Launceston Place

Have been numerous times over the years since Launceston Place opened but gradually the service and food have gone down hill over the past 6 months. Poor service whereby some of our party were erroneously shown to the private room downstairs where they waited for 20 minutes before they were correctly shown to our table upstairs where we had been all along. We did not received so much as an apology or complimentary drink for an error which should not occur in an restaurant of this standing. It's a great shame that whenever restaurants become "established" they can sometimes sit back on their laurels and almost expect the customer to take second place to their fame status. In this instances its as though Launceston Place has become too big for itself and we should be grateful to worship at its alter. In future we shall no longer be attending this establishment and will revert to others which are absolutely bomb proof - The Wolseley or Hakkasan - who still treat their customers in a professional and caring manner.
Comment on this reader review

3 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 3
Tuesday, December 13, 2011

We had an evening meal for 4 people when my parents came to visit.

What little food there was on the plates was adequate at best. The food did not have a wow factor whatsoever.

The food was incredibly expensive for what was received and we all left hungry and out of pocket.

When there are so many fantastic restaurants in London this could not be recommended.
Comment on this reader review

Adrian Evans
3 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 2
Monday, November 14, 2011

Went here for a change from the norm, i must say i'll stick to the norm!

way too artsy fartsy! they take it to a new level!! i expected huge plates and small portions but damn!!! not just a lick of food! £22 for the taster menu.

£22 down the drain! well...i dont think it was enough to fill my stomach to make it to the drain! avoid!
View/Add comments (1)

Sherwin
2 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Went to Launceston Place in May 2011 and left thoroughly disappointed. We booked two months ahead of time but were put on a tiny table (2 ft square) in the front corner despite there being other, more spacious tables available. It was our wedding anniversary and we chose the restaurant as we had three wonderful meals cooked by Tristan Welch seven years earlier at Glenapp Castle in Ayrshire, Scotland.

We had the tasting menu. Asparagus, scallop and egg courses were nice but unspectacular. The sole was completely over cooked to the point it had gone to mush. The venison course took the art of small portions to a whole new level. It consisted of three thumb-sized slivers of venison with a smear of beetroot and blobs of artichoke. Seriously, it was, in total, no more than one small mouthful! We were still seriously hungry after 5 courses of food! The cheese course had only 6 choices and was also disappointing given that this is supposed to be Michelin-star dining.

With a bottle of Montrachet and a bottle of Rioja the bill came to £139pp. Then they added 12.5% service charge to the whole bill – an extra £35 that the ‘service’ certainly did not warrant.

When asked we did complain about the whole experience only to be told ‘Well done for complaining, it is not something we British do, so good on you’. Not that she did anything at all to actually address our complaint, just congratulated us on making the complaint! Bizarre!

We left disappointed.

We asked the staff to order a taxi since the restaurant is way off the beaten track and hailing a taxi is not an option. They directed us to the cars waiting outside. Having paid £6.60 to get there in a metered London black cab, we were shocked to be asked for £14 for the 4-minute return trip! Needless to say, we refused to pay it!

I have read many of the reviews online and many are very complimentary though some did have the same issue with portion sizes but I did get the impression of culinary ‘emperor’s new clothes’ about many of the reviews.

I did write to Tristan directly to give him the chance to respond but after three weeks, I have received no response whatsoever.
Comment on this reader review

Foodie - View all reviews by this user
2 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Thursday, June 09, 2011

visited this restaurant to celebrate a friends birthday. Excellent restaurant. I chose scallops, followed by roast cod. Both were well cooked. Followed by apple tart. I can highly recommend this restaurant, but it is expensive. The only issue we had, was the men in the group chose the lamb. This dish although tasty, was such a small portion none of us could believe it. I would recommend, but be careful of the portion size, worked out to £96 per head including wine.
Comment on this reader review

Jean - View all reviews by this user
7 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 5
Sunday, May 29, 2011

Went for the 3 course lunch menu on a Saturday afternoon.

The restaurant was pretty empty, it was quiet, there were 2 other couples in the room, but everyone seemed to have to talk quietly, the atmosphere was too formal and a little awkward...it was a sunny saturday outside after all!

