Fifteen

Building high anticipation for a restaurant is generally a mistake and this was the case here. I think the easiest way to summarise was that everything was 'ok' but nothing more, other than the antipasti, which was good. The buffalo moz was wonderful - melting and so fresh. For primi we chose seafood risotto (slightly undercooked) and the gnocchi with pork sausage/meatballs (way too much parsley). For secondi it was pheasant, which was overcooked to the point of tough and sent back. The maitre d agreed, apologised, dealt with the matter professionally and courteously and took it off the bill. He offered a replacement but I was quite happy to have the veggies, which had come as part of the dish - he charged me for those! The other main was the pork belly, which was again 'ok.' Eating in the Trattoria is a little cramped but again 'ok.' The smell of the salmon being cooked was overpowering at times and not great if you weren't having it. I liked the buzz of the restaurant and the staff were very professional in a good relaxed manner, which fitted with their casual attire. I left lighter in the pocket and less than satisfied with the experience.
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Laura - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 4
Thursday, February 07, 2008

Well, after lustily reading the virtually perfect menu days in advance of my visit.. I guess I may be guilty of over-anticipation.

This place is so close to being great, but my one complaint, and to my mind a complaint of the greatest significance.. is this..

The food was over seasoned. As a cook often accused of lack of flavour subtlety myself, I can't believe I am saying this. So, So, So salty. My carpaccio had caperberries and a sauce that stripped the enamel from my teeth. My fish stew the same, too much salt, and I dare say sugar too. It was as intense as drinking pure balsamic. A few spoonfuls and I was reaching for water. I still am. Hours afterwards-I am parched.

Oh please tone it down. I want to come again... for each and every thing on the menu appeals, but I am in fear.. of the very ingredients Mr Oliver is campaigning that young Brits don't need in their food.
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barb brown
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 5
Friday, January 25, 2008

My husband and I decided to try out Fifteen for our 1st year wedding anniversary. We are fans of Jamie and have all his books so were looking forward to it. We are big foodies, and love eating out, but we were very disappointed by Fifteen. We ate upstairs in the Tratoria. The tables were very close together, so close that we could easily read the bill of the couple sitting next to us. The menu choice was tiny, and all the dishes seemed pretty similar. We couldn't see anything we fancied for a starter so we settled for the Antipasti. A mixture of Italian meats, cheese and roasted vegis, simple. However this dish tasted disgusting. We got 2 tiny pieces of salami each, one tasted like a wet dog! One tiny ball of Mozarella each and lots of horrible roasted vegis, how can you mess something like that up? We love roasted vegetables normally but these were so salty (and i like my salt) the flavours were sharp and overpowering. Not pleasant. The main courses were better, but nothing to shout about, we could have easily made them at home. We didn't have wine, but the prices looked very high. The pudding was tastey but nothing special. The bill came to £80 for a disappointing lunch. We would not recommend it and would not go back. It's a long way to go for a meal you could cook at home. Sorry Jamie.
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Katie
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 3
Monday, January 07, 2008

I went to Fifteen for breakfast with my friend last Saturday. We were very disappointed! I ordered my eggs hard poached and they came out runny and had to be sent back. So I sat and watched my friend eat. I ordered a juice which didn't come until I reminded the waitress. My friend couldn't eat her scrambled eggs because they were too oily, but the person who cleared our plates didn't comment. Worst of all there were numerous staff carrying boxes in from outside who kept letting freezing air into the restaurant. We asked three times for the internal door to be closed and yet someone kept propping it open. Definitely NOT worth the journey.
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Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 2
Friday, December 14, 2007

I went to Fifteen last night for Xmas Dinner with my friend. Staff were extremely well presented & the service was nothing short of excellent! However the food was not much to be desired. Presentation was great however was disappointed with the eating of it, it wasn't very well cooked & lacked taste. I do not feel it was value for money & when i received the bill they added a whopping 12.5% service charge. I am really not a snob, i just enjoy good food but i'd rather pay a fraction of the price & dine at The Weatherspoons.
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Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 0
Friday, December 07, 2007

Fifteen was a pleasant, albeit fairly expensive night out. Accepting that a 'taster menu' was never going to fill us up, I did feel that a couple of dishes would have benefitted from a little less art and a little more quantity! It tasted great - but needed to last that little bit longer - especially the main course!

Of our £184 bill for 4 people, £31 was an involuntary service charge. Despite the staff being very efficient and well versed in explaining the ingredients, we would have preferred to have voluntarily added a 10% tip - especially as our meal was already £60 before drinks! We thought it would have been more apposite to sell the menu for £70 if the service charge is seemingly mandatory.

Apart from that it was a pleasant evening. If we planned to go again I wouldn't fast as much as I did during the day and would probably avoid the sparsely populated (but tasty) seafood dishes.
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Jon Braid
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 5
Sunday, October 28, 2007

my boyfriend and i ate in the dining room on a friday evening. we ate from the tasting menu, which consisted of 6 courses for £60 per head. the food was absolutly fantastic, as well as the service. however i have to say for the two of us to have the food and 3 drinks between us the bill came to £170 which i think is a little pricey. but well worth it for a one off occasion
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kelly burrows
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 3
Monday, October 22, 2007

After dining at Maze, Boxwood Cafe and Locatelli's I couldn't wait to see what Fifteen had to offer but after being given the menu I was stuck for choice as nothing jumped out at me! I was very disappointed in the choices but went for the Gnocchi then the rib eye followed by a creme brulee.

The gnocchi was nice but very simple and seemed like a dish anyone could make with a tin of tomato and some meat! The steak I ordered was supposed to be medium-rare and came out rare! It was pretty much tasteless and I kept having to add salt to it! The biggest let down was the creme brulee which tasted like cold custard!

The staff were as helpful as they could be and the atmosphere is friendly and bubbly but I would only recommend going to Fifteen for a drink at most! The food is over priced and under seasoned!

Jamie has a long way to go before coming close to one of Mr Ramsay's restaurants!
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Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 1
Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Wouldn't recommend it, while my food was nice the restaurant was nothing special, they use far too much oil, there was no atmosphere and when my partner ordered the pork, after removing the fat he had about 1 square inch of meat !! Hence we had to go to the pub afterwards for him some more food........

Really disappointed.
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Claire & Darren
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 4
Saturday, October 06, 2007

Such a nice place to go to ! Having tried the restaurant last year (LOVED IT!) we tried the Trattoria this time. Although we got there an hour late on a Saturday night and arrived at 10pm (due to tube problems), the staff was very patient and accomodating. The food was perfect. It is simple Italian food perfectly done with the best ingredients. Everything was delicious and tasty and good value for money. I would definitely recommend it.
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Julie B
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Monday, October 01, 2007