Chapter Two

I have eaten at Chapter 2 a few times and have always been very happy with the food and service (especially for the price) so me and my husband decided to return midweek (a Wed nite and it was still full) and we werent dissapointed, how could you be with £20 a head for 3 courses (from the alacarte menu). We thought at that price the food will be average but we were pleasantly surprised, it was really good.

My meal consisted of smoked salmon for starters, breast of chicken with a thyme foam for main and a chocolate fondant, all very tasty. All washed down with a bottle of red wine.

My only gripe was all the surcharges that were added on which totalled nearly £20 itself which was for my husbands Foie gras starter and beef main so I wasnt entirely happy with that but oh well, it was tasty nethertheless. Also as I was making my way through the very tasty chocolate fondant I noticed a bit of plastic wrapping inside, probably some baking sheet or something, the waitress noticed this and came over and asked if I wanted it changed which was gracious but I declined as I had near enough finished it and it was an easy mistake so I let it go. They took the dessert off the bill and I received an apology from the manager as I left.

The bill came to £85 which wasnt entirely cheap when the meal was £20 a head but with the added extras, £30 bottle of wine and service that was the total.

I would definately return as it was a tasty meal and I live very local. Also try Chapter one in Locksbottom-its slightly better and newly refurbed.
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Sel, Blackheath
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Thursday, June 12, 2008

While I have been to Chapter Two a number of times following my experience on Sunday I will not be going back!

The food was salty, the beef overcooked and when we complained our waitress was rude and very confrontational.

On return with a new plate the table actually shook as they threw it in the table. This terrible serivce continued and we couldn't get out of there quick enough.

Not the enjoyable experience we were expecting
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Mrs Kelly
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 2
Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Given what seemed like positive reviews, we were keen to give Chapter Two a try.

While competent, the food is really nothing to shout about (We had first and main courses, and a bottle to wine). What made our visit ten times worse (and what compiled me to write about our experience) was the APPALLING service and disastrous harassment by a sorry excuse of a manager.

I had ordered a pork dish which I'd found was overwhelmingly salty. To set the record straight, I LOVE savoury food, and can happily wolf down a stack of bacon twice a day no problems - my salt tolerance is, by own admission, above average by a wide margin.

Yet, even with copious amounts of water to help, I could not even finish half the dish even though I was ravenous. That was how bad it was. I asked my husband - an accomplished French chef by training with a truly global palate too boot - to try it. He agreed completely that it was way, way, way too salty.

When the waiter came to take our plates away, she noted my unfinished food and asked if everything was alright. I smiled and simply give her my comment on that one dish. She did the right thing by offering to get me something else, and when I said it was okay I didn't want anything else, graciously left it there.

She handled the situation impeccably.

Before I could take another sip of the wine, the manager came charging over and DEMANDED to know what was wrong with HIS dish. I repeated myself and added that perhaps I would order something else on the next meal there (I'd not given up yet).

He did NOT like my answer and continued to badger us, basically insinuating that we didn't know "high-class" food in the most condescending tone he could muster. The other diners were by then hooked on his public tantrum and our public persecution. By now, I'd lost interest in the wine and the restaurant. So, did he stop? Nope. Before we could pay the bill, he returned to give us another public lecture about how the dish is made!!!!

The lesson here is that you can't always win EVERYONE, EVERY NIGHT. If you can't heck that basic idea, you're in no position to overlook a restaurant floor.

Some days, even regulars will find the odd thing that they are not so fond of. They would/might still come back; newbies who didn't like one dish are often willing to return and give the place another go. However, if you harass your customers and browbeat them because your ego cannot take a little constructive comment, then you really are doing the restaurant a massive disservice.

I was honestly happy to go back and try the other stuff, but thanks to this manager's cluelessness and utter lack of grace, I will never step in Chapter Two again. Even if everything else is divine, you couldn't pay me to go back.
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Chicklet
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 1
Saturday, June 07, 2008

I have lived in westcombe hill for the past 5 years and we have enjoyed many lovely meals at chapter two in blackheath. Imagine my horror at being told that this is closing in July for refurbishment only to reopen as a brasserie -chapter two brasserie!

This is such a shame- the quality has been consistent and trevor is a very good chef- we have never had a bad meal there. from what I hear there isnt even any issue about the returns either so I am baffled as to why they would want to change this in an area where there are not many modern european restuarants at reasonable prices too!

