The Prince Albert

After reading many good reviews about this place I had dinner here last friday night. A 2 course meal for 2 with wine came to £55 not unreasonable. All the starters seemed to be salads and no hot dishes so we didnt bother at all. I had the seabass special for the main which was cooked prefectly (but only one fillet) the side salad was served oddly in a gravy boat ? my partner ordered the pork special which was good though a little over cooked for some and the acommpanying mash was forgotten off the plate entirely, luckily we'd ordered a side of OK chips...for dessert we shared a sticky toffee pudding (which was burnt ) and a cheese board (which was dull and dry)... could have been a bad night. even though it was a friday the place was not busy and cleared out quickly around 10pm...all round just OK wont be going back im afraid :(
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Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Went to this place on friday night and did not expect it to be anything great. How wrong was I? The place was packed to the rafters and we had not booked a table so i did not expect to get a table, the charming waitress found us an area in the bar to sit down and even gave us a drink on the house while we waited. After about 15 mins the waitress squeezed us in and we ordered promptly. I had the seabass - cooked to perfection with crispy golden skin; the wife had the saltmarsh lamb which was perfectly done. This place is a must to visit, a real potential destination place.
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peter
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Sunday, August 17, 2008

Great value for money, excellent quality of food.

We had a lovely evening and the waitress was superb. Can not fault this place at all.
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Louise Caper.
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Lovely, food and service was great. Will definitely go back!
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Jennifer Haskett
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, July 23, 2008

We ate here last night in the bar because it is a nice looking pub. The service was good and the food was fine. My gripe is that it is very over priced, even for a north London Gastropub. Two pints, two sea bass salads, two side dishes and one desert came to £50. And that was picking pretty much the cheapest mains on the menu. They range from £13 on the bar menu (fine) to about £18.50. My other half informed me that the chocolate pudding was definitely worth the price, but the cost did surprise me, even though I am a regular gastro-pubber around Camden / Belsize Park / Primrose Hill.
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Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 4
Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Given that the Prince Albert is very close to home, I decided to visit it a couple of times beofre putting my thoughts down. The initial appearance as you enter the pub is good, the refurb seems to have been done with sympathy to the old place, leaving an inviting ground floor bar area. If only I could say the same for the local environs, but ho hum.

It would be quite easy to be put off by the standard of service on the ground floor and turn tail and run for another gastropub ( though they are a little sparse in this neck of the woods). Confusion, occasional blind ignorance and a reluctance to clean up dirty glasses mar the overall aesthetic.

Persevere, go upstairs, and you find yourself in one of the nicest dining rooms hereabouts, really well laid out spacious and very very welcoming. The staff, too, seem transformed by ascending the stairs and service is attentive. I like the touch of putting bread and olives on the table as soon as you sit down.

Foodwise, I haven't had a bad dish here. Mallard was succulent and gamey, scallops were perfectly done, and the various fish dishes cooked beautifully. Try one of the wine and food matching menus and you are in for a treat, given the price range we are talking about here.

There are a few negatives. The menu doesn't change often enough for my liking. Also, sometimes the combinations of food don't quite work, but I do value the thought that has gone into their prearation.

Finally, and this is not about the food, the atmoshpere upstairs is dire. On my numerous visits, there have never been more than a couple of other diners in the place, whilst downstairs is usually quite busy. So, though the place looks great, the lack of a buzz leaves you feeling somewhat cold.

I hope this does get better as it would be a shame if this welcome addition to the otherwise moribund dining options in this part of Camden were to shut due to lack of custom.
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David Jenkins - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 8
Thursday, February 21, 2008

One or two small glitches, but this place is well worth going back to. Starters were all regarded as very good (though the foie gras which should have been part of one of them arrived separately a couple of minutes later on a plate, still at least they remembered), and mains were enjoyed. One criticism: charging £14 or £15 for 4 scallops with a bit of spinach really is miserly. Otherwise, good cooking, very good service, extremely pleasant atmosphere in the dining room upstairs.
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MarkP - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Friday, February 08, 2008

hi,

a wonderful pub/resturant
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j.jones
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, November 14, 2007