The waiter and sommelier were great, we were served some crisps and a whole bread with picked herring before starter arrives. Bread was VERY crusty - almost too hard that it will hurt your mouth eating it. The butter presented on a stone (for no apparent reason) was almost completely melted.

I ordered the watercress soup with quail eggs and smoked eel and my partner had duck egg on toast with truffle. My soup tasted of watercress, but too salty, it was strained so not much texture there- it was a bowl of watery bright green salty liquid.

Our main of veal with tomato and au-vin chicken was good, but not outstanding.

We were given lemon posset as pre-dessert, it was nice, but rather rich, which filled us up before dessert arrived...which was fine because the treacle tart was greatly disappointing. The tart filling was so dry that I left most of mine untouched. The creme fraiche ice-cream on top was great but to be honest we were already filled up by the pre-dessert.

But yet another sweet offering arrived at our table!! - lemon sponge mini cakes with vanilla cream...at which point I feel I will be sick if I have any more sweet in my sight...

£22 for 3 course was a great value, but we also paid over £20 for a HALF-bottle of white wine. In conclusion it was a disappointing experience, service was great but food was mediocre and the constant offering of pre-, main and after- dessert has really dominate my memory of this place...
Comment on this reader review

ygs
7 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Wednesday, April 27, 2011

My husband and I went to Launceston Place last night for our wedding anniversary. We had been looking forward to giving the restaurant a go since seeing Tristan on the Great British Menu and has such high hopes. Sadly, they were not met.

We were greeted at the door fairly warmly. The table we had was in a lovely position and the restaurant is set out to feel quite cosy with candle light everywhere and lots of walls to separate out areas.

We were presented with the wine list before we had seen the menu, but the Sommelier was very charming so really we didnt mind too much. We were hoping for a Raspberry Bellini but they couldnt provide that, however, he recommended a Rose Champagne that had notes of fruit so we had a glass of that to start which was very tasty.

We were given 'Devilled Crisps as an appetiser - they were well presented with a ribbon through each portion, but they were soooo devilled that they killed our taste buds!

Bread arrived with pickled herrings. The bread was lovely and hot and crunchy and the herrings were a lovely addition. We made lots of crumbs on the table when tearing off the pieces!

The menu was too limited. A choice of 3 starters, 3 mains or the 6 course taster menu. We plumbed for the 3 course main menu and both of us had the Lobster to start - it was lovely, but we were surprised at the size of the portion - we were worried we were on the tasting menu afterall!

The waiting staff were very attentive filling our water and wine glasses, almost too attentive though and we started to feel rushed.

The mains arrived almost too quickly. I had the suckling pig which was very nice, my husband had the lamb which he liked, but felt it lacked a vegetable or two. The waitress cleared the table ready for desert, but left most of the crumbs from the bread.

We were given a bonus course of a pear sorbet, but it wasnt overly spectacular and the deserts arrived before we had even finished it!

Dessert was Deconstructed Pumpkin Cheesecake for my husband and I had the smoked dark chocolate with whisky icecream. The Cheesecake was ok. The chocolate was brilliant with smoked chips that added a lovely flavour to the cake, but the whisky icecream was vanilla with no hint of alcohol. It was also served on a wooden platter with grooves in it which the icecream melted into so not overly practical.

Coffee came with petit fours which were lemon cakeythings with a vanilla cream. Nice.

We agreed that the meal was ok, but with the speed of service, the lack of variety of menu and the limitations of what was provided, for the amount we paid we wouldnt rush to return. Shame.
Comment on this reader review

Deany70 - View all reviews by this user
5 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 4
Sunday, November 14, 2010

Went for lunch on a Saturday and it was absolutely delightful! The duck confit as the main course was fabulous, and everything else was delicious as well. Our table of four couldn't stop raving about the food and service. At 20 pounds for 3 courses (plus an amuse bouche, and a couple add-ons at dessert) it is an unbelievable deal!
Comment on this reader review

- View all reviews by this user
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Saturday, September 18, 2010

Have to say I had one of the best meals out in a long time last night at Launceston Place. The place looks cool and modern but keeps some of it's old looks. ( I guess it used to be a pub at some point).

Service I felt was very good, they did all the things you would expect from this level of restaurant, yet all the staff were relaxed and happy to chat or share a joke.

