Roussillon

Roussillon was one of the only restaurants still available for a last minute booking on Valentine's day.

We were given a pleasing warm and friendly welcome on arrival. The carpet noticeably needed a good vacuum and the staff seemed rather tense and stressed. The restaurant was sparsely occupied apart from four other tables and a group in the private dining room. Nevertheless we were ushered past the vacant tables to be seated close to an occupied table.

We were surprised to be offered only the set menu (£35 per head three course) and even more surprised that this menu comprised only two options per course.

Starters were pea soup or salmon ballotine with apple and celery salad. Mains were beef shin ravioli or cod with truffle risotto. Desserts offered were vanilla rice pudding with roasted pineapple or treacle tart or artisan cheeses with truffle honey and quince jam. We decided to have the opposite of each other so as to explore the menu completely, and the only dish we did not sample was the treacle tart. The amuse bouche comprised foie gras terrine, macadamia nuts, quails eggs and beetroot mousse.

Service was swift and efficient although I disliked that the wine and the water were retained away from the table as it removed simple choices away from us. The general manger rejected my attempt to engage and was later observed to be reprimanding one of his staff who immediately gained my sympathies.

Each dish was artistically presented and the pea soup and the beetroot mousse were bright luminous colours. The portions were modest in size, but nevertheless laid a challenging weight on our digestion as the butter and cream component of each and every dish was overwhelming. Plate after plate the relentless richness subdued us until nausea loomed. Who put this menu together? Each course was a masterpiece in itself - but together in one meal? Surely even a limited menu could have offered something lighter to provide relief, not to mention variety, from the excessive richness? A sorbet would have helped. Perhaps some fruit? Vegetables? The painting on the wall of an asparagus was the closest we got.

We left swiftly, desperate for fresh air and in urgent need of cleansing our palette. Our meal at Roussillon was a thoroughly awful experience where the only redeeming factor was the friendliness of the restaurant manager.
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OBW
4 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 3
Wednesday, February 15, 2012

This was an excellent choice after going to the Tate for a few hours in the morning.

We decided to have the lunch menu which was very good value. I loved the fact that you can choose between 8 different wines and enjoy a half bottle each(different ones if you fancy). I enjoyed a wonderful Chardonnay (Vondeling) and my friend had the Pinot Rose.This is the first restaurant in ages that offers so many choices of wine for the lunch special of 3 courses and a half bottle for 35.00 pounds each!

My starter of cornish mackerel was light and refreshing as it was served with a lime and fennel salad. My main of roast loin and shoulder of suckling pig was excellent!!! A divine coconut mousse and lime jelly finished off this outstanding lunch.

Great service and a calm and relaxing atmosphere. I'll return!
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9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, August 23, 2011

My first visit and what a fabulous lunch at Roussillon from the a la carte menu!

The lobster starter was excellent - so fresh and tender. The sea bass was meaty, beautifully cooked and succulent. The orange souffle was generous and again perfectly cooked.

In between courses unexpected gastro-treats appeared from the chef which made the lunch even better.

Service was very attentive and ambience smart without being too formal.

Expensive yes, but well worth it. I will definitely return for more!
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Philip
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Monday, May 30, 2011

Where to start: how wrong - or at least out of date and misleading - Fay's review is. It seems a pity it remains in place here, and in my view it could see huge lost opportunity if you don't try the new Rousillion.

Having faced challenges when the previous chef left (yep, went there just after - and it was all a bit lost in the weeds), all I can say is that the new chef - now 24 years old, apparently - has really found his feet and confidence. In fact dare I say, he is BETTER than the previous chef, who was resting on his laurels a bit at the end.

The room remains calm and restful - its no west end 'scene'. Thankfully.

Critically, the place now offers good cooking matched with finely balanced flavours, wonderful seasonal ingredients, and well-timed, but not over-timed spacing of service. The £65 vegetarian tasting menu was a find, the wine list is good, and service warm but efficient. The previous weekend I was treated to Le Cinq in Paris. At a fraction of the cost, Rousillion's food comes close to that. Its not cheap, but it is splend value for the quality of what I ate.

Will I go back? Definitely. Am I glad I went back again? Yes. Should you trust journo critics that work for free newspaper most people throw away on the Tube. No.
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Damian Brewer
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, May 17, 2011

We've been dining at Roussillon once or twice a year since 2006, including twice (so far) since Alexis Gauthier left, and we've always enjoyed it. I might even like the new chef's food a bit better than Gauthier's. Yes it's expensive, but if it's out of your price league, don't go there, so that shouldn't be grounds for negative reviews. I don't mind paying good money for great food, a great wine list that has depth in the regions I like, a cellar that has older many vintages, and warm service. Roussillon delivers on all of these, and we always leave happy.

Now, if you have never been to Roussillon and you feel put off by the negative reviews on here - ignore them. I have no idea what people are talking about. (There was a wobble in the kitchen and in the service in the immediate aftermath of Gauthier's very sudden and unplanned departure, but that's way in the past. Maybe that's what's coloured some reviewers' perception.)

if you want to read more balanced reviews, check out opentable or zagat.com. You will get a very different impression from what you read on london-eating (or from reading Fay's review for that matter).
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Alexander Ljungqvist
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Monday, May 16, 2011

Really do not understand the negative reviews on this website. I recently dined here and found everything from the service to the food to be absaloutley fantastic.

The lobster starter was simply the best I have ever had (anywhere) the duck was cooked to melt in your mouth perfection and blood orange souffle was to die for.

Service was not too stuffy as you find in alot of top London restaurants and wine matched perfectly with the food.

Being a keen foodie and eating all over the country this was just as good as anywhere you will find (as other web sites will tell you, Opentable, Toptable, Zagat etc)
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Philip Henson
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Thursday, May 12, 2011

I've dined here for the last 4 years, and am surprised at the response to the new team. Michael is stil the Maitre d' and I've had consistently good service and food. Other than missing the 'chick pea chips' I think it is still great value.

A group of 12 friends and I held our December lunch there again, and the food was superb, we had cocktails and the £35 menu, with more than enough very acceptable wine, over a 4 hour lunch and it still only came to £62 per head.

Everyone enjoyed the food and service, and we are all used to eating in Michelin star restaurants..

I really don't know where the poor reviews come from.
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Carole
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Visited the restaurant on the 7th Dec. Found the service dreadful [ took 90 minutes before the stater arrived] very expensive and not value for money in that the portions were rediculously small.
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Buce Lambie
3 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 2
Saturday, December 04, 2010

I have just been there with my wife to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We found the food and service excellent and the staff polite and helpful. They relocated us to another table without comment when I asked them, even though I suspect this caused them some inconvenience. I will be happy to go back.
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John Mackowski
9 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Saturday, October 23, 2010

Really disappointing.... Pretty bog standard food at super high end prices. Dollop of crab, cold chicken, and some carrot cake artistically cut up to make it seem more interesting than it was.... £65... i've had better food in an average pub.

Don't waste your time or money given London has so many fabulous other restaurants to choose from.
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GM
3 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 0
Thursday, October 21, 2010