Colbert

A month ago I asked my concierge to book Colbert for a date, and they flatly refused based on poor food and poor service. So when a friend insisted we dine there this past Sunday, I was both reluctant to go and curious to test my concierge's views.

My concierge were right. Completely, totally and utterly right.

The wait staff were surly and aggressively condescending (every Parisian waiter is ebullient by comparison), and the food was unremarkable except for its ordinariness. Perhaps this confluence can be explained by the moderate prices - too little money to prepare good food or pay the staff enough to smile. Or not smile - anything but glower.

The only positive was the renovation, which is remarkable. Everything currently or formerly living within that beautiful shell made me pine for the relatively grotty Oriel.
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3 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 2
Monday, April 29, 2013

Nice buzzy bar - pity about the restaurant which is staffed by bored, charmless waiters. Trying to catch their attention was challenging. The service is quite simply abysmal. We ordered wine which never arrived - waiter dismissed us with a cursory 'I forgot' . The £20 white wine was no better than bottom supermarket shelf plonk. We had to ask twice for a bowl of olives which was meant to come with the wine. A cream of turnip soup was tasteless. My duck cassoulet (£17) was dumped in front of me in a serving dish with a hot lid on it and no serving spoon. It was over salted and contained two tiny bits of duck in a mush of butter beans and cabbage. Deeply unpleasant. My friends had grilled salmon which was ok but no side veges were offered with any of our dishes. The bill was eye-watering, with a service charge which we did not challenge as we were with friends and I did not wish the evening to turn out any more unpleasant than it already was. Our impression was that the restaurant staff were arrogant, cold and did not seem to care. By all means drop in to the bar which is lovely but avoid the restaurant at all costs.
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Bill Pomeroy - View all reviews by this user
2 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, February 05, 2013

I was looking forward to trying Colbert as I'm a big fan of the Wolseley but regrettably it fell well shot of expectations.

I ordered the Sunday special roast beef which arrived with a good selection of vegetables and the beef itself was cooked, at least to the eye, to perfection. Unfortunately the dish was delivered cold so we politely sent it back and although the staff were very attentive, delivering fresh cutlery etc, when the dish returned it was luke warm and the meat had lost all the pink and resembled something you might see in a 1970s school dinner. By this stage I didn't feel comfortable sending the dish back again and it was edible but it really was way below the standard you might find in any half decent gastro pub.

Disappointing.
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Mike
5 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 4
Sunday, December 02, 2012

We had a family celebration dinner there on a Sunday evening, and the restaurant was full and buzzy. It has quickly become a landmark.

After the slothful early service on the previous two visits, we insisted on improvement this time, and drinks arrived with considerably more speed. The food was delicious, as before, and we had a great time.

Bloody expensive, but worth it for a special occasion.
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James - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, November 21, 2012

I had breakfast there, and the atmosphere was great - there were even people eating on the pavement, which in November is brave.

As with dinner previously, the only problem is the time it takes to get the first cup of coffee; the order seems to pass via several waiters and it took ages to arrive.

Otherwise, I strongly recommend the bacon and tomatoes - both cooked exactly as I like them.
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James - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, November 21, 2012

I had been looking forward to trying this place. Unfortunately I felt the overall experience was disappointing. The front of house was chaotic, despite having made a booking. No one took our coats. The service was all over the place - the waiting staff kept interrupting conversations. There were language difficulties.

The menu is fine, though it seems there are many more options for brunch or lunch than dinner. There were not all that many things on the menu I really wanted.

I went for the steak sandwich, which I asked for rare (prompting the waitress - apparently the default option is medium rare). Despite this, the steak was well cooked, in over-toasted sliced brown bread. No flavour or texture. Possibly the worst steak sandwich I have ever had.

My friend fared better with a veal escalope. The chips we both had were great.

I have to agree with the person that described Colbert as an upmarket Cafe Rouge. Whilst the decor is nice, it lacks any sense of occasion. At these prices, it should be a slicker operation with better food. It does have a buzz, but a rather chaotic one.

I am sure it will do well on the back of it's fantastic location and the lack of decent places to eat round Sloane Square. I would rather go to Cote on the other side of the square for better food and better value.
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Zoe
6 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 4
Wednesday, November 07, 2012

We have missed Oriel since his Lordship took exception to it, but Colbert has certainly succeeded in filling the long gap successfully.

The food is up to the same standard as the Wolseley and Delaunay, but the site is cramped and very busy. This might have explained why service was slower than I have come to expect at the other two. Mind you, it was only week three, so perhaps it is too early to make a judgment.

Eating outside is for the hardy and the nicotine addicts at this time of year, but come the Spring, it will be a great view over the square and the fountain towards Peter Jones. Pity about the traffic in between!

I am going again twice in the next few days, so we will see whether it has settled down. The early publicity has no doubt made this particularly popular, but the entrance doorway is very narrow and hectic, and can barely cope with the crush. The bar area to the right looks fun, especially if you have access to a hearing aid.
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James - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, November 06, 2012