Patterson's Restaurant

What can I say....this restaurant has really good service and fantastic food-for a special occassion or a treat it def is a must...a clear winner amongst restaurants!
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patsy
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Fab. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone who loves their food. The menu is super, and provides just enough choice to satisfy different tastes. The wine list was excellent and the service fantastic.

My only minor complaint would be how rich the food was - definitely not a restaurant for every day. Perfect for those special occasions though.
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Sarah
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Thursday, November 22, 2007

Taking both your partner and your parents out to dinner can be fraught with danger. When your father is a plain speaking Yorkshireman who prefers 'good value' to 'fine dining' the problem is magnified. Thank goodness then for Patterson's!

Not only did they take my appalling lateness with good grace - still holding onto the lovely large table in the back that I had requested but the front of house staff's charms even won over my dad who is apt to think friendly waiters 'over familiar' and more reserved ones 'snooty'.

We raved over the courgette amuse bouche and my mother loved her phesant starter whilst I opted for artichokes that were just delightful - I never even missed the meat they tasted so good!

The men later gorged themselves on three types of beef whilst mum tucked into venison grilled lightly and just to her liking whilst I swooned over pork belly with scallops and crispy crumbed pigs ear (a lot like calamari!).

As always it was no problem for the kitchen to deconstruct a dessert for me so that I could dine dairy free and my father's dessert plate was nicely decorated with 'happy birthday' - a nice touch that made a good balance between remembering the occassion and being embarrassed by candles and sparklers in a restaurant.

I have written with praise about Patterson's before but this evening summed up the Patterson's experience for me - people with different expectations coming together and being able to enjoy wonderful and honest food with well chosen wines and be able to enjoy the free flowing conversation that should accompany these things. Even the Yorkshireman was impressed!
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Mel Morris
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Thursday, November 15, 2007

We ate here as a party of five on Saturday night for a landmark birthday, taking advantage of the excellent 50% off food offer for an online booking, which made the meal sensational value, as well as what turned out to be a truly lovely experience.

The menu was creative and varied, with the descriptions of dishes being detailed enough to make the mouth water while avoiding the pretentious over-elaboration of ingredients and techniques that has become ubiquitous in many London restaurants. While waiting, we were presented with an amuse of a slightly too salty , though tasty artichoke and celery soup, followed by a range of excellent bread clearly made on site.

A starter of crab tortellini was of surprisingly generous proportions, with near perfect pasta surrounding a succulent, delicate crab filling, whose flavour was brought out by the shallot confit, though the crab foam (as is often the case) was probably unnecessary. I was reliably informed that the poached turbot, mussel and razor clam provencale, ratte potato and bouillabaisse was absolutely superb, and it was certainly beautifully presented, as were all the dishes throughout the meal. A third starter of partridge gribiche came with a moist breast wrapped in streaky bacon, and served with a clever tartare type sauce, and a leg en croute. While it looked fabulous, and the breast was stunning, the pastry encased leg was tricky to eat, and slightly unsatisfying. All up though, it was an extremely tasty dish.

The mains were also good all round. The Scottish beef three ways was almost flawless, and consisted of a substantial piece of beautfully tender, though also tasty meat, served with an oxtail canneloni and smoked and caramelised foie gras. This dish showed a chef with an excellent palate, and each part complimented the other two. Just brilliant, and I was told the lamb was also up to par. My fish of the day was a halibut fillet served with a selection of vegetables and asparagus, and was pleasant but fairly unchallenging. There was nothing wrong with it, but it didn't have the flair of the other dishes, and tended toward the bland.

Desserts also went down well, with a melt in the mouth pear tarte fine with espresso icecream and creme brulee both being hits, though the chestnut bavarois with biscotti icecream sounded better than it tasted. Again, there was nothing wrong with it, but it needed something extra to give it a bit of a lift.

The wine list is a decent size, well though out and not over priced. We chose a Vasse Felix Semillon Sauvignon and a 2004 Red burgundy from Givry, both in the mid £30 range, which were a good match with the range of food we ordered. The sommelier was helpful and unpretentious when asked for advice. The restaurant is a pleasant space, though if I have a criticism it is that it is lit such that it is almost too dark to see the beautifully presented food (or to read the menus). The service was possibly on the overly attentive side, although not intrusive, though this level of attention is sort of to be expected when you are eating pre-theatre and are among a small handful of customers. By the time we left the restaurant was full, and the staff appeared to be coping admirably. With the discount the meal was sensational value, but would have been well worthwhile even without. We will definitely be back again.
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Kate - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Monday, November 12, 2007

This was my second visit to Patterson's and, while the experience was not quite as good as my last, it was still very good indeed. I had the crab tortellini as a starter (after a delightfully frothy amuse-bouche), which was delicious and generously-portioned. I was disappointed slightly by my main course of pork belly and scallops - it seemed slightly unbalanced somehow. My companion had the lamb, however, and raved about it. Pudding was a passionfruit panna cotta - creamy and wonderful.
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dawnage - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Sunday, November 11, 2007

Ate here last night for a friend's birthday.

The food was of very good quality, although not the greatest I have had, but the service left a lot to be desired - most of the staff seemed to have quite poor English and we had to ask repeatedly for our wine to be topped up and for the bill. When they did finally bring the bill they had overcharged us by more than £100.

The atmosphere also left a little to be desired and the table we given was rather squashed for six, despite there being other, larger tables available.
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Susan
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 5
Tuesday, November 06, 2007

We have used Patterson's twice now. Once last Christmas and again earlier this year. The first time was for a party of twelve the second time was a party of 8.

On both occasions the food was superb and the service was the best I have found in London.

The menu had something for everyone and the cost of the food (£40 for 3 courses) makes this a great evening that does not over tax your pocket.

I would recommend this restaurant to everyone.
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Stephen Brayshaw
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, October 31, 2007

We dined here on 50% off. I found the restaurant to be rather lacking in ambience, especially as we were sat at the back in close proximity to a group of loud and very obnoxious pensioners.

The food was very flavoursome. However, the lamb I ordered was meant to be lamb 3 ways, one of them being a stuffed saddle of lamb which they replaced with a lamb chop and didn't tell me about it. Very naughty of them. Unfortunately I only noticed when I thought back to it the next day.

The waiting staff were very professional, if a bit cold.
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Beff - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 9
Monday, October 29, 2007

Three of us enjoyed an exceptional meal last Thursday evening at Patterson's. So often London restaurants fail to live up to their billing, but this one definately did. From the amuse bouche right through to dessert the quality, portion size and presentation were first class and the service was faultless.

I cannot recommend it highly enough!
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Paul Toomer
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Four of us had an excellent meal at Patterson's last night. The food was inventive and presented beautifully. Using a 50% discount, we paid just £20 (plus a small supplement for a few individual dishes) a head for 3 exquisite courses, which I felt was incredible value. Of course, non-budget wine and water then hiked the price up! We didn't mind too much though, as it was a special night and we enjoyed our meal immensely.

The service was very good and we enjoyed the ambience of the restaurant. Some of the better restaurants in London can sometimes feel intimidating and sterile, but Patterson's lacks that stuffiness and was just full of people enjoying their food and their company.

One area for development is the vegetarian choice, which was limited to one dish per course. My husband loved his food and we'd like to go back soon, but won't until the menu changes on the website, offering him (who is vegetarian) something new!
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dawnage - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Saturday, September 22, 2007