Angela Hartnett at The Connaught

Had an amazing lunch there last week - and what good value for such fantastic first class food. You can chose from the £30 for 3 courses or the £60 for 3 courses, we decided to push the boat out and go for the latter. The scallops were melt in your mouth, as was the duck, cooked to perfection and the desserts were out of this world - the chocolate "soup" came with 4 different mini puddings and a big jug of hot chocolate sauce to pour over - simple yet so effective.

The service was great too - a charming waitress who was passionate about the food and when they didn't have the wine we wanted, didn't try to serve us a more expensive one (which really annoys me).

All in all, a memorable meal. The only downside was the slightly stuffy atmosphere with all the grey haired ladies who lunch. We did feel a bit out of place but the staff put us at ease so I'd definitely go back, it would be great for a dinner date or a special occassion.
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Cline
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Monday, November 27, 2006

We have had a Sunday brunch there to celebrate our wedding anniversary in the end of August. I was most impressed with the service - genuine and attentive (only one mark down - they forgot to bring us a bottle of water we ordered and I had to remind). The wines were superb. The view from the windows very pleasant looking out onto a quiet Mayfair street. They have given us a (3rd!) dessert for our anniversary on a decorated plate, which was a very nice touch. We ordered a 7-course tasting menu. Well... maybe our expectations were too high, but half of the courses were not that special. Others were interesting combinations - nice, but that's it. Foie gras was delicious, but... I get it exactly the same in the Atmosphere restaurant in Chamonix three times bigger for 20 Euro (by the way, highly recommend that place if you are ever in Chamonix). Did it taste special - a creation of a haute cuisine chef? In my opinion, no. For £70 per person that the lunch tasting menu costs I was expecting to be blown away, and I wasn't.

I would not praise the atmosphere either. Maybe it was that kind of day, but there were barely any people in the restaurant younger than 50 (although it was full), and we were feeling a little bit out of place. It was very quiet - it felt as it you'll laugh or say something in a normal voice, you'll make an awful noise. You can imagine it made the atmosphere quite formal. The decor is understated but feels fairly traditional with dark wooden panelled walls.

All in all, we have spent £190 for the two of us and we felt it was not quite worth that much. An experience though.

P.S I think the 3-course lunch menu for about £30 would have been a better option - we've seen people having it and the dishes looked great.
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Natalia
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 5
Friday, September 22, 2006

i ate at this restaurant saturday 16th september and what a real treat this was, have been to the boxwood several times and thought that was great but this was something else.

value for money, i doubt you can beat it anywhere in london,it was well worth the travelling up from hants for this wonderful night out.

very rarely do i eat out locally as i like to cook and i find that i cannot get as good out as i get at home , so this was wonderful,If you appreciate good food you have got to try this restaurant.for sure i will be going back as often as i can.regrettably i did not get to meet

Angela but hope to in the future.
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christina macdonald
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, September 22, 2006

Totally fantastic. Amazing, interesting food, incredibly friendly knowledgeable staff and a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

The maitre D kindly offered to show us around the kitchen and to meet Angela Hartnett and the other chefs which was a fantastic way to end the evening. One of the best eating experiences I have had in London and actually good value for money. It wasn't cheap, but was worth every penny.
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Vanessa
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, July 28, 2006

This is the second restaurant from the Gordon Ramsay stable that I have been to (following Royal Hospital Road) and I think Angela Hartnett has done an excellent job. The only reason this restaurant doesn't have more Michelin stars is because of its size (150ish covers) - the food is easily worth 3 stars.

With this sort of restaurant, I think it is criminal (and possibly a bit arrogant...) not to leave yourself entirely at the mercy of the chefs and sommelier; take choice out of the equation and opt for the tasting menu and get the sommelier to match the wines - you won't be disappointed! If you saw the size of the wine list, you’d also realise this is a pragmatic move!

It felt like the menu had been written for me - I’m really not sure how it could have been any better. Yes, you could argue (as people seem to below) that it is the predictable line up of foie gras, scallops, etc., but that would be missing the point. It is all exquisitely presented, not overly fussy, and the flavours are fantastic. Two of my party thought that the sea bass was a bit dull, but counter that with other things like some of the nicest bread I’ve ever had, the first gazpacho I have really enjoyed and a fantastic cheese board. One less than perfect course pales into insignificance.

Yes, it’s quite expensive, but fantastic value if you enjoy good food and wine. The service was good – attentive and friendly. They even picked up it was my birthday and gave the four of us a tour of the kitchens – that’s confidence for you! It’s quite a nice, stately dining room as well and, being a hotel, is very comfortable for after dinner drinks.

Go now – you won’t regret.
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Ed Gossage
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Thursday, July 13, 2006

Dined here last night with 3 friends and we were all very impressed. The food was superb quality and value. Unusual combinations eg truffle, cep and langoustine worked very well. The floor staff were very friendly and knowedgeable. Will definitely be back...one of the best dining experiences I have had in London.
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Nadia
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Tried this restaurant for my husbands birthday as we wanted to see if it deserved its Michelin star (and Claridge’s was fully booked!).

The service was brilliant very attentive but not breathing down your neck or OTT. Felt really looked after by everyone there. Were taken into the kitchen to meet the chef unfortunately not Angela as we ate there on a Saturday night.

The food was good but not really any better than most so not quite the extra special dining experience we were expecting. Also, they brought the wrong main and said they would take the cost off the bill as an apology. They took off £10, which is hardly the cost! Didn’t mind though as I still ate everything!

We were spoilt with lots of extra food sent by the chef to try and the little touches made an enjoyable evening.

The overall experience was a good night out and treated really well but the food was only good not extra special.
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Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Monday, June 05, 2006

This restaurant is a fantastic. The food was wonderfully imaginative and Harnett's British/ Italian background comes out in the flavours on offer. I had pasta to start (not something I had envisaged ordering before we arrived) and then Hake (quite amazing) for my main. Every taste was a delight which was heightened by the great service and the lovely wood panelled setting. The staff did not even raise an eyebrow when my boyfriend and I asked to share first his dessert and then my cheese. They were more than happy to provide us with two sets of cutlery and slightly larger portions and even asked us which we wanted first (British versus French style). To note, this restaurant is dressier than a lot of the trendier places so use this as an excuse to treat yourself to cocktails at Claridges first.
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Amanda - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, May 25, 2006

I took my girlfriend for dinner at Easter after struggling to find a table at our preferred choices. We went for the 'taster' menu which offered 8 courses. The services was good, the food very good without being great. I enjoyed the overall experience but I would not return based on the lack of atmosphere. The restaurant was busy but there was no buzz and at times you felt as if you could only talk in a whisper. Enoyable but not a patch on other restaurants in the capital I have visited such as The Savoy Grill or perhaps J Sheeky's.
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Rob Yandell
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 6
Friday, May 12, 2006

Lovely restaurant. Lovely experience. Service was impeccable. All lovely but nothing extraordinary. Food very tasty but simply good food you would expect to get in any good restaurant/gastro pub.
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Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Friday, April 28, 2006