Shame on the resturant owners!
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Sadaf Lynes
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Tried Chapter Two for the first time this week and was really impressed....will definitely be going back! The service was fantastic, the best service I have experienced in a restaurant for a long time......professional, friendly & attentive. The ambience was very relaxing and the food was excellent. At 3 courses for £19.95 I was expecting something fairly mediocre but it far surpassed my expectations. Taste, combination of flavours, presentation and portion sizes were great. I tried one of Gordon Ramsay's new places last weekend, which was a similar kind of place and I must say that Chapter Two was superior it in all respects.
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Sarah
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 10
Saturday, April 26, 2008

Ate here on Friday 15 Feb. Food was excellent. Four of us eating and everyone on a different track. Everyone agreed we had found a gem based on the service, quality and taste of the food, the very reasonable prices including the wine list. All of this 12 minutes by train from London Bridge Station. Based on our experience we would not hesitate to recommend this restaurant and indeed will undoubtedly eat there again the next time we are in London.
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Jim
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, February 19, 2008

We where invited to have a lunch at Chapter2. When we entered the restaurant the first thing we notice was the service and politeness of the waiters. After guided to our table the experience starts with a very taste full starter, a lovely main course and beautiful dessert.
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Wim
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 10
Sunday, January 13, 2008

After wanting to visit Chapter Two for some time, I finally ate here recently, dining on the Christmas set menu as part of a group.

The interior of the restaurant is stylish and comfortable. and the restaurant clearly positions itself as a smart esatblishment. The service is slick and professional, if a little humourless at times - that said, I am a stickler for being served correctly (particularly in this age of 12.5% service charges being added automatically) and I was pleased that Chapter Two did not disappoint in this respect.

Really, the only area where I felt a bit let down was the food. My starter of a haddock and chive risotto was delicate and well-executed... it just wasn't particularly interesting. Although pleasant, the flavours were a little bland and the presentation was unimaginative. I found myself envying the more attractive (and substantial) pressed ham-hock, and the stylishly-presented Jerusalem artichoke soup (which was good, apparently).

I opted for the pork belly for my main course and was disappointed by how fatty it was. Obviously, the whole point of pork belly is that it's moist and contains some fat, but I've eaten this dish a number of times at leading London restaurants and it's always been far better than what I had at Chapter Two. Aside from the fattiness, it was a very unbalanced dish and required more vegetables than the singular accompanying potato. The vegetarian main course option was a macaroni cheese with some cauliflower, which was reported by my companion as being a bit bland.

Pudding was a definite improvement and I enjoyed the lemon posset - this would not have been my usual choice, but I felt overwhelmed by all the fatty pork of my main course, so couldn't face the cheese plate which would otherwise have really appealed. The lemon, apple compote and orange syrup flavours of the pudding were initially an assault on the tastebuds, but after a couple of bites it settled down and became a treat. I would perhaps suggest that the flavours be incorporated into a cheesecake, to stop the ingredients overpowering the diner, but it was certainly an interesting idea and I didn't regret my choice.

I felt that the 3 courses for £19.95 was really good value for a pleasant restaurant, but if I were to return I would want to sample the à la carte menu to see if the food improved at all.
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dawnage - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Saturday, December 22, 2007

Lovely food, good and attentive service, nice interior and atmosphere-good for a special occassion!
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patsy
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Went to Chapter Two a fortnight ago for a Christmas meal. Our meals were good and we all had to admit that £25 for a 3 course meal of that standard was excellent. Where ours fell apart was the service. Two of our waiters' grasp of the English language was so poor we couldn't understand them, no wine or water was kept on the table, which was fair enough if someone ever bothered to check glasses. I lost count of how many times we had to ask for glasses to be refilled. Our main issue was with the bill. The manager refused to accept we had paid an £80 deposit as they had no record of it. Our friend who had made the booking had been taken ill and was unable to join us for the meal; she ended up with a phone call at 11 at night not only with us but also an obnoxious restaurant manager. She ended up emailing a copy of her bank statement to the restaurant to prove we'd paid! He then refused to apologise - it wasn't his fault / he was the middle man / there was no point being cross with him! A shame really, because it ruined an otherwise good evening and whatever good things the chef might be doing in the kitchen is being ruined for him by front of house. I won't now go back.
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Helen Hutton
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 8
Monday, December 17, 2007