Morgan M

Wow, wow, wow. My boyfriend and I went to Morgan M last Thursday for our anniversary and it was one of the best meals we have ever enjoyed. It's in a different league to any other restaurant in Islington.

The lobster starter stands out as the star of the meal, although the lamb was also worth raving about. Deserts were visually stunning as well as sublime to eat.

Service was attentive and unobtrusive.

I can't spend £70 a head on a meal very often but, for a special occasion, I don't begrudge money well spent on cooking of this sheer quality.

It has a refined atmosphere so it's a place for a romantic meal or a serious business converation rather than a family celebration.

Simply excellent!
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Gemstone
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Sunday, March 04, 2007

Continues to be the best restaurant in Islington ... outstanding food, relaxed atmosphere with attentive, but not-overbearing, service.
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David
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Thursday, February 08, 2007

My boyfriend took me to Morgan M for my birthday and I loved every minute! We started with delicious champagne cocktails and then had the vegetarian tasting menu, with wines to compliment each course.

Every course was presented beautifully and tasted divine. The service was friendly & polite and the waiter explained what we were eating and talked us through each wine we had.

It is rare to find such a high standard of vegetarian cuisine. I have generally been treated as a 2nd class citizen and had very average food in other so called ‘gourmet’ restaurants. It seems that many chefs do not like cooking for veggies. Not so in Morgan M! Morgan himself came out for a chat after our meal, which was a nice touch.

I would highly recommend this place, which although pricey, was a real treat and worth every penny!
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Jo
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, January 25, 2007

MMMMMmmmmmm!!!! delicious, satisfying..... one of the best meals I've had (succelent v fresh scallops, firm fish, lobster ravioli (I'm salivating as I type this!!, toe scrunchingly good chocolate moelle). Not so sure abt the green room (and the artwork) but hey, we're here for the cooking
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yum
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Thursday, December 14, 2006

I would love to be critical but it really was hard to fault. We ordered a range of dishes seafood, vegetarian and red meat all were superbly prepared, presented and served. Service timing was good with just enough space between courses such that you neither felt you were hanging around nor rushed to the next stage. Atmosphere was discrete without being stilted. Good wine recommendations - an overall very high quality yet relaxed dining experience. Well done!
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Jonathan
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Friday, September 29, 2006

sorry to spoil the party but I really have to disagree with previous reviewers. I don't know if chef had a bad night or what but I'd certainly NOT recommend this to anyone and wouldn't go again myself. The people sitting at the table next to us seemed similarly unimpressed.

We went for a meal on Saturday evening and were really disappointed. The food was OK but certainly not worth anything like the price tag.

I've had the fortune to eat in some very fine places and am certainly not averse to paying a lot of money for exceptional food - but this just wasn't up to the mark at all.

We chose the vegetarian 6 course taster menu and each course had some flaw – mushrooms 2 courses running; the onion sauce overwhelmed the cepes and the wine given with it was too overpowering; the cannelloni had too much lemon in; we've no idea what the middle course was supposed to be but it was pretty odd and flavourless. For dessert, although the chocolate pudding was delicious, no chef in their right mind would team mandarin sorbet with a Grand Marnier sauce - they just don't go!!

Service was polite but uninterested.

You can eat for much better value elsewhere in Islington, so I'd advise saving your pennies and then treating yourself to something really fine - this isn't it.
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Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 3
Sunday, September 24, 2006

We have been to Morgan M several times over the last couple of years, and cannot fault the food in any meaningful way. Perhaps it lacks some of the continuous consistency of the bigger restaurants (Ramsay, Pied a Terre, The Capital, Petrus etc), but the food is really very good.

However, each time we go, we find the service slightly odd. It is not bad (when it happens), and the staff are not unpleasant, but it seems to be so inefficient as to be weird. It appears that only one member of staff actually takes food or wine orders, and the same member of staff prepares the bills - and as a result everything takes a long time.

Also the staff seem to specialise in avoiding eye contact, with the result that it can take a long period of nodding, waving and smiling to order another bit of bread or some more water. I have wondered in the past if it might be quicker to telephone the restaurant from the table and order that way.

All of this is not enough to deter us from going again - we still think the good is very good, and given that we are very local - we consider ourselves very lucky.

I have contacted the restaurant with my comments, and hopefully things will change (I am not the first to comment adversely on the service). If not, we will take a mobile phone, a flag on a pole and an airhorn - and hope that attract someone's attention.
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Ed Harrison
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, August 22, 2006

My husband and I had lunch in Morgan M on Sunday. What a sensational lunch packed full of fresh seasonal delights.

The food was devine and the service exceptional. The wait staff were wonderfully knowledgeable but managed not to come across as austere or threatening. The atmosphere was calm and the decor pleasant. Morgan came to each table at the end of the meal to ask our opinion on his creations.

WOrth every penny. Foodie heaven.....
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Lisa Harrington
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Monday, July 31, 2006

My husband and I were so impressed with our first visit to Morgan M back in April, we decided to celebrate our first wedding anniversay with a relaxed Sunday lunch.

We arrived at 1.30 to find just one other couple finishing their meal. By the time our order had been taken by the polished waiter, we had the place entirely to ourselves and suddenly the sound of wine glasses clinking, cutlery scraping and whispered conversation sounded quite alien.

However, our enjoyment was not to be marred as yet again, we enjoyed an exquisite and delightful meal. We plumped for the warm lobster and canneloni, followed by the sea bass for me and the melt-in-the-mouth lamb for my husband. I find complaints on this site about the sizes of the portions ridiculous - with food this rich and beautifully prepared, any request to add 'a few extra announces' smacks of gluttony!

The dessert, once again, was the crowning glory. Our waiter, who tended to us very well, proudly showed off MM's award for the dark chocolate moelleux and rightly so. Oozing Valrhona Guanaja chocolate, it was set off beautifully by a tangy cherry sorbet. Incredible.

3 courses plus wine, water, a champagne appetiser and service came to £160. Not cheap but a delightful treat. We'd have liked slightly more buzz about the place as our first visit was a Friday night, when the tiny room came alive beautifully. But divine none the less. Morgan Meunier even popped out of the kitchen to say hello and chat about future plans for the seasonal menu - which was a nice touch!
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CC
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 7
Monday, July 03, 2006

I took my girlfriend to Morgan M on Friday 12th. We both chose the sample menu with a small change to the dessert course where we both had the chocolate moelleux. The food was superb. The watercress cream was the perfect start, light with a smooth texture. My girlfriend had the crab cannelloni which was full of flavour and my foie gras terrine was very mouth watering. The best dish we thought was the fish course of grilled seabass with crayfish ravioli and asparagus. For the meat course we had the squab pigeon which was were cooked to perfection. The pre-dessert of vanilla rice pudding and raspberry sorbet sets us up well for the chocolate moelleux which had to be the crowning glory.

This restaurant is all about the food. If you want somewhere with loud music, crazy decor and nanny style service, this is not it. Everything thing at the front of house is sufficient, but the food is something else.

115 pounds for 2 including wine + water + service. All in all a very memorable evening.
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Matthew
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 9
Monday, May 15, 2006