Geales

There used to be this great song called "what have they done to my song?" sung by an attractive brunette called Melanie.The lament was about how she had written a great song only to see it faffed around with so much as to destroy it.

I was reminded of this song,when I went to Geale's .I had been to the original, which was not haute cuisine nor pretentious. But the fish was fresh and great. It was simply cooked in generous portions, with lots of attractive little starters and some interesting traditional desserts. Well all that has gone. Designer decor, prices to match, reduced portions, weak service and heavy markups on the wine are the "new order".The old G had charm and presence,even if it was not trendy. The new G has neither, but it is trendy and full of the braying multitudes.
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C.Elder
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 5
Thursday, July 03, 2008

I went to Geale's again recently, having not been for a few years. I like the new decor, smart without being too dark. The tables are quite closely packed together but that's more of an observation than a complaint. The service was excellent, attentive without being over the top, friendly and generally observant and fast. The wine was excellent and good value. My only complaint is that the portions could do with a little enlargement. £67 for three people including wine and service was a little pricey for what we got, but overall it's a good choice for a small group or a meal for two. I would go again.
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Had been looking forward to eating here for a while despite some slightly iffy reviews and tried it on a bitter friday night in January. We had an excellent time. Our french waitress was so friendly and charming and couldn't have been more helpful. The place was jam packed (at least on the ground floor) but wasn't noisy - just buzzing with conversation. As for the food - delicious. The smoked salmon starter was excellent but it's all about the fish and chips which were outstanding. I ordered lots of sides (against the waitress' advice) on the basis of some previous reviews saying that the portions were tiny - looked a bit stupid when we couldn't eat any more and still had loads left! Clearly the portion issue has been addressed...

Overall not cheap but a great place with friendly service and lovely food.
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Jeremy Liebster
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Thursday, January 24, 2008

Went here last Friday for an anniversary dinner. I had booked the table a good month previously and had called to confirm, but when we arrived (bang on time) we were told that people were still sitting at our table, but it shouldn't be long. We were happy to sit at the bar for a little bit, even though the booking was for 9pm (the only time they had available) and we had worked up quite an appetite! Unfortunately, once sat at the bar we were completely ignored, apart from being rudely barged into and shouted over by staff collecting drinks. The girl behind the bar didn't speak a word of english and looked at me like I was crazy when I asked for a wine list. After 15 minutes we were shown to a large table for 5 and told that this would have to do since our table was still occupied. I explained that we wanted the table for two we had booked, but the hostess just shrugged and said "well, what am i supposed to do? They're still sitting at the table, I can't move them". Thanks! So we went back to the bar for another 15 minutes of being shoved around. Eventually we were seated at our table for two, but the service remained awful throughout. First we were harassed about ordering, then once we had ordered the waiter came back 10 mins later to say they'd run out of two of the dishes we'd requested. He also chucked cutlery at the table rudely and just generally seemed clueless. When the food did arrive it was generally very good - the thai sort shelled crab was really yummy, as was the cod and chips, The potted shrimp was ok. The monkfish and lentils special was good too, but at these prices that's what you'd expect. Unfortunately, the rubbish service throughout had thoroughly killed the mood..... Despite the tasty grub I'll not go back nor recommend it.
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Frankie - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 4
Wednesday, November 07, 2007

My boyfriend and me went there for dinner last Tuesday. we both had fish and chips and a side salade, mushy peas and the best service in the wold. The fish was very fresh and the presentation second to none, and cooked brilliantly!
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Lucy Shield
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Monday, October 15, 2007

We went to Geales not quite sure about what to expect, being a customer for well over ten years i didn't want to see many changes in the "new" fish and chips place in Farmer Street but everything was second to none, from the deco to the service, just superb, good value for money at the heart of Notting Hill, could you believe it?
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Julia Evans
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Paid my inaugural visit to the new, tarted-up Geales last Tuesday. It certainly looks nice - elegant battleship grey walls, pristine white tablecloths, and staff in long white aprons & natty little waistcoats. The menu is perfectly edited - all sounds incredibly tempting - basic fish & chips with a few fish of the day & other fishy delights, such as a pint of prawns, smoked salmon and dressed crab. And prices are not too bad for Notting Hill - I think it was £11 for battered fish (cod, hake, haddock) and £2 for most extras - chips, mushy peas, buttered new potatoes, etc. The wine list looked promising too, although the selection by the glass wasn't very exciting.

So far, so good. BUT there was a spanner in the works and it was the service, which was rubbish. I arrived 10 mins early, was seated and given a wine list, and then had to sit there waving and trying to catch the eye of a waitress to order a glass of wine. I still hadn't succeeded by the time my friends arrived. There were two decent members of staff - charming English girl on the door & seating people, and a Spanish guy (the manager?) who was efficient and helpful. But the rest of them! 3 hopeless young waitresses and one waiter with a pretty tenuous grasp of a. the menu and b. English. When they weren't flapping round the kitchen door or gathering around the till point, they dashed past with their eyes firmly fixed on the floor or a spot above our heads, generally creating a lot bustle and getting nothing done. Asking for information on the wine was pointless because our waitress spoke very limited English and looked at me with huge, terrified rabbit-in-the headlights eyes when I asked her about the Argentinian white, before scuttling off to see if she could find someone else who could help me (no-one ever came, by the way, so in the end we went for the American unwooded Chardonnay, which was OK).

As a result, it was one of those meals where there's always something missing - the bottle of water we ordered with our wine didn't arrive, I had to ask for a second glass of wine twice, our second side portion of mushy peas didn't turn up, they then brought some water but only 3 glasses (for a table of 4) etc etc.

The food, by the way, was great, although the chips were a bit dry and floury for my taste. But it really gets my goat that eating at a restaurant like this, with pretensions to style and good food, is so badly let down by poor staff. The conclusion we came to is that either London is experiencing a severe shortage of wait staff, or Geales is paying peanuts & therefore only employing monkeys. Anyway, I'll be interested to see what other diners think.
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Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 5
Sunday, July 01, 2007