Acorn House Restaurant

My wife and I dinner there last night and were more than a little disappointed.

The place is nice enough, though it's densely packed and quite noisy.

We started with a smoked mackerel salad with fennel and pickled ginger (me), and something-and-horseradish soup. The salad was very nice, except for the mackerel which was hard and very oily, surprisingly close to pre-cooked stuff you can get at Sainsbury's. The soup was very starchy (not enough stock - it was almost like mashed potato) and apparently "bland" (which might have been alleviated had we had salt and pepper).

Mains of roast pork belly and rack of lamb with herb crust were, respectively, better and worse. The pork was dense and chewy but tasty. The lamb, however, was almost raw. Had I not had to pull it to bits to find this out I would have sent it back to the kitchen for at least another ten minutes. The herb crust was pretty tasty, though.

The front-of-house was efficient, though it liked itself just a bit much. They were attentive and the kitchen was slow enough that they didn't have a lot of plate carrying to do!

As others have noted, it's expensive. A lot of that is doubtless the cost of organic, happy animal flesh, but by the rule of thirds I cannot see how the bit of lamb I was given could have cost them seven quid. The portions were pretty decent, but the mains at about twenty quid still want a side dish each (at another 3-4 quid) to make a meal rather than a bit of meat and some token vegetable.

In light of the above, it's hard not to conclude that those awards it seems to have been winning are for its impeccable social and environmental credentials rather than the food.

For ordinary food at high prices, I'll stick to Wiltons. At least the service there is impeccable and the tables are more than a foot inches apart.
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MTK - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 3
Friday, November 09, 2007

Had dinner there last night and left with mixed feelings. First of all, I thought the decor was a bit strange. the mixture of plastic, wood and sanitised brick-a-brac didn't really work and didn't seem to fit with the 'sustainable' ethos of the restaurant.

The food was above average, but I didnt' really think it was worth the prices they charge. £19 for rump of lamb with beans is at least £5 too much by my reckoning, and the beans were dry and hard, although overall the dish was tasty. For pud, the apple compote was huge but rather tasteless and the fourless chocolate cake gloopy and the accomanying ginger ice-cream over-powering adn not very skillfully done. And considering the prices on the menu, charging for bread seemed a bit of a cheek.

Did I enjoy it? Yes, but I felt like I was paying over the odds (which I really dislike). Would I go back again for dinner? No, lunch maybe as I think it has a different format that might me more fairly priced.
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CJL
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 3
Wednesday, October 24, 2007

In theory, this should be a revolutional to the london dining scene eatery.

It could still be, if some changes were made. I will end on a positive, so here are my negatives.

1. Several menu items were 69'd, although the reason was not clear. This is going to happen with this kind of menu. it is the response that let us down. We were told only after we ordered the thing, and then actually after we received something that was not as we ordered. in a place like this, changes to menu should be upfront; staff should be lectured accordingly.

2. overpriced. If you are going to price things at that level, little mini-courses should be served, and the service should be stunning.

3. Don't rely on "local organic" to be your only trick up your sleeve. have a trick, have a noteworthy hook.

4. Ambiance. the building is really cool. Work with it! There was no music for ambiance, the art was so so....the lighting was so so. That place, if worked properly and even with a small budget, could breathe ambience. but it just falls flat as the pretty tiles around us.

so what was good? well, the presentation and the flavours. and the wine list. and the freshness. and the menu scores points for being original and not just a slightly refined gastropub menu which is the ubuquity in london now.
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miss go london
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 6
Friday, July 20, 2007

Went for lunch from work in a party of 4.

The first problem was the wait - over 45 minutes for 1 pork chop, 2 pasta dishes and 1 risotto. It was fairly busy but even so this was a lunchtime session where most people would have needed to get back to work.

The risotto was too salty to be edible, the small pasta dish had 5 pieces of ravioli for £10, but my pork chop was lovely as was the tagliatelli.

To be fair we did get the risotto and service charge (12.5%) off the bill.

I wouldn't recommend his place for lunch if you were in a hurry and the food seems to be a bit hit-or-miss.
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Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 3
Friday, May 11, 2007

We often hear about things being greater than the sum of their parts... This is one of those time.

In terms of what this restaurant means - fabulous. As someone who wants a greater control over ethical and environmental impacts of oneself, I whole-heartedly applaud the concept. It is without doubt a landmark for things to come. Whether it's as important as the billboard outside the restaurant suggest (The Times calls this the most important restaurant to open in London for two-hundred years) is only something time will tell. But, we Londoners of a certain bent, wait patiently for that which is to come.

The spin from the restaurant is that it is eco friendly, London based delivery in a bio-diesel van and that farmers markets and fair trade are the benchmarks for this company. In short, until otherwise explained, it means nothing. What was the method of transport from the farms into London. What is the meaning of organic for this restaurant? Don't trust the soil association to be true to the 'organic' as we all know that this 'Organic' produce is ill governed by any organisation.

