Magdalen

Went to Magdalen on a Saturday night without a booking (4 of us in total). We were shown to a table on the ground floor, where they do not take bookings. From the moment we arrived we loved it. The waitress was one of the friendliest I have encountered in London, and made some good menu reccommendations. My starter of pickled mackerel was ok, not great, but not bad. The rest of my party ate potted crab- which was DELICIOUS! it tasted so wonderfully fresh! I did pretty well with my main course of thin slices of Pigs head (i tend to pick odd things on the menu), and the flavours were so intense...lean meat mingled with salty fat- of the quality you would expect in St John. The two guys i was with had the steak, and were very pleased with both the size and the taste. Our desserts were chocolate brownies with bananas - heaven on a small plate. All of this plus a bottle of Sancerre for £50 a head. Not bad at all!

I am not sure why there are some poor reviews, our experience was great, and I am very keen to return soon to try something else on their regularly changing menu. I have heard the atmosphere on the 1st floor where you can book tables is a little better than where we were seated.
Comment on this reader review

- View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Monday, May 28, 2007

My fiance is vegetarian and I suffer from food allergies. As we enjoy eating out and trying out new places, our 'dietary requirements' are always communicated when a booking is made. As we live in the SE1 area, we were delighted to see a new resaturant open with excellent reviews. We booked a table for 5 at Magdalen for Friday 27th April. When we sat down at our table and enquired about the vegetarian dishes ( the menu even states taht vegetarian dishes are available upon request) the waiter replied " I am really emabarassed to say this, but, there really aren't any. We only have seasonal vegetables with ricotta). When the dish arrived it was a few green beans, a couple of artichoke hearts and two dollops of ricotta cheese. I had let the manager, who was taking our order, know that I was the allergy prone guest and he said "no problem, the kitchen has noted down you allergies". Nevertheless, I re-iterated them when going through my menu choice: fresh scallops, seared, no sauce, just fresh garlic and parsley as a starter. Fresh cod, roasted, with a dash of olive oil and green beans. My scallops arrived and they were covered in breadcrumbs and a sauce. The waiter showed my starter ( in a burnt little Le Creuset dish) and said " ahh, we have a problem...there are breadcrumbs". I replied," yes, there are and as I told you I am allergic to black and white pepper and no dobt the dish contains both." He toook the dish back and returned with a 2nd version- no breadcrumbs, still some sauce, which I was assured was just melted butter. I began to eat and immeditely crunched through black pepper. Not wanting to alarm my guests, I reached for my bag, swallowed an antihistamine as I was feeling itchy and then called the waiter over. He said he could not undersatnd how this had happened, but that mistakes do happen. I told my guests that I was ok and that they should continue with their meals, but that I was no longer hungry. The restaurant then went into 'punishment mode'....slow food, ignored by staff. My guests left half of their main course, most of the wine and we left. I have lived in the area for 4 years and regularly eat WITHOUT a problem. If they do not cater for vegetarians, they should just say so. If they cannot prepare food without drenching it in sauces, they should just say so. And, in this day and age, with the strong possibility of someone walking into your restaurant with an allergy, they should take them a bit more seriously. As I told the manager, who thought I was just a fussy eater, allergies can results in fatalities...his reply.....oh, really, I see.
Comment on this reader review

Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Saturday, April 28, 2007

Went last Wednesday with my Mum - she's normally very critical but loved it. We were in a bit of a hurry so just went for main courses. Mum had rib of beef and I had the fish stew. Both were utterly incredible, perfectly cooked and beautifully served. Lovely atmosphere although the tables were a bit too closely packed so I would not go there for a romantic meal! Service OK but not fantastic. Cost reasonable for the quality. Overall, great experience.
Comment on this reader review

Emma V
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Had read a very positive review of this restaurant the previous weekend and it lived up to expectations hugely. Went on a monday evening when it could have been expected to be quiet but upstarirs was full with a nice background ambience which didn't prevent us having a conversation.

Service was extremely friendly without being overly attentive and menu was one of those rare occasions when you could have eaten everything and the wine menu was equally varied and well priced. Starters of artichoke soup and smoked eel were perfect as were mains of slow cooked lamb and rabbit leg.

All in all a welcome addition and a contrast to too many new London restaurants which are stuffy and overpriced for what you get. No complaints and didn;t recognise any of the criticism from another reviewer below, think they must have got the wrong restaurant!
Comment on this reader review

Jonathan S
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, March 27, 2007

I have eaten in many good restaurants in London and the food at Magdalen's is some of the very best I have experienced. The menu is not long but does not need to be as in my experience all the dishes have been very good and there is a wide enough range of imaginative dishes to provide something for all tastes. The sharing options are a great idea too and allows Magdalen to provide dishes that you just can not get at other restaurants.

The atmosphere is relaxed with a bit of a buzz as it is always busy. The decor is understated and nothing special although that is part of the charm.

