Almeida

We have been to the Almeida many times. Last night we took advantage of their 2 courses for £15.

The food was delicious but the portions were so ludicrously small that it was a joke. My husband's mackerel measured about an inch with most of the plate being a smear of vegetable - laughable.

The food comes with alarming speed and we were finished in just an hour.

I don't think we'll be going back for a while.
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5 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 3
Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Went here on a Thursday evening with my fiancé with the aim of having one last look before we selected it to host our intimate upcoming wedding reception. The food was perfect, the service was offensive.

On first inspection it passed with flying colours, nice decor, attentive staff and 2 fabulous starters from the al a carte menu, my beef tartar was exceptional. The mains came a bit quick and were slapped down on the table 2 minutes apart with little ceremony, but we were still happy and the quality of the food continued to impress. We finished our mains and plates were cleared, but our glasses were empty and stayed that was for 20 minutes. Eventually flagged down our waitress who returned with a bottle which been sitting in a chilled bucket out of reach. She then disappeared, then returned and informed us that we had finished our bottle. I argued briefly that we had one small glass each, but didn't persist as I didn't want to sour a nice night out.

Service went down hill from there, dessert menus were practically thrown at us, it took 30 minutes before our empty plates were collected, staff were totally uninterested and oblivious. We overheard regulars refusing to pay service, then seemed to overhear a table say that the wine being poured was not what they had been drinking (most probably my disappearing wine from earlier).

After our dessert plates were eventually cleared we asked for the bill which arrived within a minute, I paid cash which was scooped up within seconds and the waiter returned with a pile of change which was dropped in a pile on the table, Even in pizza hut you get your change back on a dish!

Top class food let down by terrible service, the worst thing is that the manager was overlooking the restaurant the whole time and seemed to be turning a blind eye to his staff's dismal performance.

I feel quite bad for the hardworking and professional kitchen staff who's passion was clear from the food and were totally let down by the service.

We wont be booking our wedding here.
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Paul H
4 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 3
Friday, November 04, 2011

I went to the Almeida restaurant with 8 friends as part of an offer on a Friday night. From the moment we stepped into the restaurant we felt pretty special... the receptionist was warm and friendly, and ushered us into a section of the restaurant that was set slight apart (at a lower level) from the rest of the restaurant. The decor was original and understated- some cool and quirky black and white framed photos provided us with a lot of amusement, the lighting was initimate, the atmosphere relaxed and informal, with a slight tinge of decadence. The food was to die for, and the presentation excellent! But the one thing that really topped it all off was the service- our waiter was attentive, friendly and imminently professional. Even though we were probably paying way below the asking price given the offer, we were still made to feel valued....and I will be definitely recommending this restaurant to eveyone and going back very soon!
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Jess
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Sunday, August 28, 2011

Really enjoyed our dinner here last week. Excellent service and ambience and delicious food. Will definitely visit again.
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catherine bevan
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Friday, February 04, 2011

went to the almeida last night as part of the evening standard meal deal. thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience! front of house was professional and the young maitre'd excellent- slick, very friendly but not over-familiar. food was good quality- smoked salmon was plentiful, well cut and matched perfectly with a herbed fromage blanc. accompanying bread was crusty and fresh, the butter sprinkled with rock salt divine...mushroom risotto was well-flavoured with earthy truffle and the sea trout was sweet and fresh, though be warned- it comes very rare...recommended.
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alexandra
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Friday, January 28, 2011

O Almeida, you really don't ever change. So many reviewers have commented on the joke service but still you do nothing about staff training..and still have the cheek to put 12.5% service charge on the bill.

If you are going to employ young, inexperienced staff then please train them to be pleasant, not impatient, like the young lass at lunchtime on Wed Dec 22. If the white wine is only vaguely cold and you agree to put it in an ice bucket don't leave it on the table for 10 mins to come to room temperature while you do other things, then act harassed when you are asked politely if it's coming.

Please also tell staff it is rude to remove the oyster tray with the shallot vingar still on it before I even get to garnish my last oyster..and so on.

Food is fine, good fish and belly of pork ,though that veggie cliche the mushroom risotto needs to be replaced by a little more variety and creativity.

Bill is steep - over £60 a head at lunch or two courses, coffee and wine when the service is so weak. This has been going on for years now - ever since Tina & Yan left. .
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Jules di Islington
5 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 4
Thursday, December 23, 2010

Do not visit the Almeida restaurant if you are disabled because you will not be able to use the Disabled Toilet which is monopolised by staff. This week I booked a table for a pre-theatre meal last Monday. After travelling from Slough I needed to use the toilet. A member of staff was changing and shaving in the disabled toilet. Two members of staff endeavoured to persuade him to use the staff toilet without success. After a 20 minute wait I asked the member of staff how much longer he would require. "Just as long as I want" was his reply. I was polite. He was agressive. Accordingly I left the restaurant without a meal. The waiters on duty apologised and promised that the Manager would telephone me the following morning. I have received no telephone call. This is not the first time that I have been denied access to this Disabled Toilet which seems to be a Staff Rest Room.
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Richard Stokes
1 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, October 06, 2010

Six of us dined here on 21st March 2010 for lunch with the special offer, £27 for 3 courses and a Bellini.

