The Warrington by Gordon Ramsay

I am usually a huge Gordon Ramsey fan so was expecting greatness but alas, the Warrington just doesn't deliver. Bring back Ben's Thai!! [the former restaurant]

We went to the Warrington on Friday night and were sorely disappointed. The food was decidely average.

The scallops to start were delicious but the meal went rapidly downhill from there. Our party ordered steaks and crab cakes for our mains. The crab cakes tasted as if they were bought from a supermarket and the steaks were nothing special. The chips accompanying the steaks looked anaemic!

As for desserts, the sticky toffee pudding was very sticky and sickly sweet and the chocolate fondant was over cooked. It may as well have been chocolate cake!

The Warrington could easily feature on Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares!!! I think Gordon needs to spend a bit more time in his kitchen as the high standards he usually maintains at his other restaurants just aren't evident here! What a shame....
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SM
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Went for a mid-week lunch.

Starters (crayfish cocktail and duck pate) were full of flavour and wittily presented. Nice brown bread rolls and beautiful salted butter.

Mark ups on wine list reasonable (having dined at other Ramsay places, I know you can get the same wine here with a lot less mark up!). We had an English wine - nice to see this option on a small list.

Main courses outstanding. Husband ate pork with lavender and apple - wonderfully succulent and sweet. I had roast chicken - again, full of flavour, succulent, well seasoned, beautiful crisped skin and buttery juices. Very generous portions!

Side order of the most beuatiful chips I have ever tasted (much better than the triple-cooked chips of the hind's head) - well seasoned, crisp but not overcooked. Rocket salad very nice.

The flair in the kitchen really sings through in a simple menu cooked unfussily. Finished with a simple knickerbocker glory (I like the Warrington's sense of fun).

Service was sweet and personal, though some confusion over giving us a wine list and then allowing us to order wine! A small point. Decor far from the bland verdict given by other reviews on this site, made small nods to the styling of the downstairs pub - the frescoes, the draped curtains, the cast iron table bases and fresco. Attention will be on the food.

Shame we were one of only 5 tables that lunchtime.....don't know where rest of London was eating, but i doubt they'll have better food, and at a great price.Do arrive early to enjoy aperitif in downstairs pub...husband assures me there a lots of old boozers with this much character, but I haven't seen them.

Dress code is described as casual...I think most would feel uncomfortable in the restaurant in jeans or anything truly 'casual' though.
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Food great but not outstanding for the price. Some mistakes made on ordering. We went for a drink downstairs afterwards and the toilets were flooded with urine which apparently happens all the time according to the locals.

Nice pub but sort out the toilets Gordon!
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Ed
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 6
Friday, July 25, 2008

We had been looking forward to visiting The Warrington and after making an enquiry earlier in the week I was surprised to hear that they had availability at 9.30pm. We arrived no later than 9.35pm and were told that since we were late, the kitchen was about to close and we needed to order immediately. Our entrees and mains were then rushed through - as soon as our entrees been cleared, our mains arrived. Our wine did not arrive until the main course, and only after us having to remind the staff of our order. My asparagus entrée and chicken main course were very good, although my boyfriend's lamb was very tough - for £19.95 we had expected a better quality piece of meat.

All in all, the visit was rather disappointing. We felt rushed and, as we had not had a break between out entrees and main courses, far too full to even consider desert. If the kitchen needs to close at 9.30pm, why continue to take bookings at 9.30pm? We will return for a drink in the downstairs bar but will think twice before returning to eat at the restaurant.
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Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
Tuesday, June 03, 2008

With excitement, we decided to try out the new offering in Maida Vale for a late lunch. We are frequent visitors of the other haunts in Maida Vale and were keen to see what Gordon & Co had to offer.

The new dining room upstairs was nicely decorated and there were more people there than expected on a Wednesday afternoon.

The menu was OK, felt a bit retro but not great if you are a vegetarian who is not a fan of blue cheese (actually then the choice was extremely limited). We opted for the safe options of the steak and suckling pig. Compared to similar offerings elsewhere - we were actually disappointed. The chips were pale and unexciting and the sauce could have been out of a jar. However, the steaks were nice. We were a bit perplexed that the suckling pig was only served with apple - and little had we expected - a whole apple.... it was, however, nice and with great crackling.

