Le Chardon (Clapham)

i went to le chardon last night the food was disgusting service horrible i do not understand why people still going there very expensive i do not come back it very bad place the food taste frozen and i have steak tartare was horrible the meet was not steak taste like cheap meet i had a very bad experience i am not recomended this restaurant
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lucy
1 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 1
Thursday, June 14, 2012

They added 12.5% over my bill which it is supposed to be a voucher with £39 for 3 courses meals for two persons with glass of champagne, nothing mentioned in the terms of the voucher there is extra 12.5%, that’s cheating on people, plus the waitress ask if you like fries or salad with the dish and he didn’t mention you have to pay for that, when I asked him, he said it is written in their printed paper, but same thing not in the voucher instruction, plus the amount of food is too small for lunch.

It is too bad, tricky vouchers, they let me spend about £55 which they supposed to included in their tricky vouchers.

I don’t recommend it at all
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S.P - View all reviews by this user
4 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 0
Sunday, February 19, 2012

Really disappointed... we live in the area and often go to Trinity restaurant which is amazing. We have decided to try a new place and Le Chardon looked really nice. The place is pretty but really overpriced and food wasnt great at all!

when I saw the bill I nearly fall of my chair, they automatically add 12.5% service charge to the bill. I have ordered chicken in white goat cheese sauce and leeks, and got raw shredded leek on the side of my plate and couple of uncooked carrots. I have never seen anyone eating raw leek, it taste like grass. My husband had an ostrich steak (which was nicely done) but again uncooked carrots.

Anyway, I wont be going there again.
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4 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 1
Saturday, August 27, 2011

A few oysters; a huge whole crab with all the lovely crackers and pickers and paraphernalia that come with it; a big bowl of slightly salted frites and a nice bottle of sauvignon blanc. A simple yet pretty perfect a way of spending a couple of hours -- and not one that many little local restaurants offer. And for that, Le Chardon, I thank you.
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James Lewis
7 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 6
Thursday, August 25, 2011

Four of us ate here recently and found the staff friendly and the food just about OK but very overpriced. The other main problem was we were seated at a table for 2 - as were lots of other groups of 4 diners - and there just wasn't enough room. This has never happened to me before and I don't quite know what to make of it. They also added 12.5% service charge - not unusual - but a bit much on top of the prices. So 2 courses - actually 6 starters and 2 mains - with 2 bottles of OK £19 muscadet - was £140+. Point is, for that amount you can eat in Old Town at the Trinity but with a great chef and vastly superior cooking. Won't go back.
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4 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 1
Sunday, January 23, 2011

Went here last night for a birthday meal with my girlfriend and came away feeling robbed! We have just moved to the area so really hoped it would be a nice restaurant that we could visit often. However, the food and service is mediocre at best. Steak overcooked and the lamb came with a sauce that tasted like bisto gravy. The wine was fine. But having paid almost £50 a head the food and level of service (12.5% gratuity automatically added to the bill) did not even come close to our expectations. The first and last time we will be eating here!
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Big G
4 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 3
Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Have just been to Le Chardon for the first - and last - time.

We were greeted warmly, the restaurant looked inviting and there was an interesting selection of photographic art on the wales which was for sale. A highchair brought for our toddler, but it was downhill from there.

Ordering the food seemed to be a bit complicated as we had chosen from different menus (the set lunch and the a la carte).

I wanted a jug of hot water in which to warm my baby's bottle of milk. Had to ask several times for it.

My starter of breaded brie was tasty, but the cheese was very firm and still cold in the middle. My main of vegetable tart was nice enough, but the vegetable lasagne was disappointing. My husband's rare rib-eye was practically blue - the fat hadn't rendered at all - and the frites didn't show up.

The puddings were the best bit. The filling of the lemon tart was lovely, but the pastry not so nice. The toffee pudding was pretty good.

We'd still been charged for the frites, so had to ask for them to be taken off the bill.