It was one of the most enjoyable meals Ive ever had.

The service was excellent from the moment we arrived until we left two and a half hours later. We felt pampered and incredibly well looked after.

The food was delicious and beautifully presented with lots of attention to detail and water glasses being replenished frequently.

I had ordered a birthday cake when I made the booking which was made by the chef and served to us for dessert. It was a gorgeous cake to look at and to taste and there were huge portions for all, with lots to take home.

Overall, my party and I thoroughly enjoyed our relaxed and indulgent afternoon at the Almeida and I really look forward to going again.
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Tranga
10 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, March 22, 2010

Last year, at the Wine Show in Islington’s Business Design Centre, I got a little “carried away” and purchased a yearly subscription to Taste London for £40 (reduced from £70 @ the Show). The membership card gives you 50% off the food bill (or 2 for 1) in all participating restaurants.

The catch is that the majority of restaurants will not take the card on Fridays and Saturdays, and I suspect that some of the restaurants are only there because they are struggling to find custom (with all the risks that entails).

This year, I decided to try and recoup my initial investment by visiting the restaurants which I know are reputedly good like The Almeida, Gay Hussar and The Admiralty. So last week, Dr G and I returned to our local French restaurant, The Almeida.

I had dined at this restaurant before but had always gone for their pre/post theatre menus. I remember having the most delicious Cassoulet there and so I was craving for another helping.

On arrival, I was gutted to find that their legendary Cassoulet was no longer on the menu. The menu had been substantially trimmed (not a bad thing) and included 8 choices each for starters, main and desserts. The menus were priced @ £27.50 and £32.50 for 2 and 3 courses respectively.

To start, I ordered the “Terrine of duck foie gras, apple and walnuts with toasted fig bread”. I was impressed by the generous portion of duck foie gras served, and pleased with the quality – it was beautifully marbled and tasted buttery and totally divine.

Dr G decided to go for the “Trolley of Charcuterie” which included saucisson sec, rosette, coppa and Bayonne ham, chicken liver parfait and rillette maison (made of pork).

This was unfortunately disappointing – the cold meats tasted good but were nothing to write home about, the chicken liver parfait had a liquid consistency and did not taste particularly nice, and the pork rillete, although well seasoned, was a tad dry.

For main, I had the “Grilled aged British rib-eye, pommes Pont Neuf (chunky chips basically) & sauce Bearnaise”.

Considering the additional £3.50 charge for this option, I was surprised to find a rather small and thin steak on my plate. The meat however tasted very good and was perfectly cooked, rare as I had ordered. The Bearnaise sauce was also excellent but again, there wasn’t much of it.

The other main was the “Slow roast belly of suckling pig, confit root vegetables, creamed Savoy cabbage, and sauce aux epices (spicy sauce). This was also excellent, the meat was incredibly tender and the crackling was beautifully caramelised, crisp and very thin. The accompanying sauce was complex and mildly spicy with delicate flavours of saffron and curry.

Unfortunately, the waitress carelessly tilted the plate as she placed it on our table which didn’t help with the presentation of the dish. I felt that service was overall polite but impersonal, and inattentive at times.

For pudding, we shared a “Valrhona extra bitter chocolate soufflé, with salt caramel ice cream” and “Creme Brulee with warm Madeleine”.

The soufflé was a tad sweet for an extra bitter chocolate variety, but it was very light and tasted good accompanied by the salt caramel ice cream. In fact, I enjoyed the ice cream more than I did the soufflé itself.

The crème brulee was utterly delicious – it had a delicate vanilla flavour and perfect consistency (neither too hard nor too liquid).

We ordered one of the least expensive bottles of wine @ £21 which we felt was overpriced. After Taste London’s 50% reduction on the food, the total bill came to £61. Service is not added to the bill but left at customers’ discretion which is praiseworthy for a restaurant of this calibre.

As with any other D&D restaurant (former Conran), I feel prices are inflated and I would have been annoyed had I paid the full whack, around £100, for this meal. This might explain the countless newspaper offers, the more affordable pre/post theatre menus, and their Taste London participation.

Verdict – Good quality French food and wine at inflated prices. Polite but inattentive service. A good and affordable choice for pre or post theatre dining in Islington.
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The London Foodie - View all reviews by this user
6 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
Saturday, January 16, 2010

Took my parents and family to Almeida restaurant last night. Thoroughly enjoyable meal with everyone having fantasticly flavoured and seasoned food. Pleasant atmosphere. Good restaurant for a treat.
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Si eats too much - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Sunday, November 29, 2009