Smiths of Smithfield

Ate there today (18th Aug) with friends and we were bitterly disappointed. In fact, one person who had ordered the "pasta of the day" had to exchange it for something else because it was so dry (when asked, the waitress could only offer some olive oil to liven it up - not even any pesto!).

"Pies of the day" turned out to be steak in a very runny gravy and chicken & leek which was all leek and hardly any chicken (in fact, there was a large piece of skin in the pie). Pastry was awful - even if they'd used frozen it would have been better.

In fact, the only decent thing was the chips!!!!!

Prices are outrageous for what you get.

Would definitely not recommend to a friend.

Also, take a cushion as the wooden benches get even harder over time.......!
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Disappointed of EC1!
2 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Ate here last night (a Tues night) and had a great evening. The service was good and atmosphere most enjoyable. Starters of onion soup and asparagus (with hollandaise sauce) both lovely with mains of Pork Belly and Grilled Lemon chicken also very nice. Sweets of pavlova with strawberries and cream and sticky toffee pudding again most agreeable. Value for money not bad considering the portions were a decent size and the decor is quite remarkable.

Only down side was the chef who was standing on the public side of the kitchen area. Us customers really dont need to hear you losing the plot and screaming at the kitchen staff. Oh dear. Literally couldn't stand the heat and got out the kitchen! Tut tut young man.

Anyway, will be going back for another special treat regardless of the association of a celebrity owner.
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7 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 5
Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Took my wife to Smiths for her birthday meal on the top floor. At the beginning of the evening a waiter came by with three small pieces of white bread and when we asked for more it seemed to be a big hassle for him to get some more.

We were not overly impressed with the whole dining experience there unfortunately. Just expected better. We felt the food was overpriced generally.
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Mr. Brown
6 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 5
Wednesday, April 28, 2010

So, John Torode you call yourself a "Master Chef" do you? I wonder how frozen dumplings would be judged on your little television series?

Not being fond of Inuit delicacies, I was most surprised to receive iced dumplings with my main course at a recent meal at Smiths. Does this mean that they were not cooked fresh to order and on the premises? An innocent mistake perhaps, where the dumplings were simply not put in the microwave with the remainder of the meal.? However, given the time that the meal spent on the counter I am astounded that they were not completely thawed.

So, John Torode, I suggest you 'master' your own cooking before judging other's.
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Patrick Bateman
6 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Thursday, April 08, 2010

Ate there on Friday night, good and bad. Starter of venison carpaccio was ok if not stand out. My main of crisp pork belly wasn't crisp! When I mentioned this to the waiter (not until we had finished as he never came over after putting the food down.) He said he would speak to the manager but never mentioned it again.

The bill came and we decided to raise the issue of the pork belly again we received an apology from the manager but nothing else.

On the plus side the pork belly meat was outstanding and portions were generous for all dishes.
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Drew
5 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Sunday, April 04, 2010

I ate here on the 2nd floor on the 27th March 2010, the food did not live up to expectations of the master chef that is John Torode, he needs to spend more time concentrating on getting it right himself if he is to judge others.

My starter of smoked trout, horseradish and potato salad was weak, the fish was cold and dry, the horseradish cream,/mousse was tasteless and some of the potatoes were a little on the raw side, overall not good. My sister described her paperdelle as bland and dry.

The starter of Lucky squid was amusing, it must have meant that you would be lucky to get tender squid, as this offering was very chewy and smothered in hot chilli and the broccoli was stated as Chinese broccoli.

The main of Salt beef was dry and chewy, really not a pleasant experience and the garnish was average.

My roast pollock with celeriac purée and morel sauce featured 1 small morel cut in to three with a wisp of sauce, albiet a nice tasty dish, I asked for the green veg as a side and was informed that the veg was green beans, I asked where they were from and the waitress replied "they are British" I asked here if she was sure as they are not in season, she went off to ask the chef and came back to inform me they were from Kenya as suspected. I then asked if I could have some sort of vegetable from Secrett's farm as they state on the menu that they use their seasonal veg, I was told this would not be possible, so we opted for the green salad that was British, but didn't really fit with the dish, again disappointing.

We opted not to have pudding as we had a Birthday cake at home, probably didn't miss much.

Again Mr Torode stop raking on the cash and slow down long enough to start providing us local season, tasty well cooked food, you do can do a lot better in this price range.

Would not recommend to a friend
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6 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 5
Sunday, March 28, 2010

Had a meal on the 2nd floor here last night, the food was OK but nothing special. I had the 9 oz steak which was average, and the chips seemed to be pre-prepared. The service was good if a little slow at times, but then the main dining room was full.

One annoyance was the presence of a "soap,mens fragrance & paper towels" peddlar in the Gent's toilets on the first floor, with a plate left out for tips. Is this a restaurant or some sort of ropey nightclub ???
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Derek
6 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
Friday, February 26, 2010

Dined on the ground floor on Sunday - NEVER AGAIN - rude staff, tiny portions, rubbery eggs, soggy chips and supposedly thick cut ham was actually thinly sliced bacon. Not what you would expect from such an expensive restaurant after an hours wait.
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Strumpetcrumpet
0 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Thursday, February 25, 2010

A group of us ate in the Wine Room the other day. Very disappointing all round. High prices for really pretty poor food. I, personally, had the steak. It came with a very strong, Bisto-like gravy that obliterated the flavour of the meat. Chips, all round, were re-heated, poor excuses for chips. Would have done a lot of complaining, if I'd organised the night out myself.

Service started off well, but we were abandoned mud way through our meal while the maitre d' sat down at a table of friends for an hour and ignored us.

You can get so much better food in London, for what Smiths cost. AVOID.
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SarfLondonMike - View all reviews by this user
3 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 2
Thursday, February 18, 2010

I went for dinner on the top floor of Smith's just before Christmas. The restaurant was very quiet that day, and the staff were friendly and welcoming. Unfortunately a good start was let down by our four £35 Chateaubriand steaks coming out cold from the kitchen (we asked for them to be medium so they should have been hot at least on the outside). We sent them back, but even when they came back they were still cold. We were really hungry by that stage so just ate them anyway. There was NO apology from the staff, which I was shocked at, and nothing taken off the bill to compensate. I have been a waitress myself and I would be mortified to be charging people £35 for a steak they could not enjoy. Very disappointing - I won't be going back.
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thedarkhorse
3 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 2
Saturday, January 09, 2010