Wednesday, February 28, 2007

OK but nothing special.....

As far as pub's go this is OK. On the 2 occasions I have been, the food has been quite enjoyable but hardly memorable.

The service, while friendly, is pub standard so don't expect anything flash. Several wines on the list were not available which is below par when they are photocopied.

If you are out for a few drinks and then a meal the Abbeville is worthwhile.... but if dinner is your priority I suggest you head elsewhere.
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Gregory
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 5
Monday, January 08, 2007

This place is poor. I live very close to the abbeville and so desperately wish it was a nice place to eat as it would be so convenient for me. Unfortunately after two attempts, I have been unable to find anything good to say about it. The first time i visited with my girlfriend, I ordered chicken schnitzel. After two bites, i found that the middle part was totally raw (not slightly pink, but raw). I obviously complained and was offered a free desert, which i refused as i was so sickened by the thought of eating raw chicken. I have been back to drink there since, and the food looked quite nice and was always really busy so I decided to try it again. My girlfriend and I visited last week and decided to have 3 courses to really give the abbeville a chance to redeem itself. I hade a chicken liver parfait to start, which i had no complaints with. My girlfriend had the french onion soup. The soup literally tasted of nothing, and was luke warm at best. Also, it had a slice of plain white bread with a slice of barely melted swiss cheese on top..not what you would call traditional!! For main couse I had the burger which was OK. Again, only luke warm. By the time I was half way through it was totally cold (and I eat quickly!). My girlfriend had roast salmon with lemon butter sauce, the lemon sauce was over powering to the point that you could not taste the salmon, although i accept that this is a matter of personal taste. For dessert I had a banoffee pie which was way too chilled and had obviously only just been removed from the fridge as i literally couldnt break the biscuit base with my spoon or fork. I had to eat the top and then pick up the biscuit and eat it with my hands! My girlfriend had the sticky toffee pudding. The pudding was dry, and the toffee sauce had gongealed and had a layer of 'skin' on top. We had a bottle of wine which was good. The final bill came to £58 which included a 12.5% service charge (the service was not good, I had to ask twice for some ketchup for my burger and the dessert took longer to arrive than the main course). Also, included with the bill was a £1 charity donation on my behalf along with a note saying that if I didnt want to pay it we could let the waiter know and it would be removed. I resent the idea that I need to be told to donate to charity when I already often do, and I also resent the fact that they made no mention of it until the bill arrived! All in all, this place is a massive dissapointment and I would not recommend it to anyone.

Also, they need to decide if they are a pub or resteraunt. I dont like their habit of seizing tables from customers that are only drinking and not eating, especially when 80% of the pub is designated as being a food service area!!
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Paul Miles
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 1
Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Overpriced School Dinners – a contender for ‘Kitchen Nightmares’!

When we arrived we were told 30 minutes for a table but quickly got one within 5 minutes - sat by the men’s toilets where you could clearly see and smell the inside. We ordered our food and I went to the bathroom, by the time I had returned, less than 5 minutes later, my food was sat on the table waiting for me.

I had paid £11 for this dish in anticipation of nice large authentic roast dinner. What I got was a tiny plate full of food which looked like it had been tipped on the plate. The food was cold, the potatoes were burnt and the favours non existent. The food came with no sauce and I had to hound the ineffectual waiting staff for some horseradish. My fiancée ordered Lamb shank and got something that resembled plastic and must have been leftovers from the day before.

The service was a shambles and they had the cheek to automatically add a service charge onto the bill. A nice venue but spoilt by the food and the service. Will not be going here again or recommending this place to anyone but Gordon Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares.
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Andrew N
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 2
Monday, December 04, 2006

I'd have to agree with the food being average... Was disappointed with what we got. I had the duck special and found it was tough and overcooked. On the other hand the atmosphere was fantastic and the service above average. I'm going back tonight to get a 2nd opinion on the food.
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R Moore
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 5
Wednesday, November 08, 2006