Le Mignon

Stay away from this restaurant. The first question the waiter asked was whether we ever had Lebanese food. He seemed annoyed when I told him I had as he was pushy and wanted to suggest what we should order. His attitude was off-putting so we ordered our drinks and I clearly agitated him when I told him I would like to choose the starters myself and depending on how full we feel may order more. He rushed us and wasnt happy that I had a mind of my own. We ordered our drinks, none of which were wine and ordered our mezza dishes. He left the wine glasses on the table and we waited forever to get our starters.

The halloumi cheese was probably the best dish, the hummous was no better than a prepackaged one you would buy in a supermarket, the pita bread was uncooked on the inside and the minced lamb dish resembled a soggy pizza. I am far from a picky person so for me to complain about the quality of food it must be disgusting.

The waiters attitude problem was something which he was proud of and seemed to make a point of showing. Purely arrogant. The other waiter took our menus away from us even though I had mentioned we may want to order more depending how we felt. That was the final sign to move on and get our bill. When he finally came back to our table I asked him how long the restaurant was in business and how I was in town from NY writing reviews on London eateries, He responded quite defensivley and pushed me to answer him on how the food was. I told him the food was ok, (I was being polite) but how the vibe is awful (referring to his attitude). He then claimed they have the BEST Lebanese food in London and how all Lebanese people dine there. So I looked around and brought to his attention how I didnt see any Lebanese people in there. He walked away and stuttered "Well they arent here tonight". By far the most arrogant service I've ever experienced and revolting food. Stay clear. Head to Parkway in Camden for better Lebanese food and staff who treat you with respect.
Comment on this reader review

Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Sunday, August 03, 2008

I booked a table at Le Mignon on the strength of a good review in Time Out. We arrived at 10pm. The quality of the lamb was execrable, and tasted as if it had been cooked and re-heated. Grilled chicken was passable, but swamped in a sauce that tasted like unseasoned chopped tinned tomatoes (this was recommened as the chef's special sauce). Vegetables were frozen (when we queried this the waiter did not deny it - and said "so what can I do to make you happy?"), chips were flaccid and greasy, the tomato salad was made with under ripe and tasteless tomatoes The only reasonable dish between four of us was the halloumi, and the pastries they gave as we were leaving. At least the wine was ok.

We complained about the quality of the food, and were told that all the other customers were happy with it, yet still a service charge of 12.5% was added to our bill, which we deducted from the total. The food wasn't even cheap, averaging £13 for a main course.

I can only assume that we were exceptionally unlucky, or I would have serious concerns about the sanity of the other reviewers.
Comment on this reader review

Ann
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Sunday, December 09, 2007

I went to Le Mignon on a sunday, and as i understand it there are different people there in the week so I cant say what mon-fri is like. My experience was a good one. The food was great, the service was great.

Maybe a bit over priced, but i have had so many overpriced and awful food experiences this was something easy to forgive.

I recommend.......
Comment on this reader review

James
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 3
Sunday, November 18, 2007

I went to Le mignon for first time yesterday even though I live just across the road. As a south- east Mediterranean myself, I always expect too much from restaurants with Mediterranean cuisine. Unfortunately that was a great disappointment. Everything started wrong from the point where the waiter was trying to “sell” the meze platters. Finally he managed to convince us that it will be great value for money. That was way far from the reality though. The mezes were consisted of the cheaper options from the catalogue (all vegetarian) followed by a very small portion of meat which it was meant to be the main dish for two people. Funnily enough, the mezes included halloumi and fried potatoes which none of them is a part of the traditional Lebanese cuisine. The quality was average as most of the dishes were dry and stuffed with garlic and onions. The service wasn’t anything exceptional to justify the12% on the bill. Six mezes, one main dish and a glass of house wine for 48 pounds was enough to make us never to go again.
Comment on this reader review

Soph
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 0
Saturday, September 01, 2007

I went to Le mignon for first time yesterday even though I live just across the road. As a south- east Mediterranean myself, I always expect too much from restaurants with Mediterranean cuisine. Unfortunately that was a great disappointment. Everything started wrong from the point where the waiter was trying to “sell” the meze platters. Finally he managed to convince us that it will be great value for money. That was way far from the reality though. The mezes were consisted of the cheaper options from the catalogue (all vegetarian) followed by a very small portion of meat which it was meant to be the main dish for two people. Funnily enough, the mezes included halloumi and fried potatoes which both are not even close to the traditional Lebanese cuisine. The quality was average as most of the dishes were dry and stuffed with garlic and onions. The service wasn’t anything exceptional in order to justify the12% on the bill. Six meze, one main dish and a glass of house wine for 48 pounds was enough to make us never to go again.
Comment on this reader review

Soph
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 1
Thursday, August 30, 2007

My husband and I have been going to this lovely little restaurant for the last 4 years. We don't particularly like the decor, but we are real foodies and keep going back for the great food. I have eaten some wonderful Lebanese food in Olympia west London and Le Mignon is just as good. The fattoush salad and spicy sausages and babaganoush are out of this world. We will be going back again in the next few weeks!
Comment on this reader review

Anon
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
Wednesday, January 31, 2007

I went for lunch on 24 August. It was very quiet (we were the only people there). Service was prompt and food was good. Little on the expensive side i felt. Six meze dishes, bottle house wine two coffees no water for £48.
Comment on this reader review

Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 5
Thursday, August 24, 2006

Excellent food and service. We came to the restaurant at 10:30 p.m. and did not expect too much as that was the time the last order was taken. The food came out was really good. I'll certainly go back to this restaurant.
Comment on this reader review

Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Friday, May 26, 2006

A true treasure. A quiet oasis on the corner of Delancey Street and Arlington Road this restaurant is so unassuming that had I not been dragged inside by my eager girlfriend ( who later became my wife ) I would never have known what pleasures awaited me. Fresh ingredients are combined artfully to create dishes that explode on the palate. This is not nouvelle cuisine, you get the feeling that every dish is steeped in ancient culture. I think the great secret of Italian food is that all the most famous dishes have been improved upon for centuries and that is the case here.

You don't even need to be that adventurous, a plate of Fatoush (cucumber, lettuce, tomato, grilled bread, and mint dressed in lemon juice and sumac (a leaf that isn't used as a spice in western cooking but should be) combined with Shish Taouk ( like a lighter but much more pleasant (and generally fresher) chicken tikka) are a delicious, and extremely healthy meal all on their own.

Come in, pick up a fork, close your eyes, and listen to the sound of cartwheels rolling over cobble stones in a busy Phoenician port or the roar of Saladin's army on the march.
Comment on this reader review

Matthew Chalk
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, January 17, 2006