The Boundary

Excellent Franco-English food, good service and amazing venue. I am looking forward to go back again!!
Comment on this reader review

Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Saturday, January 23, 2010

Too much fawning for my liking. Totally obtrusive when we were trying to have a conversation. I don't know how many times I politely said I could pour my own wine only for a new person to come up and do it all over again.

Having said that the food was pretty good and the place was quite cool.
Comment on this reader review

benjamin163 - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Over rated, over priced, and average. Baguette clumps with butter while waiting (not nice Italian bread from their shop downstairs which they could have coughed up for!), average starter, expensive maincourses (we settled on Chateaubriand for £46) and the meat was CHEWY, fancy that in such an expensive restaurant. Service mixed, the maitre d was lovely the waitress not so. Tap water offered which was a real plus. Ok decor, quite liked the open kitchen. But Boundary is in my opinion all style no substance, we wont be returning or recommending
Comment on this reader review

Vicky
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 2
Sunday, October 04, 2009

What a place to find!!! the website states it's a 5 minute walk from Old Street - they lied!! what's more it's extremely difficult to locate as their website map is printed in pale ink and impossible to read. Anyway enough of the moaning!

We'd booked the rooftop restaurant but sadly closed due to rain..

The 2 of us were sat at a sort of banquette against the wall immediately behind where they keep the glasses. We should have asked to be moved as it's probably the worst table in the place. And why do restaurants think you can talk to someone where you're sitting side by side?! Very odd but quite common.

We chose the set menu which was SUBLIME - worth the walk, the aching feet and staring at rows of all those slightly smeary glasses.

If you want the loos, don't do as I did and walk up the stairs (the restaurant is in a sort of basement) cos you'll never find them!! If you go in the lift (so to speak!) it's easy peasy!

Off the beaten track, a bit gloomy, an uncomfortable mock art deco bar - but simply superb food which is what it's all about!!!
Comment on this reader review

Sally A - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 9
Friday, September 18, 2009

Some of the great things about eating in a Conran restaurant: the sense of air and light in the dining room lay out, the attention to detail in the decor, the near perfect lighting. Boundary adds simplicity with panache to its food. The bad things about eating in a Conran restaurant: everyone eating and working there knows it is a “Conran restaurant” and behaves like someone shoved a stick up their behinds.

Notes to the maitre d: 1. Food can be served and enjoyed in an informal atmosphere. Tell your staff they can relax a little when serving and enjoy themselves. 2. If you take bookings for tables at 10pm, and you don’t seat them until 10:20, don’t start trying to shuffle people out of the restaurant at 11:45. 3. It's called service, not notice. London’s cognoscente will quickly learn to avoid if you harrass them while they are trying to enjoy themselves paying £200 for a meal for two.

Rabbit was good, but not a patch on the rabbit at Passione. The chicken my girlfriend had was average. I found the food no better than palatable and the atmosphere less than saccharine. It’s the kind of place you would find high ranking advertising executives eating: I can think of no worse commendation for a restaurant. Avoid.
View/Add comments (1)

Richard
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Thursday, September 17, 2009

Very nice setting for grub...And that's about it! Service was generally good but we were served by 6 different waiters and they were generally falling over themselves. They could let 50% of the staff go and there would be still too many! The staff were friendly though!

Food - Hugely disappointed. 3 of us each had different starters and main courses. I had the steak (dry to the bone) + chips - yuk! My missus had the fish platter. Far too many sea snails (does anyone eat them other than French people?)

My missus went for the raspberry soufflé - it was like Angel delight - and i don't mean any disrespect to angel delight - if it had been angel delight she would have been happy enough. 2 nice bottles of wine consumed. When our bill came it was £240.00 for 3 of us. They included £25 quid for the service (honestly it wasn't that good).

If anyone really thinks that this restaurant is great then get yourself over to Bistroteque off Cambridge heath road and get French cuisine the way is should be cooked and you wont feel like you have been mugged when you leave..
Comment on this reader review

Paul Ross
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 1
Sunday, June 28, 2009

Fantastic front of house managed to find us a table on the rooftop. Sadly after that the service dwindled to being almost non-existent. We were sat next to the kitchen and the bar so could see when our food and drinks were ready, watching them go cold and the ice melt. Had to ask several times for our drinks, which eventually arrived after our starters. Medium-rare ribeye came well done and dry.

I think all the staff were new and didn't really know what they were doing. Shame really - it's a great setting, and the food could be good if the service improves.
Comment on this reader review

Dan
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 5
Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Sunday lunch was excellent value. Healthy portions and staff were very attentive. The atmosphere was not great but then again it was a warm sunny day so I would have probably been better sitting on the roof top restaurant. Very good venue and yet again Conran has got it right. We thought that once you have been to one you have been to them all but this was different. My advice is go to the rooftop for drinks, eat downstairs in the restaurant and then lay like a beach whale back on the roof for deserts. Great location as it blends shabby with chic. Its almost like a mini Hoxton House. The Albion Cafe was unfortunately not as good as the restaurant. the service was very slack. Our order was slightly wrong, they added things to the bill that were not received, they forgot our drinks twice and they ran out of a few of the items on what was already a limited menu. If i go back it will only be for breakfast
Comment on this reader review

Mike P
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, May 05, 2009

Visit this now ! what a treat, quality all the way - stunning decor, fantastic space which merges the busy kitchen with the dining area and offers a peak into an amazing wine cellar - the wine list alone contains 550 wines as the waiter proudly announced. The food was really excellent and reasonably priced for such quality - We went for an all fish menu - I only every eat shellfish bisque in places I think will put the effort in to making it - it was everything you could hope for - the starter of scallops (most expensive on menu) at £13-50 were to die for. The menu starters ranged in price from about £8-£13-50 with mains about £10 to £24 - The skate and gilt head bream were cooked to perfection - really! The only slight down point was my choice of starter and main course ended up feeling a little rich and slightly over salty due to quantity of butter but this was minor compared to the service, experience and quality of food. It was great to see a female sommelier - so rare but she really knew her stuff and looked after us very nicely - with her advice we chose a delicious and unusual wine which balanced the fish beautifully - we booked about an hour before we turned up so were not suprised to find probably the worst seat in the house (beside the waiters station) - that said I don't mind as I know for next time - if you go as a couple ask for one of the seats on the side banquette which offer a full view of the beautiful decor - service excellent, understated and interested as well as genuinely interested in giving you good service - fantastic place - go as quickly as you can - I'm wondering when I can justify another visit
Comment on this reader review

Cate B
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, February 23, 2009