The Depot

This is still my favourite restaurant.

The food is fab, the service pleasant & the views stunning.

We Dined here with friends last weekend & it was as good as ever.

Great wine list too.
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Gillian & Davina
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, June 06, 2006

A very tastefully decorated, spacious restaurant with beautiful views over the Thames. We went there as a large group for a birthday dinner recently. On the positive side, we found the food delicious and cooked to absolute perfection. There are some extremely good, unusual choices on the menu. My husband says the steak he enjoyed at The Depot is the best he has ever tasted in London! On the negative side, we were cursed with a terribly rude, incredibly slow and inefficient service. We waited for just under 30 minutes for our drinks order. We opted for the 3-course set menu and had a 45 minute wait for both the starters and again before the main course. We requested to have our deserts immediately after our main course as we needed to get home for our babysitter and were told that that would not be a problem. Half an hour later we were still 'desertless' and decided to leave. We received absolutely NO APOLOGY for the poor service and lack of desert, even upon prompting for one. We basically felt ignored most of the evening. Despite the positives, the Depot's shortcomings sadly outweigh the positives and I would definately give it a miss in the future.
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Adele
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 3
Sunday, March 26, 2006

We recently went for Sunday lunch with our 3 year old son in tow. It was lovely from start to finish. Our son was given some colouring sheets to keep him happy and his child portion of roast dinner was met with met with enthusiasm and devoured in minutes. This was by far, the best roast dinner we have ever had in a restaurant. The beef was absolutely delicious, as were the vegetables and crispy roast potatoes. I never want to cook a roast again, not now I know I can get one as good as this outside of my own kitchen.

The staff were lovely too. All in all, a perfect lunch - we highly recommend it.
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Alessia Quaradeghini
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Thursday, March 23, 2006

The Depot is an attractive restaurant in a very pleasant setting and there is a warm welcome from the staff. The menu is very promising and raises expectations, but what we ordered was a rather lacklustre cuisine: the cocktails were warm and lacked class; the food was well-presented but was a little bland, unbalanced and lacked excitement. As a result, one is led rather to remember other restaurants which deliver much better value for money. Maybe we were just unlucky in our choices ...
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Martin Henson
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 4
Monday, February 27, 2006

Sunday lunch here was different to any other restaurant I have been to. There was such a great buzz about the place and even the children (of which there were many) were behaving nicely (we normally avoid places with children, as we haven't taken that step yet!). It was like all the cool families in the neighbourhood had gathered here; and having eaten the scrummy food, I now know why. Terrific. We'll be going back soon.
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Isobel Clifton
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, February 22, 2006

How lovely to return to a place after several years, and find it even better than you remembered it. It looked quite different, but warmer, cosier and softer somehow, which was good considering we had trudged there in the rain.

The food was superb too and the staff easy going and efficient. Well done the Depot.
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Claire Sebastian
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Friday, December 30, 2005

A first trip to The Depot in Barnes did not disappoint. Fantastic location twined with a sleek yet comfortable interior and riverside views throughout combine to provide a great atmosphere. A fine Smoked Salmon Blini topped with horseradish and caviar to start, and although the salmon was not of exceptional quality it was generously portioned and the seemingly questionable pairing of horseradish and caviar worked particularly well. Another interesting combination for the main; pan-fried snapper with a crayfish and tarragon risotto. The fish was cooked to perfection, the crayfish tails had perhaps seen a little to much cooking time with the rice but were perfectly adequate. The rice was delicately flavoured with the tarragon which worked very well, and the whole dish was only slightly marred by a somewhat over zealous salting in the risotto. On reflection opting for the cheese selection to finish may have been a mistake, but it is December after all. A very average and standard selection of over chilled, under sized cheese arrived with the obligatory grapes, some nice pear slices and an inexplicably unpleasant pickled walnut. However the Stilton was rather nice once it reached a good room temperature. My fellow diners all enjoyed their selection of desert; apparently the sorbet was genuinely stunning. Aside from the disappointing cheese (which so many restaurants on this side of the channel seem struggle with) the meal was a great success. The bread selection that deserves a separate mention was fantastic. The waiting staff coped with our large and at some points loud party very well, the service was friendly and relaxed. The bill although not cheap represented great value for money. I hope return soon.
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Gareth
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Sunday, December 11, 2005

11 of us went for Sunday lunch and although they had no record of our booking, the manager was quick to rectify the situation and provided us with free starters as compensation for our wait. The free glass of champagne on arrival was also very welcome. Service was excellent and the roast beef was the best I've ever had in a pub. Not cheap but no complaints. Will definetely be visiting again.
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AW
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 7
Monday, December 05, 2005

As a local I had been going to the Depot for years but less so in the last year due to slightly fallen standards, so I was excited to hear about the new chef and the 'new' look.

We were greeted with a warm smile and a chilled glass of complimentary fizz to celebrate the new look, which is much more cosy and trendy with blinds and cushioned bench seating (music is good too!).

The food was great as well, I had the mussels which were lovely (although a bit too creamy) followed by the duck which was delicious. My companions all enjoyed their food too, and I left wanting to go back and try the other dishes next time!

Price-wise, it compares favourably to other restaurants in the area, and is actually cheaper than somewhere like the Tree House.

I would highly recommend paying it a visit and I promise you will not be disappointed.
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FEA
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Monday, December 05, 2005

Congratulations on the revamp, it has paid off. The restaurant has a great feel to it, with a quick eats bar section with no service charge. A great idea. Deliciious rich octopus starter and perfectly executed steak mean i'll be going back! Definately the best restaurant in the area.
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seb white
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Friday, December 02, 2005