La Sophia

Wow this was a disappointment!

My girlfriend and I were looking to a explore a new restaurant on a Sunday evening and after reading the reviews on london-eating settled for this one...All I can say is the people who have reviewed this restaurant before have not been out much!!

The location - Although it is only about 200 meters from Ladbroke Grove this is more towards the rougher & shabbier end of W10 (3/10)

The ambiance - Not much to say here really..its set up more like a decent kebab shop, the furniture probably a notch below a pizza express..poor would sum it up..2/10

The service - The service was reasonably attentive(probably becuase we were only 1 of 2 tables on the night) not very professional however- leaning across the table and when I ordered a glass of wine they poured it at the back and brought it to the table (no tray - just hand carried) rather than pouring it at the table..probably 3/10

The Menu - confused..there is a fusion of french v morrocan and some nice sounding dishes,but too short a list..Decent wine list though.. 3/10

The Food - Presentation was good, however not much joy in terms of the taste..my girlfriend had a fillet burger for 23 quid but the beef was stale and carried no flavour..GBK or Byrons burgers are far superior and cost half as much..I had a morrocan chicken dish with cous cous and i must admit I was quite pleased with the dish although i did feel a bit robbed paying 16 quid for it at this restaurant..3/10

The value - all of the above considered - the prices there are a total rip-off..70 quid for a starter, 2 mains, a glass of wine, a coke and a bottle of sparkling water just to give you an idea..they also include 12.5% service..0/10

The verdict - Dont waste your time...whilst the restaurant has a few good points, it is like I said before a more of an up market kebab shop..spend your money elsewhere
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Naz
2 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Monday, May 16, 2011

We were a group of 29 in the private dining area down stairs in late April celebrating my 40th birthday. The manager was very accommodating from the start. We agreed on a set menu how the night would plan. Everything turned out excellent better than expected. The food was incredible, cooked perfect and real yum, no delays. The staffs were friendly and helpful. Drinks were always poured, food was on time and the best part of it all is we didn’t have to worry for a second and enjoy our evening. They even extended the licence for us to enjoy until 2am at no extra charge! Thank you
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Cecil
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, May 13, 2011

I think this restaurant is not noticeable on the street its on. It took us a while to locate it even though the street is not very big. Hidden between the cafes.

The food is not cheap at La Sophia but I must admit you can tell by the quality and ingredients used which shows why its priced the way it is. I enjoyed my lamb and my partner had the ostrich both cooked well. The wine however is very good price where many are around £20 mark Service here is very good. So overall I was pleased.
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Bob
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Thursday, May 05, 2011

Just got back from a week in London. My husband and I decided we wanted to eat in a French restaurant somewhere nice in West London. We thought we would go to Notting Hill and choose La Sophia as our choice from reading various reviews.

I am SO glad we chose this restaurant! It was absolutely faultless. The service was out of this world. From the second we arrived, it felt like we were the only people there (which we weren't) - even when it was busy the service never faltered. The food was extremely good and the best we have had in a long time fresh and the quality of the ingredients says it all. The wine was perfect for the meal. We started with the cucumber salad and fried duck egg, for our mains I went for the guinea fowl whilst my husband choose the burger, delicious and we both thought it was all cooked and presented excellent.

The waiter suggested the wine with our meal which was fabulous, letting us try the bottle of wine he opened for us that was corked, as I had never tried it and was curious. The cheese board was amazing, and the waiter had such amazing knowledge and seemed to really care about the type of cheese that I liked and wanted. Perfect for our short holiday from Germany. We will certainly be coming back when we are there next!
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Daniella Veros
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Saturday, April 23, 2011

Bland food at extortionate prices.

Both my dishes last night were very disappointing! The cheese souffle had not risen and tasted like dough. The crispy red snapper had no skin and was more like poached! They brought me another dish to replace the souffle but charged for the difference in price.

We did try to talk to the manager at the end of the dinner (after paying the full amount with service included) but he was not interested in our comments.
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2 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 0
Sunday, April 17, 2011

I had the pleasure of visiting La Sophia last weekend with a few friends. We were running incredibly late and when I telephoned, the Manager was extremely friendly and agreed to keep the kitchen open for our arrival at 11pm. I am so glad that he did because this is one of the best meals I have had in London for a long time.

We started off with snails, goats cheese souffle and salmon, followed by steak, duck and the daily special of ostrich and topped it off with the desserts of creme brulee and chocolate souffle. All dishes were absolutely outstanding, except perhaps the goats cheese souffle had a little too much bread which is my only criticism of the whole evening. The steak was so soft it almost melted in the mouth and the chocolate souffle was divine. It was very clear all ingredients used in the dishes were very high quality.

Despite us being the last diners to leave the restaurant, not once did we feel rushed to finish our food so the staff could leave. Our waiter was very attentive and polite throughout.

It's a little bit off the beaten track and a fair brisk walk from the tube station but that definitely won't stop me from coming again and ranks as being one of the top 2 restaurants I have ever visited.
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10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Saturday, March 26, 2011

A memorable Valentine's Day evening with outstanding food, wine and ambience were perfect for my date ;-))). Generally good value!

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Nelson L
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, March 08, 2011

Lunch at La Sophia was a wonderful experience- 3 courses plus a glass of wine for £20pp is a fantastic deal. Food was mouthwatering, great quality. Service fantastic. I will be going again to try the a la carte for dinner sometime soon.
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10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Great little find, we went for the offer with a group of 5 on Monday evening and it was nearly full! Food is top quality and mouth watering, the Rabbit is divine, pigeon breast with date chutney and saffron sauce yum. My friends Goat cheese souflee is the best we have tasted! Service was friendly and warm. Look forward to returning.
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10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Saturday, December 18, 2010

We were very disappointed with the food and service . The potatoes were cold, steak tough, burgers tiny with hard cold buns. The desserts were good which was lucky as we were all starving! The restaurant was busy with very few staff on therefore service was poor.
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2 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 1
Tuesday, December 14, 2010