Bermondsey Kitchen

I went to Bermondsey Kitchen with my wife and had a very nice meal a few days ago – we haven’t been before, but thought we’d give it a go. She had the aubergine curry which was delicious – spicy and flavoursome without blowing your head off. I had a really good version of fish and chips – nice, crispy fat chips, very fresh fish and great tartare sauce. For pudding we shared a chocolate pudding which was brilliantly chocolately and rich. The service was friendly and helpful and the atmosphere was buzzing even though it was a Tuesday night. Would recommend to others, especially when there are so many places that are just average - it feels like they really care here.
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Pierce
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Thursday, October 01, 2009

Great place, would go again. Menu changes every day, and is a nice casual place to meet for lunch or dinner with friends.
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David Turnbull
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Friday, August 07, 2009

I am so appalled by the bad mannered manager and lack of customer service, I feel the need to write this only moments after returning from what had to be ... the worst lunch ever.

I truly hope this reaches out to all those considering eating at this grotty joint and makes you think twice before putting yourself, family, friends, clients etc through the same ordeal that I have experienced with a large contract riding on the table.

The menu was short but sweet yet managed to accommodate my fussy habits. Just.

Starting out we had fantastic bread (a little crusty on the ends but tasty in the centre) accompanied by a creamy garlic butter which went down a treat. This great start escalated the excitement of my main course in waiting.

My dreamy lunch was shattered when the dish arrived. Poorly presented, I stared down at a plate of 3 heaps. More importantly so did my client.

1. Cabbage – this was fine although bland but ‘hey’ who likes cabbage really anyway

2. Garlic potato mush – mmmm sounds tasty, looks good and wholesome – wrong – well I’m sure it would have been, maybe I’m just been too critical and harsh but when a dish is served not cold as in potato salad cold but as in ‘not quite long enough in the microwave cold’ – that warmish on the outside and cool in the centre of the heap.

3. Now this is where things got interesting ... chicken braised with tomatoes and red peppers ... this in all its glory should have been amazing. It was god dam awful. Not only was the chicken cold but the sauce warm...

Overall the dish didn’t work well together and would never have even if had been in the microwave for the full 30 seconds it was programmed into be.

Well after sending both meals back and trying to apologies profusely to my client and the whole lies about “ooo I’ve been for cocktails here before ... the food LOOKED lovely”

We were brought back 2 new meals (the same dish) this time slightly warmer BUT STILL COLD CHICKEN.

I told the waiting staff that I wasn’t happy and it wasn’t about the money (£13 per dish) it was just that after sending the meals back with reheated cold chicken I expected better.

The Manager swaggered over, dressed in jeans, a fleece and trainers (the same as when he were to come serve us drinks) and balled me down in front of the other customers, branding me a liar and claiming he had tried this monstrous dish and he thought that this standard was acceptable. Well through sheer embarrassment for myself and the well respected lady that sat in front of me what else was I to say. How does a 5 foot 5 women shout back at a 6 foot 3 man in any circumstance.

The cheeky slimeball even had the cheek to offer us a desert – yes I do want a desert ... I also want an apology for this uproar, the awful food and I don’t want to pay for it. This wasn’t to the extent of the cheek though ... He charged us full price for both meals and even added on a 15% service charge and thanked us for visiting!

First impressions are everything and this lead me to believe that this dive would be an excellent choice for a business lunch ... I couldn’t have been more wrong. Health and Safety should be notified and people warned off. In this economic crisis that goes on around most of us, the last person you should be wasting your money on is the awful establishment (if I could even call it an establishment)

To summarise ... I’ve had better cold meat dishes from a 3rd world shack in Fiji ... and I couldn’t even tell you the source of the meat
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Leanne Wilson
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, March 24, 2009

We went to Bermondsey Kitchen last night because we were meeting up with friends who live in the area, and had a really lovely evening. From the minute we walked in, the staff were friendly and attentive. I had a delicious grilled marinated chicken and the cocktails we had were also really good.

Perhaps there could be a bigger menu, but basically I’d really recommend this place because the waitresses are so friendly, and the food is reliably tasty and served in big portions!
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Pat
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Thursday, January 08, 2009

There comes a time when you just have to give up on a place - that was today. 4 friends & I attempted to have lunch here. I have never had an entirely good experience here and have always thought the food was over priced for what it was. However, my friends wanted to give it a shot. The 1 point for service goes to the fact that they were happy to welcome the pushchair & baby (not guarenteed in London!).

We were seated at a nice table and given brunch & lunch menus and spotted the Tapas menu for ourselves. Once we were ready to order, we waited for about 5 minutes for any of the serving staff to be ready. It was only then, we were told there was NOTHING available from the brunch menu. So we all had to reconsider.

When I asked what a particular tapas dish was, I had to ask the same question in 3 different ways in order for the waitress to finally understand that I wasn't ordering it, I just wanted to know what it was. When we finally got that sorted 5 minutes later, we had all decided to go for Tapas instead... expect despite everything being listed on the blackboard, there wasn't much available from the Tapas menu. I think her words were 'we have some olives and nuts and things but not much'.

It was at this point we gave up and left! A fairly dull restaurant that appears not to serve food! I will never consider going here again.
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Alex
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 1
Monday, April 28, 2008

Like others on this site, I too have given the BK too many second chances, and Saturday night was the last chance. We have lived around Bermondsey Street and been regulars at the BK for over 5 years, I don’t profess to be their best or/and most regular customer, but over the years we (and our friends and families) have spent a fair amount of money here. The service and welcome, or rather lack of, you receive upon entering have always been a gripe with me, is there any need to look so unhappy?

