Smiths of Smithfield Top Floor

Oh dear! .. my wife & I being big fans of "Masterchef" were looking forward to experiencing something special on my wife's birthday.

The starters were fab, I had the squid (perfect!) and my wife, the venison terrine. For mains I had the beef and I have to say that here's a dish that's easy to get right and as we were right outside Smithfields and having read all about the passion about ingredients how could I go wrong? wel, it arrived dry and not rare (as ordered). I would have sent it back but I my wife would have been eating alone and I would have had to wait. SUCH a disappointment. Funnily enough, the people on the next table ordered the same. On our way out I stopped by and asked them what they thought of their main course...... they were extremely unhappy. Sorry folks, you just have to read this. I give feedback when things are great too (Incognico last week was fab!). To cap it all we were charged for deserts we didn't have and if I had not noticed then the whole thing would have been a bigger rip-off. Lovely location, good wine list but this would not have made it past the 1st round of Masterchef !

Lastly, I read the crits here just before setting out (my heart did sink!) so next time I will check out this site well before the big day. Thanks to all for the input so far
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Peter
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 1
Sunday, August 13, 2006

The aim being to spend a chilled evening dining al fresco, Smiths turned out to be perfection. The staff were lovely and soon enough fonund us a table on the balcony. We had fish and steaks, which were delicious. Lovely views over St Pauls and the Old Bailey, a soft breeze wafting through, a lovely Margaux. The ground floor bar is kicking and a great way to wrp up the night. Highly recommended for a different London meets NYC experience!
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Salman
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Sunday, July 16, 2006

The dining room is fresh, airy and its a pleasure to sit there or on the terrace on a nice sunny day. The views are great too, BUT, send out the search party, SOS, wheres the chef?

The food is completely average, instantly forgettable and leaves me perplexed. Isn't the owner a Masterchef judge / Hypocrite. Before you tear into amateur chefs for crap cooking, sort your own out!

Pop round the corner to St John, comparable prices but the food's in another universe.
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justin
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, May 31, 2006

The steaks are fantastic, although at £25 they should be. Everything else was acceptable, but no more. Service was fine. The terrace was pleasant, but the views don't amount to much. Go if someone's taking you on expenses, but if it's your own money, the second floor is far better.
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Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 4
Saturday, May 27, 2006

Four of us had lunch on the top floor. The food was acceptable but definitely not worth the prices charged. The beef "raviolo" (£17) contained flaky, rather dry beef - not appetising. My colleague had calves liver (£19.50) which was overcooked and tough. The chips were a side order, at £6 for a small bowl - which they told us was TWO portions. The chips were undercooked (the chef appeared not to know that potatoes are one of the few vegetables that should never be served "al dente") and in pride of place, the top chip was black at one end - any self-respecting chef or waiter would have discarded it, indicating that no-one glanced at the food before serving it. The two Dover Soles (£22) were good, but contained large roe which was not appreciated and the Pino Grigio was fine, but at £6.50 per glass overpriced. We had NO starter and NO sweet, and just two glasses of wine and the bill was £112 including the 12.5% service charge. A disappointing and overpriced experience which we will not be repeating, even thought the view was pleasant enough.
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Philip Allen
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 2
Saturday, December 17, 2005

Firstly to all who have had a tough steak or badly presented dish, I implore to you go back as I've been to Smiths 7 times this year alone and apart from one, every time was a huge success.

Favourites are the squid and Welsh Black sirloin but if you really want to satisfy your carnivorous side, go for the meal for two cote-de-boeuf which comes up on a great stand with a impressive rib protruding from a mountain of delicious, soft beef.

Everyone I've recommended it to has thanked me especially those on dates. Night time is truly the best time as the views are warming, even to a life long Londoner!
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Chris Bryant
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Being a city type, i'll start this review with an Executive summary: Good food, great view, but over-priced for what it is.

My wife and I visited Smiths last Friday evening, accompanied by another couple. I was initially quite impressed by the decor & view over the roof-tops of the city. However, for me a restaurant's appeal consists of quality of food, speed attentiveness & and attitude of service, and consistency. Let me take these points in turn.

The food was generally of good quality. My starter of scallops was well cooked, if a little plain. I took the advice of my waiter & had my main course of aged Dorset steak pan-fried. Whether this lead to it being a little tough i'm not sure, but I was left feeling a little underwhelmed given the place's reputation (wish i'd chosen my wife's rabbit instead... perfectly cooked). The highlight (surprisingly) was the Blueberry souffle.... simply one of the best desserts I have ever had.

I cannot fault the selection of wines. The menu offered a fair range by both bottle & glass.

The waiter earned his tip by allowing us to try 3 different varieties before we settled on a Spanish red. The level of service from him & his colleagues was good throughout (once we'd got thier attention to get our order in).

As for consistency, i'm afraid I didn't get enough from the experience to make me a frequent visitor, so I shall never know. There are other places on offer with a similar or better quality of food at a better price. Nice, but once was enough.
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RF
Friday, August 26, 2005