Brasserie Rocque

If you have money to waste and a good sense of humour go to Brasserie Rocque. You’ll probably have a good laugh. If you want a meal and expect the minimum standards of customer service… avoid.

It’s a place going through identity crises. It doesn’t know what it wants to be: a bar, a pub, a restaurant, a club…I don’t recall a worse experience and I eat out very often, probably 4 to 5 times a week. It’s service less. Staff, including the manager, they all walk around slowly and aimlessly without showing any interest in customer satisfaction and looking bored, as if they don’t know what to do. They look like nice people with potential; the problem seems to be the total absence of leadership.

I went for dinner with a friend and we couldn’t believe that such a bad customer service was being delivered in the heart of the City of London. We were totally ignored. We needed more drinks, cutlery, water, bread… I ordered a medium rare rib eye steak and I got a well done sirloin steak. The waiter didn’t offer to change it because he said the chef confirmed it was a medium rare rib eye. Staff passed by our table trying their best to avoid eye contact. It was so bad that it went beyond making us angry so we ended up having a good laugh. The only way to persuade me to go back in there would be a good offer of money.
Comment on this reader review

Michael
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 5
Thursday, November 08, 2007

The past reviewer must have either been asleep or hit the restaurant on a bad day. I've been there many times and never had cause to complain. The food is varied, with plenty to suit meat-eaters and light-biters! If I change my mind and want an outdoors seat instead, they do their best to seat me. And the wine list, for a reasonably priced restaurant, has plenty of nice surprises. Try some of its light, unoaked reds with your starter. And its spicy tomato and cod fishcakes are to die for.
Comment on this reader review

Simmo - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, January 03, 2007

I have just spent 2 hours waiting for one egg salad - which was supposed to be served with salad, green beans and spring onions. After 1 1/2 hours the salad arrive with 1/2 an egg, 6 green beans, red onion, watery lettuce and no salad dressing - all for around £9. Thank goodness I could pick from the other plates. Wine is good so would recommend for drinking but not eating.
Comment on this reader review

Williamina Dickson
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, July 04, 2006

I have just returned from lunch at Brasserie Rocque with two colleagues. Today, I ordered Rose salmon for main course. The salmon was not properly cooked; in fact, it was quite undercooked. I pointed this out to the waitress when she came to collect our dishes, showing her the fish. However, while she listened, she was clearly not in the slightest interested. She made no comment then or later, didn't offer a replacement or didn't offer to deduct the cost from the bill.

My colleagues and I followed on with cheesecake for dessert. Mine contained what appeared to be large pieces of fat or suet in the base, which I had to remove from my mouth. I mentioned (and showed) this to the waiter at the end of the meal but he seemed as disinterested as his female colleague had done (if not more so), didn't apologise and didn't (once more) offer to deduct the cost from the bill.

Of perhaps greater interest is a visit I made to the same restaurant about 3 months previously. Then I ordered a rare steak and was presented with one that was chilled (verging on frozen) on the inside; I returned it immediately. To my utter astonishment, the waitress returned from the kitchen to inform me that according to the chef it was "normal" for the inside of a rare steak to be chilled. News to me!! But what would I know, I'm only a customer who eats rare steak regularly at restaurants! I suppose I should have learnt my lesson at that point.

I must say that today I was embarrassed to have taken my colleagues to this restaurant. It is one of the few restaurants in the City with open-air eating and that is its main attraction. However, surely it should be capable of serving properly cooked food and employing professional staff. I had been there on other occasions with mixed results. However, I will definitely not be returning.
Comment on this reader review

Greg
Wednesday, August 17, 2005