Idlewild

I came here last Saturday on a date and had a wonderful time. The service was great and so was the food. Needless to say the date went well. Thanks guys for a lovely evening. I'll be back.
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Mark
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, April 30, 2008

I have been going to Idlewild for quite some time now and would definitely call it my local. Its great for lots of reasons but I would like to stress that of all the times I have eaten there the food has always been excellent. It can get a little noisy sometimes but that is because it is a fun, informal place to visit and it doesnt detract at all from the dining experience. Overall Idlewild is definitely the best place in Maida Vale either for dinner or a well crafted cocktail.
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nicola - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Monday, April 21, 2008

I went with a friend and didn't fancy mash with the chicken and asked for chips, which were a side order anyway, instead of the mash. The chef said no, we'd have to order chips separately. Apparently the chef has determined views on how diners should eat their meals.
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Sharon Hanley
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 1
Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Took some Japanese friends here in January on a Monday night. Dissapointing. My starter - duck liver pate was tasty but my friend's had onion soup which was bland with too much cream. For the main course I had Pig Cheek and chestnut stew which I enjoyed. My friends ordered steaks. 1 ordered Medium the other Medium rare- both came out very rare. My guests were too polite to complain. I know it sounds a small thing but if your paying this amount of money you expect the chef to be able to cook a steak to order. Chips were very oily. Add 1 glass of wine and, a beer and 2 cups of tea and it came to around 95. The food just wasn't worth it. The service was acceptable but nothing special. I won't be going back.
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Jon Grant
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 3
Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Visited Idlewild for a leaving drinks on Wed 30th Jan with a mixed group of aprox 12 - 15 thirty something professionals. To be honest we should have left after our first drink such was the disgusting treatment dished out by the staff. On our first foray to purchase drinks and snacks from the bar one of our group was given a pint of lager in what was clearly a dirty glass. This was obvious to all who took a quick sniff and especially to those who were prepared to brave a sip. In any other bar anywhere a customer handing back a full pint due to the foul odour and taste can usually expect a brief apology and a fresh drink. After all these things happen from time to time even in the best maintained bars.

Alas not at Idlewilde, here you can expect a level of arrogance scarcely believable quickly followed by an argument where a barman blinkered by his own sense of importance tries to prevent you getting what you ordered in the first place. Of course you should remember that this process will also involve the issue of having to pay for your drink all over again as Idlewild has a wonderful “policy” of not replacing drinks.

Sadly this isn’t there only customer friendly policy as the trendy all importants behind the bar had plenty more up there sleave! Within an hour of our protracted negotiating we decided it was time to venture to the bar once more. Surely we thought the first incident was a mistake, perhaps a misunderstanding on both our behalves and nothing more than a funny story to spin to friends another time...

How wrong could we be! This time a pint of ale was added to the large round of drinks. What were we thinking! Having sat down to rejoin the group our ale-drinking friend found that his glass had a large chip missing from the top which he naturally discovered upon taking his first drink.

When shown the problem the barman graciously offered my friend a fresh glass to which he was prepared to pour the original ale into at no extra cost. Now you’ll have to forgive my friend as he’s something of stickler when it comes to little things like maintaining his own health and well-being as he found himself having to point that the missing glass might actually be in the drink.

Astonishingly this didn’t seem to bother the staff at Idlewild neither did entering another argument with a customer in full view of all those out for a quiet drink and bite to eat. Such was the level of frustration experienced by my friend he actually found himself swearing (for which he immediately and unreservedly apologised) at the barman! Though this was in itself an indication of the lengths to which he found himself having to resort in order obtain what most reasonable people might consider a standard level of service.

Following this a somewhat calmer member of our group attempted to speak to the manager but in true Idlewild fashion she was unavailable... No doubt dreaming up more customer friendly policies to entice patrons...

While we never actually managed to speak to the person in charge we were approached by a very pleasant French lady who identified herself as a member of staff and who promised to raise the issue with the relevant people. Although to be fair I don’t think anyone could ever be as naive as to expect this might actually happen especially when considering the fragility of the egos behind the bar.

While this certainly put a dampener on our evening the saddest thing of all is that this really is a lovely bar where no effort has been spared in creating the lovely surroundings. It does make you think that their time would have been better spent in getting the most basic rules of service right.

1.    Treat the customer nicely and they might come back.

2.    Give the customer what they pay for.

3.    Word of mouth is priceless advertising where reputations can take age to build but they can be destroyed in a moment.

With several great bars in the area my advice is to give Idlewild a wide birth unless of course you fancy being driven idly wild.
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David MacSweeney
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 1
Thursday, January 31, 2008

Went here on Friday. Nice crowd, good atmosphere and decor.

The service was a little over anxious, we were asked for our orser four times in 10 minutes. But always polite.

I had duck which was a little fatty and tasteless. Good wine.

Apple crumble a little undercooked. Got noisier as the evening went on, and we founds ourselves having to shout over dinner.

overall - it was ok.
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nisha
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Sunday, November 04, 2007

Not the cheapest pub in the area for a Sunday lunch, but the food was delicious.

2 courses for £15, 3 for £18.

Starters were an interesting mix of choices (quail, sardines, salads etc).

Mains were also varied (beef, sea-bass and a few others).

Service was quite slow (waiter later admitted the chef had made a mistake in our starters order which then slowed everything down) but the food was delicious and for that reason alone I would go back - all 4 adults in our party loved the food.
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Gavin
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, September 18, 2007

I have been to the restaurant here three times and at first it was fantastic but unfortunately has been getting worse each time. The last time I was there I had to send my meal back it was so badly cooked. I dunno whats happened. Early indication were excellent. The bar itself is great and the staff friendly and enjoy making cocktails. Strangely enough two times I have been there a wine order didnt come through. If they get the consistency right this should be one of the best places in Maida Vale for an interesting menu and surroundings.

Must try harder.
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Bobesque
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 5
Saturday, September 08, 2007

My favourite place to dine in Maida Val, we. We have had meals from Idlewild so far and look forward to many more. Fine food that is perfectly presented and a delicious house white that is reasonably priced to top it off. The waitors are noticably passionate about food, which adds to the experience. A relaxed ambience and tasteful decor. It is about £45-50 per person for a three course meal with a bottle of wine.
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Amandha Fernando
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, August 14, 2007

I've had two excellent meals here. The service can be slow but is well meaning and friendly. The food is good - a notch up from usual "gastro-pubs" and the cocktails great. There is a good wine list and draught beer too. Nice decor, relaxed feel, fine for a drink or a three course dinner. A boon to the area (and better than the nearby Formosa Street Dining Rooms).
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Food fan - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Thursday, August 09, 2007