Aura Kitchen & Bar

My partner and I went for dinner on a Friday night around eight, the place is pretty funky inside but is more of a club than restaurant. The lighting is so low we had to huddle around our tiny table candle to read the menu. The staff are smiley, dressed up to the nines in glitzy backless tops and teeny tiny mini skirts and are more interested in chatting to each other than anything. Just after eight there were only two other tables dining and some after work colleagues having drinks at the bar, and even in such a small room it seemed empty. The Shining was playing on a soundless projector screen, not really my idea of a dinner movie.

The food was pretty good, the menu was a little average and limited but beautifully presented. We had battered calamari with mayo, thai green curry with sticky rice and marinated duck with peach salad. The wine was way overpriced.

This place is definitely trying too hard to be an exclusive ‘pretty people’ club and is coming off a little pretentious. We wouldn’t go back nor recommend it for a restaurant but the after 11 club might be ok, no room for dancing just standing around in the dark sipping on over priced drinks in a beautifully decorated room with probably equally decorated people.
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Roxanne
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 4
Monday, October 30, 2006

I dine in aura all the time. I have always had a fantastic time there. The food is varied and always very tasty and the service is impeccable. There is nearly always a little opportunity to star spot as well!!
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Andreas - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, September 22, 2006

I had dinner at Aura a couple of weeks ago with a group of friends and I thought it was amazing. The atmosphere was great and the staff were extremely friendly.

We had Slates to start which were delicious followed by even better main courses. After our desert and coffee we stayed on for the night club which was one of the best nights out I have in london for a long time. The Club is extremely classy along with the crowd.

I would strongly reccomend Aura to anyone who is looking for a good meal and a fantastic night out.
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, April 19, 2006

I was there last weekend. My posh friend Johanna and her pals had a dinner party in Aura. At 21.00 we were there waiting for our table... the atmosphere was amazing, the decoration charming, and my tariyaki tuna superb. but why the waiter is every five minutes coming to charge you in different accounts... the drinks, the menu, after wine, the cocktails (about cocktails i ask myself... The best in the city??? Are we talking about London? Really?)... finally when i was enyoing my dinner someone appears to let us know that we have to pay 20grands in 30 minutes if we want to stay at the club...That was too much for a simple person like me but i decide to stay anyway... After that the music was... just ok (dirty r&b mixing with undanceble bases)and the people was no that high glam posh thing (the thing was... people with cash who couldnt behave after two of those cocktails) and finally i left the place with a acid aftertaste in my mouth. That was my aura experience.
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William Seoane
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 5
Saturday, March 25, 2006

I found it difficult to find, but when I eventually found it my first impression was good.

After chatting with a very friendly Chef I sat down in an incredibly empty restaurant. My friend and I were the only diners at 7pm! When we left just after 8.30pm we were still the only diners!

I found the menu to be somewhat limited and ordered the only starter that semi appealed to me - Thai fishcakes. They were ok, nothing special. My main course of Duck with watermelon which too was ok but not what I would normally choose.We ordered neither dessert or coffee as we decided to go elsewhere for a drink in a place with more atmosphere!

We passed by the cloakroom on the way out, it was very dark and somewhat seedy in my opinion and whilst very clean it felt somewhat seedy.

I sincerely wish them well, but unfortunately I cannot say that I would recommend it to anyone...sorry!
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Alison Thomson
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 4
Wednesday, March 22, 2006

went on saturday night, it was great, food out of this world a hidden gem, service was friendly and attendtive but not in your face, the cocktails where some of the best i have had anywhere in the world and i have had a few. then it changes from dinner to club which really for this time of year when you expect it to be full of anybodys was full of the coolest people i have seen in london and spending big. there was dom and cristal everywhere and the music was fantastic. everybody who owns a flash car, i mean really flash 100k plus should go to aura show off your new arm candy and vertu phone and rub shoulders with coolest people inn london.
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joe
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, January 09, 2006

i went for a xmas office dinner and it was fantastic the service was great the manager lincon superb. the food was out of this world who ever does'nt like this place does not know how to party. which these guys at aura certainly do. i would recommend it to anyone who like great food, service, drinks, people and fun.
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malcolm
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, December 28, 2005

I went for a team dinner at Aura last night 8th December and the service was diabolical - the staff were rude - impolite, hopeless and they said they would offer us complimentary champagne and then they charged us for it!!!!! really terrible don't ever go to this place - shame as the food is fantastic - the chef is wasted here
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Friday, December 09, 2005

From reading most of the reviews and comments you would be entitled to believe that this is a place of sumptuous decadence for relaxation and fine times, emblazoned with gold leaf, and personified by the glistening personalities of its staff and the people that frequent it.

How wrong you would be.

This “club” is of the genre that most exclusive bars subscribe to. Guest lists on the doors, price lists where if you need to ask how much, you can’t afford, and more of a small claustrophobic feel that large lavish venue. This is clearly not the place for your hardcore raver or clubber.

It is pretentious with a capital ‘P’ which may not suit all, but is the authors preferred paradise. That preference being stated, this is still not a recommended venue for socialites, trendsetters or gogetters. I am no Barry White, but I still have soul, which seems to be a lacking feature of most of Aura’s clientele. Yes the staff have superficially created a place where only pretty people go, but the atmosphere is icy, lacklustre and almost abhorrent. Barry White’s need not apply as quite frankly you just wont fit in with the aesthetic criteria set by the manager and their door staff.

So maybe the reason why people go there is the outstanding service, attention to detail and the warm friendly smiles from the staff. Unfortunately this is not the case and the ‘sour apples that visit this basket’ have only been affected by the equally poisonous staff. Offensive, impolite and actually sometimes just downright rude waitresses that seem to have a chip on their shoulder with Door staff to match all adds to the feel of this place.

So why would you go to Aura? Everybody’s entitled to their own opinion and experiences so if you haven’t been then go. At least you will be able to fit in with polite conversation and add your thoughts to the topic. I will however assure you of two things; 1) that polite conversation will have some very impolite words describing your experience, and 2) you won’t go back.

Good luck
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AC - View all reviews by this user
Tuesday, November 22, 2005

What a place - went for a dinner for 12 people - great "fusion" style food, especially rec the duck and mangoe spring rolls as a starter. Then, by 11pm, the place began to transmogrify into a nightclub full of girls who were, ahem, "provocatively" clad...
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Daniel Breen
Thursday, October 13, 2005