Extra praise must go to the sommelier, even though we did not ask for any advice on choosing the wine he was charming and friendly. Talking of wine we had a stunning bottle of fume blanc from Didier Dagueneau from a compact yet expensive wine list. Really not much under the £50 mark and we ended up spending almost twice that for our bottle.

Food on the whole was good, the amuse was light and refreshing and both our starters were good. Mains were however very good with my lamb being the real highlight. My freinds cheese course was well kept but there was not a huge choice with only 6 cheeses being offered. I went for the smoked chocolate with laphroaig ice cream, and it was without doubt one of the best things I have eaten for a long time, the only down point being the wooden slate it was served on, to small and not practical, (Im glad im not cleaning the table cloth). At £45 for 3 courses plus all the extras not bad value at all for this standard of cooking.

I really good little restaurant, by far the best in the D & D stable at the moment.

Will return without doubt !
Comment on this reader review

Chris - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Sunday, August 22, 2010

I was taken to Launceston Place as a birthday treat from my partner, traveling down from the North for the weekend (31/7/10).We had both seen Tristan Welch on the Great British Menu and were fascinated by his menus.

It was a Saturday night so expectations were high. On entering the restaurant we were greeted by well presented and friendly members of staff and shown to our table.

The place itself is rather dark, adding to the atmosphere of elegant but minimalist décor.

We were attended to by very efficient waiters who offered aperitifs. Mrs. ‘Dining Out’ plumped for a glass of champagne, not my tipple and at £14 per glass, just as well!

As this was a special trip and likely to be a ‘one off’ we decided to plump for the £58 per head ‘taster’ menu.

The wine list was offered and not being a wine drinker I plumped for one the £5 bottles of beer, whilst ‘she in doors’ chose the cheapest half bottle of wine on the menu. Take a deep breath when looking at the prices, or is this just London pricing?

The first of 6 courses arrived, which was Wild trout in a sort of pickled sauce. Unfortunately for me I was expecting a cooked fish but what appeared in the cocktail glass in which it was served was ‘raw’ trout. Not being such fan I thought I would at least try it. Firstly it smelt like something the pulled out of Fleetwood docks and have to say it was the worst tasting thing I have ever put in my mouth, nearly gagged! However, Mrs. Dining Out said she enjoyed hers and proceeded to eat mine. Not sure if that was out of embarrassment though!!

Second course arrived from the very attentive staff. This was a pea and ham tartlet with a type of Parma ham. Again expectation from the menu leads me to believe this would be a ‘quiche style’ course. When it arrived it comprised of a thin biscuit base with what can be best described as cold tinned peas placed on top and a small slither of ham. Two small mouthfuls were enough. The taste of the peas was overpowering. Given that lovely fresh British peas are available at this time of year, for heavens sake why not make use of them?

Third course was a fresh scallop, now not being a shell fish lover did give it a try but could not finish more that one taste to me had the consistency of warmed up crab sticks. Have to give them the benefit of the doubt on this one, sauce was nice but had to pass over to the Mrs. to finish, who said they were lovely.

Not having much luck here seeing it was my treat!

In between courses we were treated to different styles of sorbets which were an enjoyable culinary experience. The fresh breads on offer were very more'ish, more so than the first 3 courses.

The main dish was lamb served on a bed of garlic potatoes which was very tasty and given that I had not eaten much so far, the portion being too small to satisfy a hungry appetite. Where’s that bread gone?

The dessert course was a rice pudding soufflé and home made raspberry ripple ice cream. I don’t recall having a soufflé before, but have to say it was delicious and the rice pudding at the bottom (not something I normally enjoy) was just like my great grandmother used to make. Yum yum. The ice cream was polished off by Mrs. Dining Out. Again could have been a little more generous with this yummy desert.

I was a little conscious that the bill might hurt ‘her in doors’ so I decided not to have my usual Irish Coffee (£14) to finish, given that you were guided by the gratuities you were encouraged to donate to the bill!

The final bill came just to short of £200 and bless her she intended well but overall I was under whelmed by the experience (except for the service) but she could see I was disappointed by the experience. Which is surprising given the expectation of Tristan’s dishes? Perhaps he wasn’t in?
Comment on this reader review

Andrew Bell
7 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 4
Wednesday, August 18, 2010