The greatest disappointment came with the dessert - I opted for a strawberry trifle and was looking for a nice version - but out came one that could have been picked up in the supermarket. The strawberries had been replaced with Del Monte's fruit cocktail and the cream came out of a can..... this was not the experience that I had expected by Gordon & Co. My partner had opted for the banana split - and was rightly disappointed, with unripe bananas, just vanilla ice cream and biscuits out of a packet.......

In view of all the other great eateries in Maida Vale - this is likely to be our one and only try of this restaurant - that is unless there is a new chef and a new menu.
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Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 4
Friday, May 23, 2008

We went to The Warrington on Saturday for dinner having booked about a month and a half in advance. I wasn't sure what to expect because of the hype but kept an open mind.

The pub was very nice with great staff and we had a drink then went up to the dining room. The room is quite plain and the tables down the sides of the room are pretty close together, we were seated and then asked if we could move to a circular table with more room which the waiter said we could, but then the maitre'd said we couldn't explaining to us: " the circular table is not free that is why I didn't show you to that table" Nice!

Anywho the food was pretty tasty and the service was good although they need to sort out the springy floor, my food did bounce a little when people walked past. Anywho I probably would go back for lunch or try some of the bar snacks down stairs. Definately worth a look and much better than the Formosa Dining Room down the road..
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Phil
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 5
Friday, May 16, 2008

This place has the potential to be amazing - downstairs is exactly what you expect - proper no messing around pub - lots of character and comfy sofas and a fab old school bar menu... you go up stairs and is a "nice" and "pleasant" dining room - nothing wrong with it - just nothing to write home about. The menu is perfect -a good selection of choices so everyone's choice is catered for - yet not too long that you spend 20 mins deciding what to have. The service was very good - and the waiting staff were very accommodating - shame the same couldn't be said about the chef. .. this is why I have rated service so low - I appreciate that I am sampling great food - however I am having to pay more for his talent and if he doesn't want to divert from the menu then I don't understand why he doesn't work in a Beefeater. I'm not a fan of duck but it came with my fav..bubble n squeak. On ordering my steak I asked the waiter for a side portion of bubble n squeak - no problem...halfway through my risotto (fabulous!) I was told that I "couldn't have" it after all- due to the fact that there was only enough for the duck! Erm... there are potatoes and cabbage as side orders - is it that hard to fry them both together? Also I'm sure if I had offered to pay for a whole portion of duck - £13 - it wouldn't have been a problem!! As we were guests of some friends I felt I couldn't complain - so I decided to leave it there. Then my friends suckling pork didn't come with ANY veg - just apples - she then asked for roast potatoes -was told yes - only to be told later that they only come with the special! It is the responsibility of the establishment that their customers return and accommodate their needs - within reason. I have worked for several restaurants and it was drummed into us that to ensure the clients enjoy the experience then they will always return. The last straw was that when we ordered a cappuccino - with no chocolate- and requested some -we were simply told that no chocolate is available as "Gordon doesn't like chocolate on cappuccinos". Now come on - there is no denying that Mr Ramsay is a great chef and no doubt knows more about food then little old me - but is this not a tiny bit arrogant to say that the Italians don't know what they are doing? - Fine if he doesn't like chocolate on a frothy drink but don't dictate to your customers how this should be served and take away their choice... its the equivalent of refusing to offer salt and pepper! My final issue was that the custard was luke warm - Again a matter of taste but to me either hot or cold not in between warm and cold. However as said the waiting staff were very apologetic and almost seemed embarrassed that our simple requests could not be fulfilled - and the size of the meal was just right and the risotto was probably the best I've had...As it is fairly new - I guess they can only learn from feedback - but I'll give it at least 6 months until I return
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Victoria
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Monday, April 21, 2008

I had lunch at The Warrington with some friends on Saturday. The downstairs pub has been refurbished without taking away any of the wonderful features and upstairs is light and airy with a relaxed atmosphere. Service was excellent - the staff were helpful and attentive. Good wine list and the food was delicious and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. Prices were fair for a Ramsey gastropub and you certainly don't feel like you are being ridiculously overcharged. I would definitely go back and the snacks menu for downstairs also looked like it was worth a try!
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Monday, April 21, 2008

Had a great meal at the Warrington a few weeks ago, so I returned to find the food and service to be just as good as the first visit.

The food is everything you could wish for in a local bistro. It is not Michelin Star food, but it is good food, cooked well. The service was without fault, even though the receptionist could learn to smile (then again this is the same everywhere).

In short, I am not sure I would not make a special journey across town for the Warrington, but if I lived in the area I would dine there regularly.
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, April 09, 2008