The Forge

The Forge was recommended to me by a friend and he usually has very good taste so I thought i'd give it a go. The restuarant was very disappointing. The atmosphere was very quiet and the tables were too close together (which I hate). The waiters were slow and when we ordered a bottle of white wine it arrived completely un-chilled. When I remarked on this to the waiter he simply looked at me and agreed!! So I asked for another chilled one this time?!! The starters were cooked well but werent worth the price tag. I had fillet steak for main and my partner had risotto. My steak was very average and was definately medium- not medium rare. The side vegetables that came with it were soggy and unappetising. My partners risotto was cooked well but was overly fishy and had bits of grit in it (from the mussels i presume). We thought we'd try the puddings as they are usually a safe bet so we shared a chocolate pudding- this was bland and moussy- not what we were looking for at all.

I would not recommend this place to anyone.
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ginny weeks
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 3
Monday, January 21, 2008

Four of us dined this Wednesday: food & wine delicious; staff & service exceptionally good. All will be returning.
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Tim Knoops
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Friday, January 18, 2008

We went to the Forge on Saturday for my best friend's birthday. The table was not ready when we turned up but it didn't take long. We had a fantastic time, thanks to Chris & Nichola who were very accommodating and helpful in preparing the House birthday cake for our dearest friend. Thanks very much for making the evening so special.
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Sally - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Monday, December 17, 2007

Took my lady to 'The Forge' for a birthday pre theatre treat. I went on the back of the 3 courses for £25 offer. The menu didn't disappoint! A wide selection of yummy treats.....and some free drinks too, which always goes down well.

The food was excellent, We had the pumpkin and the tempura for starters....the tempura was very light and crispy and the fish inside tasted fresh, the pumpkin dish was a little heavy but also delightful. For the mains we went for the duck and tuna. The duck as literally half a duck on a slab of mash...which the lady was never going to finish but had a good stab at it. It tasted like Christmas on a plate, rich with depth and lovely fragrance of oranges. The tuna was a little bland in comparison, but a descent chunk of fish cooked to perfection. Its probably a better summer dish have a autumn one. Desserts we had cheesecake and crème caramel. The cheesecake took the edge in this round as it was light and was supported by a delicate scoop of fruity sorbet, which tingled in the mouth.

the bill came to around £70in service after we a couple of glass of roses. The service was always to attention and we were out after 1hr 15min to stroll down the road to the Royal opera house. The only downside of our evening was the location of our table...a bit to close to another table.....apart from that the atmosphere was nice, I felt quite grown up in such surrounding's.
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the_hungry_wolf - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Friday, October 12, 2007

had a wonderfull visit 2 weeks ago with a very good friend of mine, was expecting l'estaminet use to be a lovely covent garden retreat from shopping or after theatre especially the chateaubriand for 2, but realised on arrival that been reopened as "the forge".

what use to be a very tired rustic restaurant has become an amazing experience not pretentious but devine

the chateaubriand still on menu, but from start to finnish as a perfectionist by nature it was an amazing dinner...

- try the warm foie gras with caramalised orange and brioche

- the honney glazed duck confit

got to stop now soo many flavours and memories,

will be back
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S C
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Monday, June 25, 2007

Reading these reviews it is as if we ate in a completely different restaurant.... Yes, the restaurant itself was lovely and it all looked very promising, but the food and service were bad. I will be writing to them directly as I think it only fair...

The service was overly pushy at the outset and non-existent at the end when we had to wait for half an hour for our dessert order to be taken despite trying to catch the waters' attention and nearly the same amount of time to pay for the bill. The waiters were very friendly though when we did have their attention.

My food was quite frankly dreadful. My starter of buffalo mozeralla and fennel was limp and tasteless and I only managed to eat half of my main course of taglioni with raddichio and pine nuts (which even from the first fork full didn't bode well). The dessert of tarte tatin was better but unfortunately burnt at the edges which flavoured the whole dish.

I would not go back.
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Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 0
Saturday, June 23, 2007

We took advantage of the 3 courses plus a Kir Royale offer (£25pp) as shown on this website. The restaurant has simple decor, which gives it a clean and sharp finish but without a sterile, manufactured feel, which some fall down on. The staff were professional and courteous but as the place filled their availability and attention were harder to attract. I started with the prawn and squid in a chilli and coriander sauce - it was lovely. The flavours complimented each other without being over-powering. I then had the battered cod, chips and peas, which were mixed with mint - very good. My partner tried this dish and remarked that it was far better than the salmon, which was bland as noted by another reviewer. For dessert, I opted for the fresh fruit and sorbets given the 'weight' of my main - these were excellent. Nice and simple and not 'messed with' in a pretentious manner. My partner opted for the chocolate pava, which we think had a hazelnut base - very good although it was presented in a way akin to a piece of pate.

When we left, the place was full but not in an overly intrusive manner. The tables at the rear are a little close together as when it was quieter when we arrived, the noise of the conversation next to us was rather off-putting. However, that may have been a combination of the volume of the person speaking and the emptiness at that time.

I would recommend it to thers and would be more than happy to go again.
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Laura - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Thursday, May 31, 2007

Just rolled back home from dinner at The Forge with a couple of friends.

A treat - attentive, friendly (but unobtrusive) service, magnificent food (who would have thought you could want another serving of spinach?), a perfect spot and pleasant atmosphere - the restaurant was full but not so noisy that we had to strain to converse. Memorable, and somewhere you could recommend wholeheartedly
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totallygone.com
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, April 30, 2007

Monday-pre-theatre dinner meant there were only 3 or 4 other tables occupied, so service was good - friendly and efficient. Our glass of champagne (£6.50, fruity and very more-ish) and Kiwi Sauvignon (about £5 for very large glass) arrived within 2 minutes of ordering. Food was also delivered promptly and was very good indeed.

The langoustines in garlic came with crackers for us to attempt to get more meat out of the claws. The scallops in a mint foam were large and perfectly cooked.

For mains, venison cutlet was served with roast carots and parsnips. Gamey and tender. The salmon fillet wasn't as good - covered in a sesame crust and not very flavourful. But overall, an excellent meal. £80 (roughly) for 2 courses for 2 plus 4 large glasses of wine, bottle of water and service.

Excellent choice for theatre district and we will be back soon.

(We've also tried the cosy downstairs bar which is run by a super-charming and super-friendly manager. Will be even better once the smoking ban comes in.)
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Sarah
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Visited The Forge for the first time since its rebranding from L'Estaminet a few weeks ago. Three of us called in on spec at Saturday lunch time and found an oasis of calm from the hurly burly of the area. A warm welcome from staff added to the initial well being. We all made different choices from the keenly priced set menus. Not sure if these are lunch time only? Two of us had Thai green curry which was perhaps a surprising offering for a modern European restaurant, but the flavouring and ingredients were top notch. The wine waiter was slightly stumped when asked for a wine recommendation to accompany Thai green curry, as well he might be, as it was a birthday we settled on champagne which cheered him considerably. We shall be going again.
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Tony - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Monday, April 16, 2007