Aubergine

I came here with my wife for her birthday earlier in the month, We are regular diners on the london scene. We've be here before on several occassions and we had a great time. The service was slick as aways and it was nice to see a change in the menu. We saw scollaps, lobster,john dory and beef for two on the menu and wanted to try it all! We settled for the tasting menu as it was a good compermise. We will be going back in the New Year for some more!!
Comment on this reader review

Paul bacskins
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Friday, December 04, 2009

Having read some disagreeable reviews about Aubergine on your website I was very curious to see how bad it could really be. I have frequented Aubergine several times over the last 10 years and quite honestly couldn't believe that it was as bad as some of your reviewers have made it out to be.

I decided to take my chances and went on Friday night with a girlfriend and when we arrived at 8:00 the restaurant was full. Upon entering the restaurant it looked very warm and inviting and the Maitre d very graciously welcomed us into the restaurant.

We had a lovely table in the far right corner and thus a really nice view of the restaurant. We opted to try the Gourmand Menu which really far exceeded our expectations. It was 7 courses (8 if we wanted cheese) paired with wines and we almost didnt make it through- it was a lot of food! But each dish really was amazing. The ones in particular that really stood out were the roast scallops with ceps, the tortellini with lobster, the roast John Dory that was served with the most amazingly delicious butter beans, and my favorite- foie gras served with figs that had been roasted in sweet wine. They also served along side the foie gras a lightly spiced brioche that was to die for! Very nice touch. They had a beautiful selection of cheeses but by this time we had to throw in the towel- we were too full. I would definently go back just to try that cheese. The wines that were served by the very charming Sommelier were outstanding- most of them I had never heard of or tried before. All in all have to say it was one of the best meals I have eaten at Aubergine. I also thought that the staff were very friendly and hugely attentive. No attitude whatsover. The room had a really nice atmosphere- relaxed and very genial. After a stressful week this was a very civilized way to start my weekend and I was relieved to see that Aubergine was still on form!
Comment on this reader review

gourmetglutton
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, November 25, 2009

This is the most awful restaurant I've ever dined in. Over-rated and over-priced.
Comment on this reader review

Bernard Jackson-Smyth - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Saturday, October 31, 2009

We went to Aubergine for a birthday kunch on 23 Sept and opted for the menu gourmand. My husband and I have long been fans of Aubergine and had the meal of a lifetime there for my birthday last year. In the mean time we have been to other great restaurants but decided to go back to our favourite. What a disappointment! It was awful. Not at all what we expected. Rock hard bread. Different wines poured into the same glass. This we could have overlooked but the food was not good. Under caramelised scallop, watery underseasoned ravioli, a main course of grouse that was inedible it was so rare and tasted bitter followed by a rhubarb pudding where the fruit had been rendered tasteless. At end felt thoroughly ripped off. I wrote to complain no response. Don't waste your money!
Comment on this reader review

Emma Gunner - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 1
Thursday, October 22, 2009

Having dined at Aubergine on several occassions at lunch and dinner over the last ten years, I was disappointed to learn of William Drabble's departure from Park Walk. My experience at this restaurant was always the same: well conceived menu's, fabulous food, considered and friendly service. On balance, a benchmark of how to run a fine dining restaurant, and one which more esteemed establishments in London could have learnt a great deal from.

I phoned late morning twice yesterday Monday 8th August to book a table for lunch, but got a voicemail with no automated greeting for the restaurant. Upon our visit to Park Walk, I live and work nearby, we were surprised to find it closed. I do hope that online reports of the 'sad decline' of Aubergine are not in fact terminal.
View/Add comments (1)

Roger
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Our first visit for several years, and in my view this place isn't what it was. Now admittedly we had the "deal" set lunch, with three courses and wine for £34. We do this often, and its fair to say that most times we come away thinking that the food we've eaten could easily have come from the regular menu. I didn't get that feeling here. The starters were all things that could be prepared in advance. The main courses seemed well cooked, but well- a bit dull. Frankly having eaten at a fair number of starred restaurants these last few months I can't imagine that what we ate today would excite a Michelin inspector very much. If the purpose of the set lunch is to stimulate a return visit , or to give a value for money impression of what the restaurant can do, then I think its not succeeding. The fact that there were two tables occupied might indicate that I'm not alone.

Service was uniformly pleasant , polite and timely though I might be asking why they didn't bring bread around with the first courses which were soup, but did offer bread with the main course. Seems odd.

The other thing I wanted to say concerns the wine. I'd consider both the white and red we chose from an understandably limited selection today to be pretty poor stuff. Now I know that they are only charging a fiver extra for a half bottle, but I really can't understand a restaurant of this stature being prepared to have its customers leave whilst thinking they've been served wine that wasn't a decent example of what is was supposed to be. I mean what are they setting out to achieve here? Trying to make as mucgh as they can from a mid-priced menu? Or trying to recruit new customers/recommendations. Intentions aside they are effectively doing the latter.

But let me be clear, the food here isn't bad; its just not very good and its not interesting or exciting or innovative. Its in a pack with twenty other restaurants in London and IMO not offering any reason to be considered better than any of them.
Comment on this reader review

David Henderson - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 5
Wednesday, April 15, 2009

My boyfriend and I had a wonderful time in Augergine! The food is superb - very delicate!

We had the seven course menu and everything was amazing. The wine menu was perfectly selected!
Comment on this reader review

Marie Kongsted
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Sunday, March 22, 2009

Excellent dinner. If you are after traditional dishes (at times with a creative twist), perfectly executed, this is the place for you. I am surprised about reviews complaining about portions being small; they are European standard and not American standard, but a three course meal put my girlfriend and I totally KO (in a good way). Note also that the morning after, which is when sometimes you realise the real "price" of a good French dinner, we were feeling absolutely ok.

Excellent service. Just a little anecdote on this, while selecting the table I encouraged my girlfriend to choose the one she liked saying it was her birthday. When the dessert arrived at the end of the dinner on her dish they had a "Happy Birthday" written in dark chocolate cream....a little thing for sure, but highly appreciated.

Price, considering quality of food and service, is perfectly reasonable
Comment on this reader review

Giovanni
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Our visit to Aubergine in Chelsea was on the recommendation of friends and our dinner certainly did not disappoint. We were very courteously and quietly greeted on arrival. Pre dinner drinks on the sofa gave way to a nice table in an airy and unfussy atmosphere.

All four of us (cosmo British and Australian) chose differently from the a la carte menu which we felt was well balanced between meat and fish. The dishes were superbly prepared and excellently presented. Flavours were very subtle and the lamb,in particular, was remarkable as were the wines. Michelin Star chef William Drabble can be very proud of his skills!

Service in the comfortable dining room was absolutely first class. The staff were discreet and very attentive without being overbearing. No fussing about with who ordered what, either.

We really could find nothing to fault and will soon be going back next for lunch. Overall, One of the most relaxing restaurant visits anywhere in the world in the last 35 years. Excellent Food. Very realistic value.
Comment on this reader review

Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Monday, July 14, 2008

Genuinely the most disappointing meal I have had in a long time. The food was bland to the point of tasteless. The staff were polite but it is clear they have heard many such comments before and made no attempt to work out what had gone wrong. By contrast the cancellation policy and follow up were pretty close to hassling. If they put half the effort into the cooking as they do with this the food would be excellent. Try at your peril.
Comment on this reader review

Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Thursday, April 24, 2008