Madsen

Went for dinner at Madsen the other day and had an amazing experience. This little restaurant don't deserve all the bad reviews it has received. It must have been bad luck...

The food was excellent and the staff polite and helpful. I think Madsen represents Scandinavia perfectly and I will definitely return.
Comment on this reader review

- View all reviews by this user
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, August 08, 2011

We tried the Madsen Christmas Buffet and were generally pleased with the food itself. Being Scandinavian, we had a clear idea on what to expect and while none of the dishes stood out as amazing, they were all authentic and fairly nicely presented.

However, at roughly 45 pounds per person (buffet plus two drinks and coffee) I would have expected a lot more in terms of quantity and quality. Madsen did not deliver good value for money. We felt a more appropriate price for the product received should have been closer to 25 pounds per person (yes, it was just that mediocre).

Additionally, the staff seemed more interested in chatting between themselves than attending to the customers. I literally had to get out of my chair to order my second beer as no staff came around to ask me if I needed one.

To top it off, they tore my wife's coat tab (despite her warning them to be careful with it) and did not even have the decency to apologise for it.

We will not be returning to Madsen, and would not recommend it to anyone unless they are desperate for Scandinavian food and willing to pay for more they they will get.
Comment on this reader review

2 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Saturday, December 11, 2010

We were 8 people who had Madsen's special crayfish menu last Saturday.

Unfortunately I have to say it was absolutely awful.

Being Scandi myself I know how the crayfish are supposed to taste. These crayfish weren't cooked in the proper way - with crown dill; probably just with normal dill (not the same taste at all). Moreover, they were not served in their sauce, which made them dry. The taste was 'muddy' - eeewww...

For 35 pounds each we got 400grams of these horrible crayfish as well as a few other snacks like cheese, quiche etc. It wasn't much food per person. Inclusive of wine and 1 schnapps each we paid 70 pounds each. Rip-off.

Won't go back. I regret that I didn't complain there and then, but felt bad about 'destroying' the ambience for my friends who organised this evening/booked the table.
Comment on this reader review

Marianne Stromstedt
1 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Thursday, September 09, 2010

Went for lunch with a friend.

the restaurant was not crowded,we decided what we wanted and the waitress appeared with no notepad or pen. Much as it pains me to say this, I agree with Michael Winner that this is not a good sign. I asked the waitress to write down our order,she assured me she could remember it.I insisted politely,saying it would avoid any confusion.She held her ground.I finally asked how the chef would know what we ordered without an order slip,and the sequence of prep in the kitchen without an order slip(yes,I have watched kitchen nightmares!).She still insisted.I pointed out the other 2 waitresses both wrote everything down.Still, no joy.At this point,I should have left,but my wife was getting embarrassed.So we ordered.

Then,of course,as M.Winner predicted..while food showed up at the tables where the waitresses wrote down the orders,nothing appeared at the tables of our waitress.We waited 30 minutes,still nothing,and asked for an update,especially as our first course just needed to put the jarred herring onto a plate .We were told it was on its way,and that was the last we saw of our waitress.We stared at the other tables waiting helplessly,then after a further 15 minutes with no food or drink,we left.

M.Winner was right-avoid restaurants where the waitstaff does not write down the order.
View/Add comments (2)

C.Elder
1 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 2
Thursday, September 02, 2010

Our first time in a Scandinavian restaurant and we were positively impressed. Their lunch menu has both open sandwiches (on homebaked rye bread we learned), herring platters and meaty/fishy warm dishes. I particularly enjoyed the Danish meatballs and the small herring platter. I ended up with one of their Scandinavian cookbooks that I find very inspiring. All in all a very good experience.
Comment on this reader review

Jane H
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, August 04, 2010

My wife and I had dinner in Madsen last night. As Danes we really enjoyed the interior that is light and very autentic. Our waitress was Swedish but managed to pronounce the Danish dishes quite well. My wife had the set menu with baked salmon and "red berry stew" and I had Danish meatballs and "Koldskaal". It tasted wonderful and was definitely made from fresh produce. We are glad to see a Scandinavian restaurant in London and we will be back for Christmas!
Comment on this reader review

