Tom's Place

Upon entering university, a friend was invited to Ski For Socialism. He declined. A visit to Tom's Place conjures a similar approach to the Class War in an uneasy alliance of Michelin and mushy peas. I ordered takeway chips and Lincolnshire Fish Pie (or, as it transpired, chips with a side order of battered chips. Scorched retinas, courtesy of the LED menu, came free). Neither were convincing enough to merit a return visit.
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Peter H
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 1
Monday, February 25, 2008

Loved the place - yes, pun intended! Yes it is a bit pricey but this is in Chelsea and were are talking Tom Aitken. The fish was firm and fresh - I had the gurnard - and the mushy peas were are they should be - tasting of fresh peas rather than the usual vinegary grey slush with hard bits in it. They must have been good as my husband eat them and he hates mushy peas. The service could not have been better and hats off to them for the small size plastic children's cutlery. Two small gripes - the plates were too small to accommodate the afore mentioned mushy peas and the lovely tomatoe sauce and for a child friendly place it would have been nice to have had a baby change in the toilets. We will be back.
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Lindsey Anne
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Sunday, February 24, 2008

What a great idea. Let’s sell fish and chips to an up market crowd in Chelsea, a market we know really well as we have a couple of successful restaurants there already. How then, could Mr Aitkin get this so utterly and completely wrong? You walk into the place (sorry that c**p pun just won’t leave my head) and firstly you are assaulted by the bright red oversized LED digital price board. I suppose the benefit is you can ratchet the prices up at a seconds notice and actually blind anyone who scrutinises the prices too long. Trust me, they are extortionate. An eye watering but sadly not mouth watering £13 for a bowl of foul tasting over seasoned Monkfish soup.I could go on about the warm white wine and the putrid onion rings but enough of the terrible food let’s get down to the décor.

It’s like a car that has been designed from a parts bin, sadly parts bins from various manufacturers. A hideous, incongruous train wreck of plastic, steel and glass thrown together with little or no thought. The best is yet to come though. Next to the porthole with a looped cartoon of a ship on the water is a plasma with a film about the good work our boys at Coastal Fisheries are doing protecting Tom's future profits…sorry I mean our fish stocks and the people who fish the seas for their pray for his cooks to ruin.

I have the utmost admiration for anyone who goes to sea for a living, please don’t think I am here to make glib comments about them. Tom has admiration for them as well. I can tell this by the grim expression on his face when interviewing them (the sound was down). He is also a man of the people. I can tell that as he is drinking tea from a mug that is placed in front of him on the formica table. That said, it’s one of those nice ones from Habitat. (Well, he has to maintain standards.) You know, the ones that are white on the outside and all nice colours on the inside, his was pale green.

The sea theme was convincing as a sink had overflowed in the downstairs toilet. In addition I was reminded of the part in Moby Dick when Ishmael checks in at the whalers hotel and orders food and a room. He has been to sea before but even he is amazed at the fact that everything he touches feels grimy with fish and is overpowered by the stench. Please, bring back smoking in restaurants, this one needs it to hide the smell from the vents that seemed to be distributing the cooking detritus directly from the kitchen. After an hour in here I felt I needed a chest x ray. I had to jump in a cab to get back home quick enough to take a shower to wash the experience off me. Perhaps that’s part of the experience, I don’t know.

After being stung for £50 for the aforementioned small bowl of soup, onion rings a tiny plate of fish and chips and two glasses of wine we are asked to donate money to stop Fish Piracy. After being robbed blind I really wasn’t in the mood. Avoid like a unmarked wreck
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Steve
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Thursday, February 21, 2008

I didn't think fish and chips could get this good, honestly. She had cod and chips with mushy peas. The peas tasted like they were once peas, the fish tasted like fish but remained crunchy without the flavour of oil, and chips were chunky and crispy. My grilled mackerel was the best example of similar dishes I've tasted. I hope to return soon.
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Dan - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 6
Sunday, February 17, 2008