Smiths of Smithfield

I went to Smiths a couple of weekends ago with a group of friends expecting wonderful things and how disappointed could all of us get with one place. In fact I really don't want to talk about the food here too much which wasn't bad as far as bacon and eggs go but nothing compares to the rudeness of the staff! Half of them looked like they just didn't want to be there and the few female staff just look like they can't be bothered. One waitress in particular seemed to take great delight in slamming our food down and seemed more concerned with how her hair looked than actually listening to our requests for condiments (of which there were several)

Smiths need to hire staff who look like they care about their jobs and the clientele if the great reputation it had a while back is to be upheld. This is not how it was last year when we visited regularly and enjoyed some great mornings on the ground floor. It's a shame that sulky waiting staff seems to be the norm these days in places where great food could be served, if only with a smile instead of a resentful grimace. It will take some great persuading to go back and try again any time soon. Change the staff and we might be tempted.
Comment on this reader review

James Miller
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 3
Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Took a client to the top floor restaurant and had a fantastic meal coupled with attentive service.

Left feeling I got value for money.
Comment on this reader review

spookyzoo - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Monday, June 08, 2009

The Ground Floor is without any doubt the best place to start the weekend. Great atmosphere, fast staff, no room for non sense. Mr Torode is definitely doing something very right indeed. It's one of the only places where I can meet friends, bring along my kids and have some honest food without worrying about the food or service. We come here every other week and the place is always packed. Sometimes the waiting can be a bit long but understandable. The cafe should take over the whole building in order to accommodate everyone much faster!

I only dislike the fact that they don't take bookings as it will make it much easier for us to come here more often...
Comment on this reader review

Daniel
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Saturday, May 23, 2009

My friend won a voucher for Smiths so here we were oblivious to any reviews good or bad and had no idea that all the ingredients are carefully sourced. The restaurant is spread over multi (3 I think) floors - the ground floor is for the hard core socialite. It overflowed through the open front onto the street, so it seemed at least to be popular. We were eating on the 2nd floor and had booked a table which we were shown to. A waiter whose disinterested delivery of the polite lines was comedic served us. We enjoyed the lack of music and the hollow resounding sound of chatter around us. We enjoyed our food, perfect duck, tender beef, firm courgettes and wicked desserts (a brulee and sticky toffee pudding). We are not drinkers so our bill was about £65 including the non-service charge. It is a shame that such restaurants favour attractiveness over charm, because otherwise the experience was just fine.
Comment on this reader review

Leo
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, April 15, 2009

I booked a table for 24 people for my birthday. When i rang up to confirm numbers for dinner i was told that there was all ready a booking for the said date. I pushed back on this which was apparently my fault. I was then rudely abused by someone proclaiming to be the MD and told never to phone again. At no point did anyone offer to help rectify the situation!!!

Do not book for this place and if you are silly enough to, make sure you confirm. Poor poor service…..
Comment on this reader review

Simon Coggin
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Just been there for lunch,. Lovely waitress, lovely food but at these prices (top floor!) - I really expect every thing to be top notch. Sadly - away from the dining room it wasnt. Toilets were pretty grim and didnt look as if they'd been checked/cleaned in a while. Small gripe but just enough to taint an otherwise lovely time.
View/Add comments (1)

Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Thursday, March 12, 2009

Went for breakfast last wednesday. Nice enough place and the food was quite nice.

However, the staff employ this purposely arrogant approach which is all too common (and a little passe) in restaurants with delusions of grandeur. During our visit to Smiths we didn't hear one pleasantry from any member of staff towards a customer. Not one "hello', "goodbye", "please" or "thank you"...no manners whatsoever. Food arrived at different times and plates were cleared away while some members of our party were still eating.

I can only assume the poor attitudes were a result of unhappy workers or were part of an intentional strategy to place emphasis on the food and away from the service. Well, the food was good, but really not that good.

People don't just eat out for good food, otherwise they would buy good produce and cook at home. The service you receive is part and parcel of the dining experience....and I'm sorry Smiths but you have really got it badly wrong.
Comment on this reader review

Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 2
Sunday, March 01, 2009

I was not going to write a review for my meal at Smiths but my wife persuaded me otherwise. The reason being that previous to my meal recently I had been for a few meals on the top floor, the first time being a few years ago and it was brilliant. As time has passed however the food, service and overall atmosphere seems has changed. Now I don't know if its because the owner and chef John Tarode does not take as much interest in it now he is a big TV star or what but he needs to sort things out before I return.

One example of what I am talking about..... when in the top floor restaurant one of my colleagues dining with me ordered seared tuna. Now I know and I am sure most on here do that seared tuna comes up as good as raw. My colleague didn't and when he asked for it to be cooked through (a 1 minute job literally as I have cooked it myself) the waitress said no, she never gave any options, just no. So he told her to take it away as he would not eat it the way it was. She came back with it 2 minutes later cooked through as the chef had done it. We all had steak which half of us did not eat as it was tough as old leather which is a shock with it being the cut it is.

The amount spent in the restaurant between the 5 of us was well over £100 per head so I expected better treatment and better food.
Comment on this reader review

Happygit - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 3
Friday, February 06, 2009

I ate on the top floor during bust Christmas dinner, the service was great, great wine and steak recomendations from a nice Polish waitress. However, we were sitting next to the wall separating us from the kitchen and had to endure screaming chef all night long. Surly Torode could teach his chefs some manners. Despite that will gladly be back.
Comment on this reader review

Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 8
Thursday, January 15, 2009

I feel compelled to defend Smiths after reading the reviews here. I have not eaten on the top floor, but for Sunday brunch served on the ground floor, Smiths is one of my favourite places. The choice is good- a nice range of breakfast sarnies served in thick bloomer bread. Salads, plated breakfasts and sweet things like pancakes and waffles. All of this is very reasonable- you could easily eat for a £10 which is pretty good going. The food is not greasy at all, giving one the impression that it's healthy and the fresh o-j is excellent. Tea is served in a mug with a tea spoon sticking out of it which I really like! Only drawback is that you can't book, which means you may wait a little while for a table but over the last 6 years that I have been going there, they seem to have speeded up the turn over of tables- or maybe I am just more patient! Try Smiths for a nice slap up brunch with friends on a Sunday. You will not be disappointed!
Comment on this reader review

Foody
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, January 13, 2009