Atrium

Visited Atrium with a group of colleagues for our Xhams function. Staff were rude, that is if they chose to talk to us! Fodd was average in taste and late in arrival. Highly over-priced for a place with no atmosphere, average food, and terrible service. Never again!
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A Londoner
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, December 19, 2007

I went to the Atrium with some business guests for a lunchtime meeting, and allowed a little flexibility with timing between meetings. Visionary.

We were preparing to leave after forty minutes, with no food appearing. This was unexpected and unecessary, as there were only two other customers present (whose side orders of fries and potatoes appeared after they had finished their main course!). On preparing to leave, the food appeared, perfectly cooked rib eye steak but sadly now cold and the juices setting on the plate. The othe food was mediocre, calamari over cooked, crispy and dry.

An experience - which I will not seek to revisit. Great environment but thats all!
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Sam
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 0
Saturday, September 15, 2007

Without doubt or reservation, the most disappointing dining experience in London ever. Shockingly slow albeit affable service, cold food -some looked like it was left over from lunch. Zero atmosphere and not at all cheap. The menu looks varied at first sight - but it's actually very limited and repetitive. Some of the ingredients - my lamb for example - were top notch but poorly cooked.

Given that we were 6 of only 12 diners for the first hour I found it astonishing that they found it so difficult to serve us well - it was almost as if the food was being cooked in another restaurant round the corner.

Despite the description - it is actually in the middle of an office block and looking into various bits of this builidng through the windows and having workers walk through the restaurant to go somewhere did nothing to add to the experience.

If I had not been with clients [who, fortunately had chosen the venue] I would have made a fuss.

Terrible.
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iain
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, September 12, 2007

I was quite disappointed with Atrium. It's a lovely setting and has a decent wine list. The service is decent but slower that you would want - especially as lunchtime when no one is there for a 2 hour + lunch which I had. Better service would have reduced it by a good half hour.

The set menu seems decent value but the soup on offer was mediocre and pretty tasteless whilst the lamb was undercooked and had way too much fat.

I had beef off the a la carte and asked for it medium-rare, it came at something approaching medium-well which you don't expect from a restaurant like this. The accompanying vegetables were nice but the potato was very dry. For £18 it should have been far far better.

The whole bill came to £70 with service - inc 2 courses and coffee. It was reasonable but if it had been social and not business, I would definitely have sent the steak make and would have been pretty annoyed at the lack of value for money.
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RW - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 1
Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Service was a bit slow but the meal was lovely. Craig had a glass of Sherwood sauvignon blanc (£4.75), a white crab salad (£8.95), and seared scallops (£14.50). Ian had a cocktail (£6.50), tom-yum chicken soup (£5.75), herb rack of lamb (£17.50) with big chips (£2.95)), and a bitter chocolate terrine (£5.50). Both had a couble espresso (£1.95 each) and they shared a Hildon sparkling water (£3.95) and a bottle of Calltera chardonnay sauvignon (£15.00)).
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Ian Sweeney (Gusto Dining Club)
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Friday, July 28, 2006

I thought your comments were a bit unfair on both the clientelle and the restaurant which seems to have done a lot of late to raise its standards.

This is a well known haunt for political and media types and admittedly, has suffered mixed fortunes in the past. I've used it a lot over the years for business and it's great fun dining next to cabinet ministers and TV celebs but occasionally the food was hit and miss.

However, of late things seem to have taken a real turn for the better. The food is immeasurably better than it was in both choice and execution. This afternoon I had the smoked duck and goat's cheese salad followed by the roast pork belly with caramelised shallots (my mouth is watering as I write) and sage fritters. It was really superb.

The food was washed down with an excellent Brouilly that was not as expensive as I remembered the wine list to be. It probably was as expensive but I suspect you don't notice the price when the goods and service are of such a high standard?

After a long period of giving it a wide berth, today was my 5th visit in a month. I've mainly been here for lunch in the past but also went for dinner last week and discovered the Atrium's other charm - a decent table in Westminster without queuing! That's almost worth paying for in itself.

In short, the food was good, the service was professional, the ambience is always helped by the "great and the good" who dine there and it's not as expensive or as busy as some of the other tables in the environs area around the Houses of Parliament.

Whatever they've changed at the Atrium to achieve this radical turn of fortunes, they've got it right and more power to their elbow for the effort.

Ideal!
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Paul
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, November 22, 2005