Spaghetti House (Haymarket)

Four of us 'hicks from the sticks' went up to London yesterday and decided to lunch at the Spaghetti House because it was opposite the theatre. The lunch time special was under £10 so we were not expecting too much, which was just as well. Of the starters, one was OK, the soup was very good the other two mediocre. Similarly with the main courses, the chicken was excellent, the salmon pasta dish OK, the two Pizzas very poor. Dry, very little topping, onions almost raw when they were supposed to be caramalised. We decided to have puddings to cheer ourselves up - the ice cream was delicious, as was the apple pie, cheese and biscuits were OK but the bitter coffee on the creme caramel was not nice at all. Coffees were good and the house red drinkable. Service was adequate but plates whipped away whilst one of us was still eating. The bill for the four of us came in at under £100 which was reasonable.
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Kath Haughton
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Sunday, April 23, 2006

I am extremely keen on Italian food and have been fortunate enough to sample it at its best in both Italy and the UK.I was delighted to see that The Spaghetti House (Haymarket) had Vongole (Spaghetti with Clams, white wine, garlic and flat leaf parsley) on the menu, as it is without doubt one of my favourite pasta dishes.

My wife and I ordered Mozzarella with Basil Oil together with a Bruschetta of Mushroom to start. Neither were anything to write home about however being as The Spaghetti House (Haymarket) is part of a chain of restaurants I did not expect to be blown away by what really is two very simple and basic dishes.

My wife decided on the grilled fillet of Sea Bream in red pesto, I of course chose the Vongole.

When the main courses arrived I, in my excitement, began eating my Vongole however, upon closer inspection I noticed that the dish did not have a trace of parsley..one of the main ingredients of a Vongole, or at least, any Vongole I have ever eaten. I was also dissapointed to note that the Spaghetti was undercooked in so much as parts of the Spaghetti had not begun to swell. I called the nearest member of staff, who worked out to be the manager, over in order to point out the glaring error. However upon remarking that the Vongole had no Parsley and the Spaghetti was not cooked, the manger nodded as if to say that the dish did not come with Parsley, whilst simultaniously spouting the words Al Dente....to which I replied, extremley! I then proceeded to show him the menu which clearly noted "Parsley" as one of the ingredients. My food was taken away in an abrupt fashion and I watched as my wife removed the umpteenth bone from her "Fillet" of Sea Bream.

My plate was slammed down infront of me within a few minutes of its disappearence and I was delighted to observe the "sprig" of parsley on top of the, partially eaten Vongole...

Not being one to cause a fuss I decided not to pursue the parsley dilema and began to tuck into my meal...however upon tasting the first mouthful I detected the most overwhelming taste of salt...not something I had noticed earler and without wishing to hurl accusations, felt that the copious amounts of salt had been added during my plates trip to the kitchen.

I called over the manager once more and informed him that I wouldn't be eating my Vongole and that my wife would not be eating her fish as she was struggling to find it amongst her "bone platter".

The manger agreed to take both main courses off of the menu, which is the only plus point I can give this restaurant. Perhaps it had been a busy night in the kitchen, but I for one will not be returning.
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Darren Gittins
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 2
Friday, April 21, 2006

I have been going to this restuarant for years. The food is always so much better than you would ever expect from a chain in the heart of theatreland. They clearly make their sauces freshly to order as they are happy to make substitutions or additions and have even been know to create something to please a grumpy veggie (i.e. me). The pizzas are outstanding and the service makes you feel like a valued guest rather than just some other punter in the West End. Worth a visit just to see that all chains aren't reliant on pre-packed rubbish and waiters who couldn't care less.
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Kirsty Carey
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, February 17, 2006