Ambassade de I'Ile

we are senior citizens and have been for lunch several times. We have the "menu" and the sommelier choice and have been quite delighted by the attention, service and the delicious food. So the portions are not huge, but perfectly adequate for lunch and as 2 of our visits have been with chums for birthdays, we have been charmed by the birthday cake offered as a treat and not charged.

The food is excellently cooked , served and the staff have been most attentive. I go to the desk to settle the bill and it all seems very comfortable. We shall continue to visit and take more friends there.
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Sunday, August 02, 2009

I, along with three friends, had the misfortune to eat here on a Saturday lunchtime a few weeks ago. From the moment we arrived, the experience was dreadful. The place was virtually empty and had no atmosphere whatsoever.

The service was a disgrace, with a waiting staff and Maitre'D more suited to a Berni Inn than a Michelin starred restaurant. The food was cold, not as described on the menu and frankly without much flavour, but none of the staff seemed to care.

I was so disappointed that I subsequently wrote to the Chef/Patron expressing my concerns, only to receive a reply saying it was all my fault! Well, I didn't do the cooking and I didn't wait on table, so I don't quite understand!

In summary, if you are thinking of visiting this establishment,think twice!
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Laurence Harris
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 2
Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Brilliant restaurant

- food was imaginative and inspiring (we had the taster menu)

- decor, perhaps not to some tastes but I found it warm, intimate and engaging

- service was immaculate

- the chef coming by to greet us was a delightful touch

The pricing is not for the faint of heart but worth every penny since I know I will recall the symphony of flavours I enjoyed for months to come.

Bravo chef!
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A
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Thursday, June 25, 2009

I loved all the decor except the white padded walls. The purple made the place warm and cosy. The service was absolutely impeccable; attentive without interrupting or rushing, and went as far as lending me a pashmina when the waitress noticed I was feeling a bit cold (it wasn't too cold in there, I just feel chilled easily), and the sommelier, unprompted, writing down the name of the dessert wine we'd had and enjoyed. The food was beautifully prepared and just gorgeous. Foie gras starter was nice, but the pigeon main was perfectly tender and tasty.

My only complaint was that the wine list had little to offer under £100; when fine dining we normally look to spend £50-£100 on a bottle of wine and the choices in that range were extremely limited.

Otherwise, a lovely and special night out.
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Peta
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Sunday, March 08, 2009

I think people are being most unfair! This restaurant is fabulous - the food is some of the best I have tasted in London for years and if you read the reviews, you will see that the food scores very highly, while the decor may not be to everyone's taste (but actually I think it is rather nice to be so different and there's nothing at all offensive about it).

The chef has two Michelin stars at his Lyon restaurant, so obviously knows what he is doing. Unlike some chefs, he is very much around, and even comes to the table to say hello to his customers.

Service is faultless, the wine list is extensive but good, and there are some 40 wines for under £40 and lots by the glass so I don't understand what the fuss is about.

Go for the tasting menu at £65, which changes monthly. You don't have to spend a fortune here to have a great evening, but you can if you want to!
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Alistair
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Friday, December 05, 2008

Went to the pre-opening week for lunch. Expensive rip-off. Very disappointed.

The decoration?...very strange, dark purple and white squares....looked like a 1970's office. Hated the walk-in telephone. The plasma screen looking into the kitchen was, in my opinion, pretentious.

Food unremarkable. It took 45 minutes for the first course and there were only 2 other tables at the time. The line caught cod with marmalade ravioli was very odd and did not go together, but I did like the vegetable tart. All in all it took about 2 hours to eat lunch, which is ridiculous.

I completely disagree with the review that it was better and cheaper than Ducasse. Ducasse is far more superior in food and service. You are made very welcome and the service is professional and "quick". You feel as if you have been fed and you can leave with a doggie bag of chocolates should you so wish.
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Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, December 03, 2008

We had a fabulous meal at Ambassade last night. I think the decor is really quite sharp and chic athough the studio lighting is too bright. The food and staff are excellent. The foie gras starter is among the best in London. The sole is a piece of art and my red mullet with new-style bouillabaise was a sheer delight. We drank two bottles of Haut Bages 2005 and a complimentary nightcap of armagnac from Frederick the maitre d' was a perfect finish to a perfect experience. Love the place, I hope it does very well (it was not full.....) It's expensive but so is every top tier restaurant in London.
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Salman
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Saturday, August 23, 2008

I think people are being a bit hard on the place. Ok, so we did pay £380 for 2, and it probably wasn't worth it, but I don't think expensive restaurants are ever "worth" what they charge.

I liked the service and had no problem with the timing of the dishes or with going outside. The smoking area outside was very nicely done, in fact it was so comfortable I think they started worrying we'd done a runner!

The food was accomplished and well presented. We had foie gras and beef. Beef cooked as expected. Foie gras a bit odd, it came with vinegar cherries, interesting but the vinegar was so strong it gave me heartburn.

I do think the wine list is a bit of a joke though. Given the absolutely gobsmacking wines they sell, they really could go a bit easy on the mark-up for the more expensive ones - it looked like it was 200% across the board.

Guess the men are probably not over the moon about the virtually public urinals. Oh, and I *loved* the shagpile, hilarious!!
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Freya
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 4
Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Just two words for the experience: Disappointing and Expensive.

Forget the average prices mentioned on this site of 35 - 44 GBP as you will be much more likely to spend around 100 GBP per person and that is only if you are very careful in your wine selection... We spent 212 GBP for two, with just 2 glasses of wine.

No real complaints about the food. Perhaps not to everybody's liking but It is good and well presented. It is however not the kind of food one would praise in superlatives and in no way it justifies the exhubrant prices charged for it.

Decor is a matter of taste and can be debated, To us it felt more like a modern office surrounding than a restaurant, but that is a personal note. One positive thing is that the tables stand well apart and are large compared to other London restaurants, making a private conversation possible and seating comfortable.

Service was not rude but in not at all personal nor pleasant and somehow we were not left with the feeling of being very welcome, even if the place was half empty. After having asked fr the bill twice, it still took over 30 minutes before it was delivered to our table, with a simple "Sorry" it was placed in front of me.

This place apparently started with the idea that "rich" Londoners will pay anything for a name.... what they have forgotten however is that this name has to prove itself here first and "earn" its customers, as there are plenty of altermatives around.

Lundum's was a nice place with a friendly and competent staff and kitchen at reasonable prices. Not two star, but a far better experience than this one. We will not be back.
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Johan P.
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, August 05, 2008

The place is a nightmare. Went there for a special occasion expecting something expensive but worth it. Expensive it was.

The decor is a nightmare, down to the washrooms which are indiscreet and with a "cave of Dracula decor" in horrible taste.

The food is expensive but not worth it. My steak was cooked very unevenly: part bleeding part toast. The dessert was minuscule and horrible. The wine list was designed with high-bonus but low taste bankers ... before the credit crunch. One is hard pressed to find a decent bottle.

Last, service was despicable and horribly slow.
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Giorgio S.
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Saturday, August 02, 2008