Now as far as the sum of it's parts, I must say I have eaten better in any number of places around the world in far less important establishments.

I began with the Beetroot and Olive. Bitter and sweet but too bitter and a little bland. A nice idea for a light starter but altogether unimpressive and ill thought out. Price wise... I imagine it to be a couple of pounds over what I would have expected to pay for such a dish.

Main course was the Lamb. Too charred and again a little bland. There does seem to be a 'New Potato' theme running through my meal. Something I only became aware of as I swollowed the 'all I can take of new potato' mouth full.

Price for the main course was as I would have expected but without the satisfaction of enjoyment. So I could call that over priced.

Now dessert was a relief from the dull and boring... Apple Pie and Clotted cream. I would have paid double for that. Excellent. Not the best in the world but in comparison to the rest of the meal, it made it all worth while.

The wine was reasonably price at around £35 for a bottle of Treje which was enjoyable and the black coffee was another of those saving factors which helps a restaurant redeem itself. Naturally this is more by the good grace of the coffee compant than the restaurant but full marks for buying it into the restaurant.

In short, I wouldn't go again until the next seasonal menu arrives, but I can see myself going at least four times a year for the first year... just to make sure the menu is not as badly delivered as I think.
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DDTL
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 3
Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Dined here last night and it was so-so.

Starter of yellow beetroot, Jersey Royals & olives was bland and seemed a bit steep at £8.50. A plateful of crab & asparagus tasted great but was £11.50.

Delicious homemade mushroom soup tasted very earthy and flavoursome, as did another of beetroot.

My main course of sea bream was tender with crisp skin and served on a bed of more Jersey Royals and some curly kale – very nice.

Tagliatelli of lamb ragu was generously portioned, but reminded me of mince & spaghetti.

Service was friendly enough but inattentive – we waited too long to order wine, and then food and then coffees & had to call the waiting staff over every time.

The concept of this place is great – everything they use – light bulbs, paint, oil, etc is designed to ensure that the business makes the smallest impact on the environment possible – recyclable and sustainable products all the way – excellent.

Although, I feel they should make more of this on the menu & explain to you where everything is sourced, as when you find out the lengths they have gone to, it is very impressive.

It’s just a shame the food wasn’t as fabulous as the concept.

Overall – starters very expensive. Mains - good. Atmosphere – lively. Service – slow.
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CB - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 3
Friday, April 13, 2007

Went last night with a girlfriend and we were both mightily impressed with food, ambience and service (the waiting staff and Restaurant Manager were all very friendly, and took the time at the end of the meal to ask for our thoughts on the evening). Having checked out their menu on the website in advance, I was a little concerned that it was over-priced (mostly because paying 8 - 11 quid for a starter seems a bit steep for a Weds night), but once there, i was totally won over. The starters of spring salad, dandelion & fresh crab, and smoked mackerel salad were both generous, with incredibly fresh and well sourced ingredients. My sea bream was cooked to perfection whilst my friend's fillet of beef was huge and flavoursome. The flourless chocolate cake was light yet scrummily chocolatey and accompanied by a very intense but well matched ginger ice cream. Wines by the glass were also very good quality. ₤45 for 3 courses, a good glass of wine, and the knowledge that you're eating fresh ingredients in an environment where you know they're making an eco-effort, was happily parted with for a surprisingly memorable meal in Kings Cross! Will definitely return....
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Aarti
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Thursday, March 08, 2007

Lovely restaurant. A little trepidatious after the great reviews and it was a surprise for my boyfriend's birthday so the pressure was on but it was really good. The ethos of the place is something that should really be encouraged in London. The food was fresh and imaginative, the (English) wine we had was delicious. Cosy atmosphere and really enthusiastically helpful and friendly staff. About £60/head for 3 courses, half bottle of wine each and port with pudding.
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Sarah, London
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Went there last night to meet a friend who was travelling back from Kings Cross; not exactly spoilt for choice round there! Acorn House though is a truly excellent place to meet friends or go as a group. The atmosphere, even on a Monday night, was nicely buzzy without being overbearing. The waiting staff were excellent and did not push us to order as we were too busy catching up to have even looked at the menus. The food was absolutely fantastic - great quality ingredients, well cooked and well presented. We will definitely go out of our way to eat here again.
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Tony Ledger
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, February 20, 2007

We ate here at lunchtime on 1st February and whilst the food was ok, the service left a lot to be desired. Upon arrival at the restaurant were were promotly shown to our seats, drinks were served promptly and the waitress took our lunch selections. The wait then commenced! There was a group of 9 of us eating and the first five meals arrived after 40 minutes, the following four meals took a further 30 miniutes and only then arrived after we had compained about the wait. This is seemingly not the place to eat if you fancy a 1 hour business lunch and what was disappointing is that the resturant then saw fit to charge a 12.5% service charge. Needless to say we didn't pay it.
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Jon Haskins
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 4
Wednesday, February 07, 2007