Bel Canto

Visiting Bel Canto on a Saturday evening with my wife, we have been surprised not to find it brimming with diners. This has in no way affected their service or the performance of their excellent artists.

We have experienced exceptional service and have both enjoyed all 3 courses of our respective meals. In my opinion the cuisine was not overly imaginative but apart from this, we can not criticize the food.

Too be honest, even had the food been close to awful, we would probably still recommend a visit. We have expected a decent meal and some background piano, with the odd vocal performance by the restaurant staff, but we were pleasantly delighted to have been entertained throughout the evening, by professional opera singers and opera students.

Opera over dinner, may not appeal to every person but we have enjoyed this tremendously, even though we are by no means opera buffs. The evening remained pretty "light” throughout, diners receiving personal attention from the artists, whom also serve your meal and offer a bit of friendly conversation in a non intrusive fashion.

Will we visit Bel Canto again? Yes

Can we recommend it? Yes, and not only to lovers of fine cuisine or opera lovers. Anyone looking for a special evening will find this a memorable experience

Value for money? This is probably some of the best value we have ever had for our money. We have been provided an experience which would usually be limited to the very privileged for the price of an average city dinner
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Monday, December 22, 2008

My partner and I visited this restaurant on Friday night and found it absolutely delightful. It was quite something to be entertained by top class opera singers during our meal. The decor was wonderful and all the waiting staff were very friendly.

We also loved the meal; in our opinion, it was French cuisine of the highest order. We both had the steamed mullet to start which was stunning, our only complaint being that there was not enough of it. The sea bass for main course was simple and delicious, while my partner had the lamb fillet which he said tasted lovely. The Bailey's creme brulee to finish was very more-ish.

We would recommend Bel Canto to anyone looking for something diffferent in London...a meal out and a night at the opera combined. But be warned - it is quite expensive.
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Karen Roberts
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Sunday, October 12, 2008

The atmosphere of the restaurant is very good and much of the opera singing is of very good quality. I would certainly recommend it for a different atmosphere and experience. The let down is the food, which is on the bland side. Chicken liver tartlet was accompanied by a white Bechamel sauce which anyone could do at home. Apple souffle was far too eggy and the apples tasteless.
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Sandeep Sharma
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Sunday, October 05, 2008

I went to this restaurant on Friday night with 3 friends and found the experience enchanting. The quality of the French food is excellent. I had lobster with foie gras to start with (my only complaint being the small size of the lobster- it could actually have been a large crayfish, but either way it was lovely); Steak (perfectly cooked) with foie gras for main, and a baked apple soufflé for dessert. All of this was of very high quality, though vegetarians may want to look at the published menu beforehand.

Of course the real joy of this destination is the opera, and this too was sublime. 4 or 5 different singers entertained us with various arias; most of which were fairly well known, and all of which were sung to a professional standard. Some of my friends had told me they'd find it intrusive, but it's far from it. The format is that they perform roughly every 15-20 minutes, walknig round the restaurant, or stood in-front of the piano; in between there is some light piano music being played. Everyone was very friendly, and the staff and singers are mostly French.

The only negative (and it's really not) about le Bel Canto is the price. Even with a 50% food discount, and with half a bottle of wine each, it came to £80 a head. However, considering the price of the ROH these days, and the quality of food and proximity of singers, this is well worth it for a different evening out.
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Monday, September 29, 2008