I used to come here for the food, which used to be top notch, this in the last year or so is also not what it used to be, I have recently found it bland, overpriced and on a couple of occasions have had to send plates back.

Lately the waitresses have changed many times and the one that served us last weekend was terrible. She didn’t smile, could hardly speak or understand English, didn’t bother to bring us steak knives for our pork chops, forgot to bring me the mustard I asked for and brought us the wrong cocktail because she didn’t understand what we were saying. We all ordered cocktails at the bar to start with, one of which was literally slammed on the bar by a very moody barmaid, who again didn’t smile or give a glimpse of eye contact, a very nice welcome I’m sure. Is this how the staff like to be treated when they go for a night out with friends?

We then ordered more cocktails at the table, one of them came in a smaller glass than the others and jokingly we said “we wanted a big glass again” to which the manager replied “we don’t have any more and don’t worry the volume’s the same in this one” as far as I could see we we’re the only customers drinking from the large glasses, so on that basis I think they need to order a few more!!!

Deserts were ordered and the waitress just plonked the cheese knife and fork down anywhere, not even in front of the person who had ordered it, she didn’t even ask. Half way through desert she came and asked “is everything ok for you”. Obviously she realised the bill was about to appear so best start to be nice.

We decided to remove the “service charge” from the bill, after all we didn’t receive any SERVICE. This of course brought the manager over asking why we’d taken it off. We explained the above to him and he said he was sorry but that waitress was on a double shift and that he was in a bad mood as someone had let him down that night!

This place used to be a rare find in SE1, I’ve given it far too many chances and will not return again nor will friends and family. The BK has to realise it is no longer the only place to eat in this area, like it used to be all those years ago, and it certainly isn’t the best.

If this sounds like a bitter anti BK rant, maybe it is, after all 1) I really dislike rude ungrateful service. 2) Service charge is exactly that, so please give SERVICE, 3) Train your staff in customer service, 4) Stop acting like you are the only place to eat in SE1, 5) Remember when customers are spending over £200.00 several visits a year (over 5years) that adds up to a lot of income, so treat your customers with respect 6) A note to the manager, smile and stop telling your paying customers that you’re in a bad mood, staff have worked double shifts etc…the customers come to relax and enjoy their night, not listen to your issues.

I urge people to try it out for themselves and prove me wrong, that we just went on a really bad night, or let me know if all the staff change and they bring in staff with smiling faces who are passionate about working in the restaurant business.
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Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Thursday, January 31, 2008

We had brunch there last sunday and the whole experience was quite enjoyable. We had bermondsey eggs (eggs benedicte), full breakfast, pate, and black pudding. Everything was good, well cooked and well presented; and seemed to be fresh and good quality food (this explains the prices). The service was quite relaxed and friendly. We ended up paying 85 for three (two courses each+ wine/beers) service included. Would definitely recommand it.
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caroline - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Thursday, December 27, 2007

It was more than 2 years ago when I went to BK the last time and I was quite impressed at the time...I went again last Saturday and although it was not outrageously brilliant dining it was still a more than pleasant experience.

The food in this place is definitely nice. I had goat cheese and walnut on rocket as a starter and pan-fried sea-bass as a main course. Both courses were nicely cooked and quite inspiring to my taste-buds...but then that's what I would expect at BK's rates...

Staff were attentive and friendly and I also like the fact that the kitchen is kind of integrated into the seating area, so it is completely visible what's going on in there...gives you some confidence really...

The biggest plus on this particularly night probably was that Kruder & Dorfmeister's K&D sessions was playing as the background soundtrack which gets them some extra bonus points for audio coolness...

On the whole this is a pleasant place to be with good food. The bill might be slightly higher than at other places with comparable food but then that little extra buys you a nice atmosphere and some lovely Austrian downtempo beats...
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Lars Rehm
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Monday, September 24, 2007

Went here for lunch a couple of months ago as it seemed a decent place from the outside with reasonable priced dishes and it wasn't too busy. We were met with a surly waitress who could hardly bring herself to say hello and seat us, we should have left at this point but thought maybe she was just having a bad day. We ordered drinks and a lunch dish each from the minimal menu. A gnocchi arrived simply tossed with some cherry tomatoes drowned in butter (not the roasted tomato and ricotta sauce we had ordered). Unfortunately this was the better of the two dishes as a stuffed tomato on wild rice was stone cold in the middle. I never complain (or write these reviews) but it had to be sent back. It took ages to get any service and there was no form of apology even when it was returned in a messy heap on the plate. The food was tasteless even when hot and the staff were all incredibly rude which is a shame as it is deceptively inviting from the street...
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Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 2
Saturday, August 11, 2007

Went to Bermondsey Kitchen last night with a colleague and had a very enjoyable evening. The place was pretty full, with lots of large groups of people, but that didn't affect the service which was attentive and pleasant. Our waitress was warm and friendly, and explained the things on the menu which we weren't familiar with. I had a delicious huge roast chump chop of lamb with a kind of potato and taleggio cake, and my friend had some very fresh grilled sardines with parsley and garlic. The portions are generous, and its quite nice being able to see the chefs cooking away. I'd definitely recommend it for a relaxed and reliably tasty dinner. I guess my only criticism would be that the choice of puddings could be larger..
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Paul
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Friday, March 30, 2007