The wine list is extremely good with a wide range of high quality wines which are very inexpensive for their quality. They have clearly been carefully chosen and the fact that they have not been marked-up hugely in price, which is what many restaurants of Magdalen's calibre do, is a testament to the kind of restaurant Magdalen is.

I would recommend it highly to anyone and will continue to eat here regualrly.
Comment on this reader review

Charlie
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Friday, March 23, 2007

Knowing I had two guests to entertain on particularly chilly March evening I tried to book this restaurant earlier in the day. I know it's extremely difficult to book in London on the same day but it was snowing and thought there would be the odd cancellation. A charming French gentleman took my call and said that cancellations are unlikely but they have a free seating policy on the ground floor.

We arrived at 8:30 chilled to the marrow, through the window we see a group happily getting stuck into a bottle of champagne, appetite duly whetted. Inside there were three staff chatting at the bar and the, presumably, ground floor completely empty. We then have to go through the charade of 'do you have a reservation?' and explained my earlier conversation. All we could get was a visibly (empty tables) lame excuse of 'being fully booked and how unfortunate it was and could we try Borough Market(?)'.

So, I haven't tried the food but very much think I probably never will following this experience.
Comment on this reader review

James Griffen
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Friday, March 23, 2007

At first I didn't believe the receptionist when I was informed that the place was full on all three of the nights I wanted to eat there, how could a restaurant opened only a few months ago be so full so quickly - I suppose Giles Coran and Fay Maschler had something to do with that. Being a local didn't get me any special treatment either which is a bit of a shame, but eventually we agreed on a date. An impressively warm welcome on the night and general attitude by attentive, but not too obvious staff. The menu was very different and interesting and a pleasure to browse. The smoked eel was delicious and so to the potted crab served in lovely little earthenware pots with lids. Mains produced excellent results for all 4 chosen by my party. I know I have hit gold when I find myself envying each of my companions choices as they arrived. I had the beef though and it was truly superb with a robust portion suitable for a man of my considerable appetite. My girlfriend had the brill which was just that covered in leeks and shrimps. We all agreed it was so refreshing to have food cooked devoid of thickened creamy sauces, gravies and jus that are usually used to mask inferior ingredients. Service was very good with our waitress being able to answer most but not all of our questions about dishes. The wine list was varied and great value for money throughout. Finished off with an excellent rhubarb compote which was fab.Complaints? well its a bit picky and only one throughout the whole night, my napkin had a stain on it but the waitress apologised and quickly replaced it. Although not cheap Magdalen is a great addition to the area - and I'll be back soon - if I can get a table.
Comment on this reader review

S Browning
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Thursday, March 08, 2007

Went for lunch a few days ago.The menu is delightful,and the execution of a very high standard.The choice of wines in carafes is also a pleasant surprise and an incentive to try several wines without getting drunk/huge cost.The skate salad was extremely tasty as was the smoked eel-although the apple&celery remoulade could have been a bit more generous.Mains of duck leg was a better choice than the boar and mis-labelled polenta(it was not polenta which is made with yellow cornmeal but something the Americans in the southern States would call grits).For dessert,the rum baba was outstanding;the rhubarb and custard let down by an overly "floury" custard.

Service from the Australian waitress was

particularly good.
Comment on this reader review

C.Elder
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Monday, March 05, 2007

I live in the area and was pleased to see that a new restaurant was opening on the site of the rather tired but dependable Fina Estampa. However, Magdalen is nothing special...and the owners are extremely annoying.

They have tried to copy the Anchor & Hope but are devoid of charm. I have eaten here twice and they say that there menu changes daily...well it doesn't. The date changes daily and maybe one dish is replaced with a dish from two days ago but basically the food on the menu remains the same and is of variable quality.

The sharing plates are a rip off and the food is of variable quality. The owners are smug and rude and don't listen to their customers and do not have the right attitude to be in the service industry. They asked how my meal was and I replied that the sharing portion of Longhorn Beef was too small and not very good quality and they basically told me that I was wrong and didn't know what good food was...and insinuated that I ate too much! This upset me as I have recently had a baby and am paranoid about looking fat!

Should and could have been a lot better...a real disappointment. I preferred the Pisco Sours and Lomo Saltado of its previous incarnation, which is a damning indictment indeed. Manager/owners need to realise that they are in the service business and it is not good business practice to be so arrogant and rude!

AVOID AT ALL COSTS!
Comment on this reader review

M Rafique
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 1
Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Very tempted to rubbish this place in order to ensure I can continue to get a table. In short, wonderful. Plush yet simple decor, intimate surroundings - even when it's full you can still have a conversation without shouting (even after a bottle or two of vino el stumblo), menu imaginative and exciting without being too eager to please. Staff great - they're obviously proud to serve up the food. And I'm not surprised. The foie gras alone (starter) was a revelation. You know when you eat and can't help but grin like a chimp? It's that good. But still - it is a bit cr*p - now I wonder if they've got a table free this Saturday...
Comment on this reader review

Matt R - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Friday, February 23, 2007