Island Restaurant & Bar

Took my husband here for his birthday and it was a fantastic dining experience. The food was by far the best I have tasted anywhere in London, the staff very attentive and the atmosphere, lively yet intimate. Though some may find it a bit pricey, its worth it...
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Stacey
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Monday, October 30, 2006

My boyfriend and I took some family out to dinner here a week last Friday. We'd visited once before and had a surprisingly splendid meal and so decided to retest the place to see if it could also offer consistency. This time we had cocktails at the bar which were excellent before sitting down for dinner. Service was high quality with plenty of bread and pouring of wine/ water without us even noticing. I had the pea and nettle soup to start which arrived in a glass cup (despite the fact that the soup was warm) and with a light airy topping of whipped natural yogurt to add some zing. The main courses were just as good with a traditional mini beef wellington that was fantastic. And just to let you know the desserts/ English cheeses didn't disappoint either. A truly enjoyable meal.
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Amanda - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Thursday, May 25, 2006

After having lived in the area for 14 years and not having a good local near by I was very excited when 'The Island' opened up.

The first couple of times I went for a drink and to have a nose. It seemed lovely, the decor was trendy and fresh and I couldn't wait to try it.

The food turned out to bee good, not great but quite nice sometimes. I thought that it would only be a matter of the pub finding its gastronomic feet and the food would pick up.

However, something that was really off were the staff! Not all of them just one of the waitresses and the manager, of all people. I decided to take my friend to the restaurant to try it out (as she also lives near by).

We were greeted with the manager asking us if we realised if this was a "proper sit down restaurant" I assured him that at 23 I would have a few problems if I didn't realise this! He then emphasised that a proper sit down one!! - condescending? slightly. (Bearing in mind,also, that I had eaten there about eight times previously with my family)

We then sat down and the waitress and the manager made it very evident that they were talking about us by all of the pointing. I really couldn't believe it.

After a fairly uneventful meal, thank God, when leaving the restaurant the manager then shouted at us from across the bar "well bye then" in not the friendliest of manners - I literally couldn't believe that a grown man would act like that.

Very, very , very disappointed that my local has been taken over by such rude and incompetent people
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Rebecca
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 5
Monday, April 24, 2006

went to this restaurant and overall it was good,a bit over rated but we had a great night.decided to have the rib roast sirloin for two and asked what accompanied it and was told chunkt chips by the waitress,we ordered a side of red cabbage and waited.the meat looked fantastic and there was 8 chunkt chips to share!!! most of the other meals came with veg etc so at £40 for main course we were disappointed.
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jo burton
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, April 11, 2006

The Island has a lovely atmosphere - chic, modern, private but not quiet. The food was very good. Unfortunately, our waiter was intent on rushing us through drinks and each course. To be honest we felt a little harassed - over serviced. This distracted from the food and the atmosphere. In the end the richness of the food was less enjoyable because of the speed with which it was served.
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Colleen
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Saturday, March 18, 2006

There are so many things that I could say about this restaurant. I could tell you that it opened in the Autumn of 2004, that it's a slick, chic and modern example of architecture au courant yet it manages to achieve an intimite and cosy atmosphere, that the service is warm and friendly, and that the Head Chef is a young British upstart by the name of Leigh Diggins who is rapidly establishing himself as a chef worthy of scaring the likes of Gordon Ramsay et al.

But none of that really matters. Not when the food is as good as it is here.

And that was the surprise. Having passed this restaurant a number of times, with half its exterior located in the Royal Lancaster Hotel, I had not expected to discover culinary heaven. The food was sublime, reaching standards you would expect from a Michelin star restaurant, though Island does not have any stars...yet. Watch this space. The ingredients were fresh and every dish was bursting with an array of distinct flavours, cunningly combined using robust recipes, deft cooking and stylish presentation.

Service was attentive and friendly, expertly and subtly directed by the professional and polite maitre d', though some of the staff were clearly still learning the ropes. The wine list was well chosen and you don't have to take out a mortgage to afford an excellent bottle.

We left the restaurant feeling extremely satisfied, well looked after and delighted that we'd discovered this gem of a place. Apparently the menu changes frequently so we'll certainly be going back to sample more of their gastronomic exultations.
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AL - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, February 23, 2006

Very impressive. The Island is a modern restaurant with stylish decor and a menu that goes beyond the usual with the likes of pheasant, partridge and venison, and the open view of the kitchen shows you they are confident in what they are doing. The food we had was superbly cooked and presented, and the staff were all friendly. Having the bar means you can arrive early and relax with a drink or two and wait on your table.

My only suprise was that it was not very busy. We went on a Friday night and it was quite quiet, though this suited us fine.

Would definitely go back.
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Mark
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Sunday, February 12, 2006

Amazing food and wonderful service. Just wished we'd gotten there early to partake in some cocktails first. Will definitely be back.
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Amanda - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Coming from a country where gastronomy is very important, i really recommand the Island!!!

Nice and helpfull service - modern & cosy atmosphere.

Great quality of food, incredible presentation of the plates.

We did keep our eyes wide open and have nothing bad to say about this place and i still don't understand some of the comments below.

If you want to pay less go before 19.00. even if we didn't know this detail we did not regret our money.

Only have one thing to say "Try the Island"

Dominique
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Dominque CARPET
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Sunday, January 08, 2006

Been here three times now.... generally very good with attentive service. On one occasion a friend left most of their main course and the manager came over and apologised if they did not like and removed it from the bill!
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David
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Thursday, December 22, 2005