Lola & Simon

Spent literally 2 weeks ruminating on, choosing, planning, booking and un-booking restaurants to take my brother to - he rarely gets a night out in London and is a huge foodie. Money no object and he loves eating strange parts of offal and the like. I eventually plumped for Lola & Simon thought is was the perfect choice, the first New Zealand /Argentinian restaurant in the world!!

What a huge disappointment. The menu is a mixture of Italian (Salad of pear and Parma ham) French( cheese soufflé) and gastro-pub ( cod and mash potatoes), yes of course they have Argentinean steaks and New Zealand green leap mussel but I feel that they do not bother to research more traditional home land dishes as they should (see Gaucho grill or Kiwi kitchen). The food was bland beyond belief. After 2 courses of disappointment we decided not to bother with dessert( at 5.50-6pound each)

Overall the service was OK and the wine list had a good selection and the prices of the wines was good

I wouldn't rush back. The food this evening was a real let down
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K.D. - View all reviews by this user
3 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 1
Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Excellent. The fishcakes and steak sandwich were superb, the service was friendly and proactively helpful (not a given in today's world) and they even knew how to make coffee properly. I would definitely go again.

Obviously it is not fine dining (it does not pretend to be) but it is as good a cafe as you will get for a relaxing mid morning brunch or lunch.
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8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, March 09, 2010

"Try it, you will love it" Are you kidding? What a joke.

The food can only be described as childish. Think, of your 5 year old niece cooking you dinner and you smiling politely as you work you way through it. One dish was this poor quality steak thing with melted cheese all over the top with a manky tomato in the middle of it. At best the food was weird but most of it was just bland and uninspiring.

Think the wine was OK though. I drank enough of it just to get myself to the end of the meal.
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Drew Peacock
4 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 3
Tuesday, February 23, 2010

A brilliant little place, it is everything this sort of community restaurant should be. Stylish in an understated way, casual, endlessly friendly and with a small but excellent menu which is cooked and served very well. Nico and Kirsten should be very proud of what they have created in Lola and Simon - it is a brilliant edition to this stretch of the King Street and well worth a trip from the surrounding areas. Try it - you will love.
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10 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, June 10, 2009

This is our local cafe / restaurant and we find excuses to go as often as possible! They have a small well sourced menu centred around Argentinian and New Zealand produce: my favourite main course is the mussels! And they do a great honey lemon drink which I love.

Nico and Kirsten make such an effort for the friendly atmosphere there. Go tonight: you'll love it!
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Hannah
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, May 29, 2009

Very relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. Good food and reasonable prices. One of our favourite restaurants.
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9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Friday, May 29, 2009

We loved the place . The food is EXCELLENT! Las mejores EMPANADAS (the best) we have tried in years.
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9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Friday, May 29, 2009

Simply our favourite place! Lovely lovely food, great atmosphere and Nico and Kirsten are wonderful hosts. Brunch and dinner equally fabulous. (Steak to die for!)
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Lucy (Ravenscourt Park)
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, May 29, 2009

An incredibly welcoming, family run restaurant, always vibrant but never packed, with good food and excellent service. The atmosphere is what makes the place - it's light, happy, unhurried, very much a place you can relax.

The menu is fresh, not too long, and the food has so far been very good - not top-level gourmet stuff but well made and tasty meals that go perfectly with the ambience. The service is brilliant - Nico and Kirstin, the owners, are invariably on hand and are delightful and efficient.

There's nothing unusual or amazing about the restaurant, but it ticks every box, especially the most important one of all, the sense of happiness and comfort.
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8 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Friday, May 29, 2009

There are very few good places to eat in the area, and this is one of the best. Really good food that tastes and looks like someone actually cares about what comes out of the kitchen. Service is always friendly and polite. Definitely worth a visit.
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8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, October 14, 2008