Hare and Tortoise (Bloomsbury)

I went to hare and tortoise for the first time today because there was always a queue each time I walked past it. I now know why. The food is fantastic. It is also cheap. I went with two friends and we ordered different things. And everything was just amazing.

The service is OK. Nothing special but not bad either. The atmosphere is OK as well. But of special note, the starters. I have never eaten starters as good before. I especially recommend the soft shell crab roll and the prawn spring rolls. All in all, the hare and tortoise delivers perfect value for money and I will make visiting this restaurant a habit.
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Emeka
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, December 02, 2009

Went there regularly. The quality of food is always very good. Most courses on the menu are yummy. The service is sometimes terrible. They won't allow you to carry any food with you to go in there, even though you are not going to eat or drink them in the restaurant. There's no way you can explain things to them. The staff are just inflexible. But overall, the food is very good.
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YJ - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Saturday, September 26, 2009

Me and a couple of mates went to hare and tortoise the other day and the atmosphere was electric. We arrive at eight and had to waiting for about 15 minutes, considering where we were in the line, i say that was quite a decent time. Also we got the soft seat so that was good.

The food is amazingly cheap and the servings are massive, more then what a girl can handle but we got through it in the end. The starters and sushi are to die for. I didn't get a main but my friend got the tori katsu curry and it was great.

To drink we had a 2 litres of Asahi super dry. It was great, they give u this big massive silver can soooo COOL.

The atmosphere was buzzing, they were soo busy and the staff were soo friendly to talk to, we have a little chat with one of the staff it was jokes, he told us the funniest joke. One of the staff was kind of rude but its understandable considering how busy they were. The toilets were clean, that's a big plus. And what was funny to see was that the staff were laughing and having fun too which was cool to see, it kinda adds to the relaxing atmosphere
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Jade
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, June 30, 2009

This little gem is an absolute joy! Despite the manic atmosphere (You usually have to queue) the food is absolutely superb and I couldn't recomment it highly enough. I especially recommentd chicken Lhaksa ramen.
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Naomi Page
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Monday, June 22, 2009

I go here regularly at least once a week for the past year and ive never had a bad meal, its brilliant and so cheap and the ingredients are fresh and generous. Yes the service is a little hurried but they are always rammed to the hilt this place is a favourite of mine. the sushi is brilliant and the main meals are lush i dont know what everyone's complaining about, im asian and very fussy about asian food, forget XO or Hakkasan, I would choose this place everytime.
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asianqueen
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 10
Thursday, March 19, 2009

after raving about the soft shell crab to friends before, this time they sadly disappointed with two overcooked specimens. The sashimi salad is still good along with the sheared tuna. Our main courses of roast duck rice and Penang noodles reconfirmed my view that you should only eat starters here.
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wpang - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
Thursday, March 05, 2009

A friend and I went to the Brunswick location for lunch. We keep giving the place a chance every few weeks and each time it lets us down. We have decided not to go back.

The service is terrible. We never get our food at the same time. The last 4 times we have gone (yesterday being the last time), my friend gets her food and then its at least 15 minutes before mine arrives (or vice versa). The other problem is getting someone to bring your bill so you can pay and leave.

We really like the food there but the service is so unacceptable. We would ask someone every now and then to check on my food and they'd just nod and walk away.

The kitchen needs to be more organised so that when a table orders food, they can all eat at the same time. I have seen other tables go through the same thing when we have been there.
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 7
Friday, February 27, 2009

Hare and Tortoise is a great noodle bar with a great range of food, like sushi, noodles and salads. You get very big portions that i can never finish, so if your hungry its great. It is always packed after about 6PM, it has great atmosphere and food, but you can sometimes feel very rushed because of the quews. It is a great restaurant and you should try it, but go before the rush!!!
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 10
Friday, February 20, 2009

went late afternoon to avoid the queues. good simple oriental fare with straightforward robotic service. large mains portions, but the starters are way better. was not sure about their roast pork (char siu). the soft-shell crab is a delight
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Wan Pang
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 7
Wednesday, December 17, 2008

We had an appalling dining experience at Hare and Tortoise today!

They first brought out the mains before our starters. When we said we'd asked for the starters first they took back the mains but then proceeded to place our mains at the service counter and left them there while we ate our starters.

When we finished our starters (after 15 minutes) they then offered us the same mains that had been sitting at the service counter for over 15 minutes. When I asked whether they were going to re-cook the mains the waitress offered to reheat them for us. We said no and asked that the mains be freshly cooked again. They took back the food and then brought them out again after only 5 minutes and it was quite clear that the dishes had merely been reheated! When we asked the waitress whether the food had been re-heated she flat out lied and claimed that they had not been re-heated.

When we asked to speak to the Manager she didn't even apologise for the incident but proceeded to tell us not to disrespect the staff and to lower our voices!

We will never be returning to this establishment again. It's quite clear that they have no consideration whatsoever to ensure customer satisfaction and have no qualms at all about being rude to their customers!
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DCL - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 7
Saturday, November 01, 2008