Uffe O Jensen
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Thursday, July 22, 2010

Yesterday we had one of the most unforgettably awful eating out experiences in our lives, all thanks to Madsen. We had to wait 1.5 hours until the main was finally served, it took our waitress ages to get to our table when we called for her and we all had an impression we were avoided deliberately, as we saw her colleague telling her we need her, her looking at us and then disappearing behind the bar, sorting out clean glasses. We also ordered the set menu, and to our surprise, the dishes that they brought to us were completely different (e.g. haddock instead of lamb for the main). When we brought this to the attention of the staff, they just said we probably had the wrong menu, from the last season. Where was she looking when I pointed my finger at lamb when ordering it? The price for two menus was also different, we ordered the one costing £19, but had to pay £25 for the waitress’s mistake. Furthermore, the washroom stank awfully, like it was not cleaned for ages. Basically, we followed other people’s reviews and were terribly sorry we even set foot in this place. Unless the management hires people that actually care about the job and the place, it would remain one of the worst restaurants in London.
Comment on this reader review

2 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Had a fatastic meal in Madsen back in August. Thoroughly enjoyed the food and the entire meal experience.

Not being familiar with Danish food, i was interested in the typical dishes. We tried lots of unusual dishes, all of which were tasty and well presented. I especially enjoyed the Swedish Pear cider!

It was a pleasure to dine out in such a fresh environment and would strongly recommend a visit.
Comment on this reader review

O.A.V Wharmby
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Dined here on a Tuesday night. We had booked reasonably early so the restaurant was quiet, in fact uncomfortably so. You were a bit afraid initially to talk above a whisper but it got better as a few more people turned up. I went for the special of meatballs with braised red cabbage which turned up with a rather thick looking gravy with a skin on it. Meatballs were nice enough - like the ones in the IKEA café, only bigger (but at £12.50 one would expect so!). My fiancée had plaice, which was fine, but nothing to rave about. Overall - nothing big to fault, but pretty unremarkable.
Comment on this reader review

George
4 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 6
Wednesday, October 21, 2009

We went to Madsen this week to celebrate a special occasion. My husband is half-Danish and we are both very fond of Danish cooking. The room is airy and well designed. Lighting is excellent and the music is just at the perfect volume. Tables are rather cramped, but that shouldn’t be a problem if you are having a romantic meal.

We had been there before twice: food had been good (if not memorable) and service friendly. Unfortunately, they seem to have had an off day when we last visited.

We ordered one three-course menu of the day and two courses plus dessert. The first course was herring: the fish was smooth and flavoursome. Unfortunately it came with crouton-like cubes of bread which were sticky to the point of resembling toffee when they came in contact with one’s molars. At first we thought they might have been lightly fried and that had changed their consistency but finally concluded that the bread was probably old and had been overheated. We left most of them and, surprised as we were by this little ‘let down’, we mentioned it to the owner when she came to take our plates. We complimented her on the fish but also asked how the bread had been prepared. She was seemingly taken aback by the question and did not offer an immediate answer. We then mentioned that they were remarkably chewy to which she responded that nobody else had said anything (even though we were only the second table they were serving that day). She then said the bread had been warmed up in the oven but seemed distinctly annoyed by our question. We forgot the matter and moved on to our main courses which were reasonable.

When we got the bill, we discovered we had been overcharged by two pounds. Again, we mentioned this and said that it did not matter as we would simply reduce the tip accordingly. The owner, very clearly annoyed, said it was our fault anyway because we must have not mentioned that we were having the menu. We are certain that we had but again said we did not want to argue over it. Despite this, she took the bill again and came with an amended version. She then said it was our fault again. We couldn’t believe it but, having soured our evening, we paid and left sad and disappointed that we no longer have a local Danish restaurant we can trust and enjoy.
Comment on this reader review

Martha
5 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 4
Thursday, September 10, 2009