The Chancery

My boyfiriend and I dined here on Friday night for a slightly belated valentine's treat. The food was fantastic and very reasonable we thought at £34 per person for 3 courses inc coffee and petit fours. The service was generally very good but a little slower towards the end of the evening when the restaurant was at capacity. A small and intimate restaurant, butI would suggest asking for a table upstairs rather than down (we sat downstairs and found the loud knocking to signal service was a little intrusive at times).

The only real negative feedback I can give was regarding the wine. We selected a £30 bottle of Sancerre and when it was opened for us to taste it was warm - it hadn't been close to a fridge or ice bucket. Whilst we promptly asked for it to be chilled it was not yet chilled enough to allow us to enjoy more than a few sips with our starters which arrived only a few minutes later.
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Helen
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Monday, February 18, 2008

This certainly is a nice restaurant and the 50% deal makes it exceptional value.

The menu is well thought out and execution is good but not spectacular. My main course of fillet of beef was flavoursome but a little over cooked (most definitely medium as opposed to rare) and the chocolate and baileys cheesecake was divine but too large to enjoy to its fullest (i felt gorged just looking at it).

The main thing that lets this restaurant down is the service; I would imagine that at quieter times service is excellent as the staff were all very pleasant and did seem eager to please but with a full service they were simply over-strectched.

All in all I would go again but possible on a Monday or Tuesday evening when I would hope that the service would compliment the good food.
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Kathy Rougier
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Thursday, October 25, 2007

The food was perfectly adequate and appropriate for entertaining clients. The service, however, was not; it was painfully slow. It took 2.5 hours for three courses. Completely unacceptable.
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M.R.
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 5
Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Eight of us went to the Chancery read the review prior to going. The meal was great and very good service. Would certainly recommend this venue to others.

Great value with the 50% off the main meal.

Regards,

Simon
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Simon Hooker
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Sunday, October 07, 2007

I was there with my wife smoe days ago and I found a great place and wonderful food.
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Cristiano
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Absolutely superb! I went there last night for my birthday with a few friends and we were looked after extremely well. The food was amazing (one friend said it was the best meal she'd ever had) and there's a very good wine list. I highly recommend this place!
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, July 06, 2007

The Chancery had me at hello. My gf and I were greeted at the door and seated promptly, a candle burning at the table and Stan Getz's "Girl from Ipanema" playing in the background.

Our meal began with complimentary fresh olives and a selection of breads served warm and lightly toasted. I could have died happy after the bread alone. We were then treated to a delicious watermelon and ginger drink (on the house!) which made me glad that I didn't die after the bread. My first course, a mouth-watering rabbit beignet, was cooked to tenderness, seasoned to perfection, and complemented by an array of fresh peas and vegetables. I chose the sea bass for my second course. The outside was delicately crisped brown and the inside melted in my mouth. I also enjoyed a taste of the halibut, courtesy of my gf. Characteristic of halibut, it was more "meaty" and chewy than the sea bass but similarly prepared with the same mastery. Following the dinner, we were again pleasantly surprised with a complimentary "pre-dessert," a light, tasty dish consisting of what I can only describe as layered coconut and fruit flavored gelatin. I finished off the evening with the pecan pie, and my gf had the B-52 parfait, both of which were marvelous.

The waitstaff were outstanding--attentive but not intrusive, genuinely gracious without the snobbery that sometimes taints other restaurants of this caliber. I was especially impressed by their attention to detail. For instance, one of the waiters refolded my gf's napkin when she visited the lavatory. Another wiped the crumbs from the table after the main course. They also asked us several times during the evening if we were satisfied with everything, to which we could only reply in the affirmative. Even though the restaurant was booked to capacity, the staff made us feel like we were their most valued customers.

The price was a bargain given the quality of the food and service. Even without the online discount through toptable, our total bill for the evening came out to about £84, which also included 2 glasses of wine and a 12.5% optional service charge. Normally I don't like when the service charge is automatically added to the bill, but the professional quality of the service more than compensated for the practice in this case. With the toptable discount, our bill came out to about £50, which--for this caliber of food in London--is a steal.
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Brian J
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, June 15, 2007

Ate here a couple of nights ago. Average food, average service and not cheap.
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Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 3
Tuesday, April 03, 2007

I had a wonderful evening here with my girlfriend. The service struck that excellent balance between being attentive but not obtrusive. The food was excellent and they gave some real thought to those little extra touches. The restaurant felt quiet but was full. This located in a very discrete little street and is an absolute gem!
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Autriche - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, March 14, 2007

One of our favourite places for a special night out. The food is always top notch, the wine list comprehensive and the service staff know their stuff and are very attentive, yet discrete. The small dining room adds to the charm, but it does get a bit loud in the late evening. Highly recommended
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C. Crouch
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 7
Monday, February 26, 2007