Acorn House Restaurant

We were called an hour before our booking to come 30mins later as they were busy, so we were hungry. In entering the restaurant, you would not instantly guess this was an eco-restaurant. I think an extra effort could have been made to have recycled furniture and eco-fittings such as energy saving lightbulbs etc. We waited 20 mins at the bar for our table and waited a further 30 mins between our starter main course.The staff were very warm and professional, but tragically disappointing was the food which came late, luke-warm and with ingredients missing. Staff apologised but only took the coffees off our bill paying for the main courses we didnt eat. I hope I will give it a second chance soon, maybe it was a bad night for them?
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Chrissy
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 5
Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Nice, buzzy modern & cool. Perhaps not the place to go for a romantic date due to the proximity of the tables, but sweet nothings aside, a rather nice joint indeed.

On the food: Dandelion and pheasant salad as a starter was very nice despite the fact that is was rocket and not dandelion (and when I asked, I was told it was dandelion and to eat up 'cause it was good for me). When I enquired on the provenance of their meat, I was delighted that The Ginger Pig is their supplier. My lovely dining partner and I opted for the herb marinated sirloin as a main and it was very pleasant indeed but for some reason it seemed to lack the fullness of flavour of the beef that we associate with The Ginger Pig (some of the best beef I have ever eaten). Also, according to my partner the thickness of the steak was a bit less than ideal. It was served with some sour cream sauce and a little lump of grated beetroot that we had ignored whilst listed on the menu or our plates. After muttering that the dish could do with some horseradish or some sort of kick, we realised, upon closer inspection that the soured cream was in fact some clumsy version of chrain, the flavour didn't come across because the horseradish had been coarsely chopped instead of grated and the beetroot had been served separately. This made us giggle, we saw it as the "gastro pub trend" to complicate and truss up the simplest of things. The warm peppered chocolate cake was a genial idea but didn't really live up to expectations, but the lovely ginger ice-cream made up for it.

The service was most charming and efficient and the ethos of the restaurant should be an example to be applauded and followed by all. My partner's only gripe is that the wines served weren't necessarily of organic or fair-trade origin (but perhaps this is something the wine industry on the whole could work on!).
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Sarah Beck-Derna
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Very disappointed after reading some of these reviews. Overpriced starters: £8 for a beetroot and potato salad (v. bland). Main course was also bland and unadventurous - some grizzley mutton and bland veg. Service was lovely though.

Their business card quotes the Giles Coren of The Times Magazine as saying this is the most important restaurant to open in London in the last, ahem, 200 years! (Really?)

Eco-friendly aspect: admirable. Service: lovely. Ambience - pleasent but nothing special. Food: dull and over-priced.
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Bob
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 3
Wednesday, January 17, 2007

We went to Acorn House this week and I must say it was fabulous in every way. The ambience, the service, the food, the wine, everything was spot on. We had the five course tasting menu and each selected wine ( one from Kent, Yes) went perfectly well with the food. Though I am not sure whether the Buffalo Mozzarella was locally sourced! I particularly loved the Williams Pear Bellini and the Stilton and Walnut Risotto. Our waiter was new to the restaurant but he went out of the way to answer all our questions. But all in all, we had a great evening.
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Kala
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Friday, December 22, 2006

Absolutely not what we expected after such a hype! Terrible service [the waitress did not know which side to put the spoons!! She also took orders from the men at the table first,cleared the table whilst one still eating-] food cold and overcooked,meat dry,cold atmosphere
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samantha read
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 1
Wednesday, November 29, 2006

We went here on the friday after it opened and thouroughly enjoyed ourselves. Although at first we were crammed into a table for two between two other couples the waiter soon realised his mistake and sat us on the opposite side.

The dry storage for the restaurant is actually in the seating area and so I spotted a vegetable that I hadn't had before and they added it to my dish.

The service from the experienced waiting staff was excellent although the bus boy left a little to be desired appearing to be working at a snail's pace and not knowing which way round to put the knife and fork. Still this amused us rather than annoyed as everything else was really good.

They cook food of the season and it would appear that they are going to change their menu every month as we have one entitled November!!

the food was fresh and well cooked and the wine list was not over priced. The waiter reccommended an excellent accompanyment to my husband's meal and as I wasn't drinking we took the left overs home with us.

They also do some lovely juices (freshly squeezed) we were given a taster of pear - yummy.
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Tina
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, November 29, 2006

I visited Acorn House last night and to be honest what a great idea. The ethos is simple, simple food at honest prices.

Considering gastro pubs now charge a small fortune up and down the country for complete tat, it is good to see a restaurant offer great food at reasonable prices (including the wine!)

All round the food was superb, fresh Dorset Crab, The pasta was exceptional and the mains were plentiful.

The fact that everything is locally produced and the menu's change on a regular basis, means I will definitely return.
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, November 28, 2006

A little over a week since its opening, we book a table at Acorn House, the first 'eco friendly' restaurant in London. Well we think we book, in fact when we arrive, there's no trace of our reservation! After two glasses of prosecco and just 10 minutes wait we have a table. We ve had time to appreciate the modern and funky decor, with fresh apples, chestnuts and pumpkins by the windows. The long dark wood (?) reception table, low lights, warm athmosphere.

The venue is full, and buzzing. The menus change monthly: we choose a potato, chestnuts and porcini soup and dorset crab as starters. The crab is fresh, slightly spicy, delicate. The soup is maybe a little dense, but ideal on a rainy evening, and flavoursome. The mains offer quite a wide choice: we opt for grilled pork chop (light, and well cooked) and marinated steak (a touch sinewy but again well prepared and cooked). both dishes came with roast potatoes and lentils as garnish. We are temmpted by a peppered flourless chocolate cake with ginger ice cream wich is simply divine, incredibly light, with a strong chocolate flavour. With three glasses of Riesling for two, the bill came to £65 inc tips. definitely recommended, it's a great concept with good food.
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Fried egg fred
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Saturday, November 25, 2006