All in all, we were disappointed and wouldn't rush back, there are so many restaurants in the area that we'll stick to others in future.
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Amanda
5 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 3
Saturday, November 06, 2010

Le Chardon - what can only be described as a rollercoaster ride of emotions for a Sunday afternoon lunch with my partner and 2 other friends.

From the outset, a lovely little restaurant in a great location. The selection from the menu was great with many different choices to choose from across the whole menu. The waitress was friendly and took our orders quickly and was very atenttive.

The only problem at first was being served a well done steak when asking for it rare/blue. The food was lovely and the 50% voucher we had was a fantastic deal for the quality of food!

The meal went very well and we were wanting round two another time to try other dishes such as the duck, which my parner had which was fantastic, But when the owner served us some water and was not friendly in the slightest and slammed the bottle down and was less than luke warm in his attitude to us, it went downhill in a flash!

The real drama came when receiving the bill. The bill was not discounted for the 50% deal we had found for the restaurant and then when this was changed, we asked to have the 'optional 12.5% service charge taken off as we wanted to leave our own tip.

The owner then asked if the service was bad or anything was wrong and why we wanted to take it off and we simply said we prefer to leave our own tip. He was not happy about this and started to rant about 96 diners the night before who had all paid the service charge, and he didn't want our type coming in and he was the owner and could do what he liked.

Even though we told him we were actually going to leave a nice tip as the food etc was very good, he said 'I don't want your tip, I know what kind of tip YOU would give' - basically accusing us of being cheap. He also said he didn't want 'our type' back in his restaurant, which was utterly disgusting and even messed up the bill by trying to charge for the full price, and after voiding the whole bill and putting the 50% discount on, he still ended up putting the 12.5 % service charge on there and marching off after causing us distress and making the dining experience for us extremely embarrassing and uncomfortable as well as making other diners uncomfortable and disrupting their meal with his outburst.

We will not be going back to this restaurant and advise everyone to be very careful when dealing with an owner who is very volatile and does not know about customer service whatsoever and completely ruied what was turning out to potentially be a regualr for us for food!

Disgusting is all I can say - what a shame!
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2 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 1
Sunday, October 10, 2010

Myself and 3 friends went here because we had a 50% voucher from vouchercloud. Initially we were impressed, the waitress was friendly and the menu was extensive.

Starters were really good and we didnt have to wait too long. The main courses were good although my partner asked for rare steak which came out well done. When we pointed this out the waitress was happy to take it back and change it.

The one major negative was the service from the manager, he was continually rude and seemed put out when we asked for more drinks, slamming them down on the table. Despite ths the food was nice and we were talking about bringing more friends here on another visit.

The drama then began when we asked for the bill. It took about 15 minutes to come and it did not have the 50% deduction that the voucher had entitled us to. My partner went to ask for the voucher to be added and also for the service charge to be taken off as we prefer to leave a tip based on the service that we had recieved. When the manager came over he asked if there was anything wrong with the service. We told him that there was nothing wrong but we just prefer to decide what to leave as a tip. he then asked 'are you going to leave the same amount as service charge'. We politley told him that we will decide what to leave as the service charge is optional. What happened next can only be described as embarrassing! The manager began to raise his voice and say things like 'i know your type, i am the manager and i dont want your type here'. We told him that he was being very rude and making a scene. We were more than happy to leave a generous tip. He continued to raise his voice, shouting up and down the resturante and pointing at us from accross the room. In all my life i have never recieved such disgusting customer service and especially did not expect to be treated like this in such a nice area of London. When we came to pay on card he put through the full price of the meal and tried to make us sign for this.

All in all the food wasnt bad but the attitude of the manager towards his customers was like something iv never experienced before. I would never go back again! I would suggest to the manager that if he does not wish to give away food for 50% off then do not participate in these schemes! BEWARE GO HERE IF YOU WANT TO BE TRATED LIKE A PIECE OF DIRT
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Laura
2 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Sunday, October 10, 2010

i love this restaurant and go on a regular basis with, friends and when my parents visit. i have never had a bad meal and the service has always been fantastic. and the coq au van is absolutely amazing! i would recommend this restaurant to everyone.
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amelia
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, September 15, 2010