Gastro

I have had the misfortune of eating at Gastro twice now - three years ago when I first moved to the area and for the second time last Friday night because a friend had booked it. By anyone's standards, this restaurant serves up food which is of a very poor quality and that is vastly overpriced. Service was slow and brusk, it took over 40 minutes to get wine and water to the table. The steaks (priced at £17) were chewy and dry and all arrived to the table rare, even when one diner had requested 'well done'. The chips weren't cooked through. The french beans had been microwaved to within an inch of their lives and were not 'drenched in garlic butter' as the menu suggested. The staff didn't seem to care about the negative feedback we gave them and blamed it on our tastebuds! They then started making a joke out of our complaint with some other customers who squirmed with embarassment. I can see how people are drawn to this restuarant - from the street outside it looks romantic and intimate, and authentically French. However don't be fooled. Save your money or push the boat out a little further and go to elsewhere. There are millions of places in London where £17.00 will get you a delivious steak and chips. Don't give your business to Gastro, they simply won't appreciate it not do they deserve it.
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Lisa Gibbold
3 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 1
Tuesday, November 10, 2009

I have now eaten at Gastro twice. Most recently on a Sunday evening. We really enjoyed the food which was prompt and delicious and the staff were friendly. The atmosphere was relaxed. We observed a nice mix of people there, including a couple obviously on a first internet date and a discreet family party where the waiters came and sang a french accented 'happy birthday!' My partner and I stayed for dessert, then coffee and were the last to leave. The staff were easy going and let us stay late, just tidying up around us. We're going again next month and booking the big table for a layed back birthday celebration.
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8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Sunday, June 28, 2009

Ok, went last night and here's the verdict: The overwhelming thought of coming away from Gastro is that it is a place that can’t really be bothered.

The menu, the dog-eared, faded, laminated state of which suggests nothing much changes, just feels like a chef who can’t really be bothered to step out of doing just what he’s always done. This must be dull, and bored chefs don’t make great food.

The place is a bit run down and peeling. Fine in some contexts for sure, but again, this just feels like a place where the proprietors can’t really be bothered to do it up at all, as enough people still trickle in for it not really to matter.

The service? Well I ordered a drink, it arrived. We ordered some food, then it arrived, and once we’d finished the plates went, but there was no great feeling that these were people who lost a lot of sleep over customer care, as long as whatever they order gets to the table. But wait, you say. In an authentic French bistro this is exactly what happens. Fine, I say, but when you’re in the middle of London paying top end London prices considering what you are getting, you expect a bit more than the bare minimum.

About six or seven years ago Gastro was a place that people would talk about and recommend to one another. Since then the ‘gastropub’ thing has happened, rightly being described as Britain’s answer to the bistro. There are a handful of very good gastropubs within walking distance of Gastro, that have successfully taken the essence of the bistro, combined it with quality cooking, in a pleasant environment with great staff. Rather than seeing this as motivation to try harder, Gastro seems to have given up, resting on the laurels of its location and reputation.

With some effort and changes this place could be really great, but until then, I just can’t be bothered.
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Jake
3 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 2
Friday, February 20, 2009

Don't mean to sound cynical as i have had some good times at Gastro, but it's pretty clear that they are writing quite a lot of their own reviews on this site, which in itself is not a good sign, but is particularly obvious when put against the relatively indifferent 'real' ones. Going to go this week for the first time in ages, so will see which is closer to the truth. Watch this space.
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Jake Allen
5 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 5
Wednesday, February 18, 2009