Lowcountry

Wow! Sunday Lunch. Can't eat another thing, great roast dinner with exceptional meat (more like steak) plenty of great veggies, and a Bloody Mary inc in the price! Amazing, and a genius move with the free face painting for the kiddies.
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9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Sunday, December 16, 2012

Good food, but choose your table with care . . .

Lowcountry styles itself as bar-and-eating-house rather than restaurant so booking a table at 10 pm on a Saturday was, perhaps, unwise.

Seated initially in the bar’s backroom, we were intimidated by two aggressive punters who were the worse for drink. Also the noise here was unbearably loud.

We were about to walk out when our waitress agreed to move us to a quieter table in the open-kitchen area. Plenty of empty tables and a chance to have a conversation.

The rest of the evening was fine – waitresses charming and food delicious: gumbo and ribeye. But we were disappointed to be charged an extra dessert price of £6 for two scoops of ice cream when we asked for our pecan pie to be served a-la-mode, normally complimentary in the US.
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arizonagirl
6 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 5
Sunday, October 14, 2012

Have loved london for years for its interesting culinary delights, and got totally surprised this weekend when i stumbled across a huge and apparently new bar and 'eating house' in Fulham. Lowcountry. Cuisine from South Carolina, gumbo's, fried green tomatoes, wings to die for!!! and the best oysters my wife has ever had. cool and interesting beers, the Jeremiah Weed Brew was wicked. TVs in the garden showing the Olympics, and Sports in every room! Cant wait for the next one to open, hopefully near me in Angel. Well done!!!
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Jamie Riddulp
10 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Monday, August 13, 2012

Was really looking forward to Lowcountry opening but have to say it was a disappointment. Yes to the previous viewer - horrid chips, I saw one of the staff wandering over to the cooking station with a big bag of frozen chips which didn't help! We had a table booked for 2pm on Sunday and bearing in mind they were only open from 12 and are open all day they had run out of alot of stuff. What we did order was very average (and expensive - £125 for four people with no alcohol) which was a shame as the staff were all lovely. The menu didn't live up to the cooking sadly but I figure I'll give it a month or two for them to settle down (or change chefs) and try again.
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mlc
5 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 3
Thursday, May 17, 2012

I visited the place with my wife; we ordered a gumbo and a burger. The gumbo was OK – no complaints, but no special praise. The burger was also OK, but smallish, and came with (a) a pinch of something resembling watercress, (b) a small stack – yes, a stack - of chips, which turned out to be soggy and unpleasant. Quite frankly, I enjoyed Low Country’s £10 burger less than I would enjoy a £3.50 burger produced by the local kebab shop; I am 100% confident that I myself can produce better chips, after a quick trip to Tesco.

Speaking of service - the server dashed away just as I noticed that the burger came without ketchup, and when the meal came to a close, I (a) had difficulty explaining that I’d like a check, (b) waited 8 minutes (!) for the server to get the debit-card machine and come back (as she helped a colleague clean a neighboring table), (c) again, had difficulty explaining that I would like to leave a tip.

Décor? No accounting for taste, but I would call Low Country’s style disjointed and low-rent, and the whole place just too big.

A below-average experience with an above-average price tag.
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Demyan
3 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 3
Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Went to try this place out today, and, well all i can say is great!!!

The team were fab, they knew how to describe the dishes, they even got samples for us to try, a sort of 'try before you buy' concept. Fried Green Tomatoes were an education and a great snack, while the Gumbo and the ribs which really did 'Fall off the bone' were exceptional in their own right.

The sun in the huge garden was an additional bonus and the fresh seafood was spectacular. When you see it crawling around in a box what more can be said. The chefs showed the children live lobster and crawfish, and taught them a little too!

Keep doing what you're doing!!!
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10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Sunday, May 13, 2012

I actually feel bad for starting this review on Lowcountry and to be so critical on them when I had one of the most warming and charming meals in there during their soft launch, dining on their limited menu. It is a restaurant that is bursting full of energy, staff genuinely jumping off their feet to welcome you in and doing more than their job to make your experience as lovely as it could possibly be. It all came from the heart and you can tell. I mean they definitely delivered some dishes that I would go all the way there from Angel just to eat it again but some were quite average and could do with some improvement. But hey, there was nothing that was extremely poor and they’ve only just opened so I’m sure over time from test and trail, things will get better. Of course eating from the limited menu meant I am still unknown to other potential dishes out there that could also shine i.e. the potential lobster and seafood platters.

Situated just off the edge of Fulham Road you can’t miss it especially being such a large venue painted red. As well as a restaurant it is also a very traditional looking bar, very spacious with a large garden at the back fenced behind a beautiful canopy of trees. They made the effort to give me a nice tour around the place and told me the great plans they had for the garden for barbecues, private events and bookings. Suddenly I felt I was out of London.

There is nothing I can fault with the service in Lowcountry. As soon as I entered I felt the energy buzzing, the warmth and excitement as if me being a friend had entered their house. I watched their integrated teamwork, the communication and friendliness amongst them all. I felt part of that.

From such a traditional wooden decorated bar I didn’t expect them to guide me into such a trendy modern American looking restaurant with an open kitchen right in the middle. I have never seen anything like it and was very impressed how every customer was entitled to see the full view of the kitchen. Fresh multi-coloured vegetables surrounded the front of the kitchen and was made viewable to everyone and I was told that soon fresh seafood of oysters and prawns shipped daily would be layered out too.

The theme was red, red stools, red lights and even to the napkins. It was vivid and it worked very well for a Southern American dining. I liked it.

Although limited there was still quite a varied choice on the menu and curious to try Southern food we decided to order three mains and have one as a starter to share. Unknown to us, it was that first dish that blew us away and the dish name? Simply ‘Shrimp and grits’. A dish that looked nothing more than a shrimp tomato stew turned out to be the most refreshing, comforting dish I’ve had in a while. The shrimp were so fresh it was like they were still jumping in our mouths and it was not after we eaten it were we told that they were caught that very morning and then cooked to us in the evening. And they found the best recipe to bring out their freshness, paired with a simple simple sauce made with pure quality tomatoes that was lightly spiced with chilli and flavoured with tarragon and onions. It was heartwarming and made slightly indulgent with the scattered bits of melted cheese and creaminess from the grits. A bit of fried grits scattered on top gave the dish a little crunch and all portioned generously with an abundance of shrimps.

Next came the rump steak in voodoo and hollandaise recommended medium rare on the menu which is what we went for. It would not have been my choice of cut if there there were other cuts available that day because as expected it was quite tough. But I could definitely tell that it was a high quality rump because although tough it wasn’t chewy from muscle fibers and quite succulent. It was another generous portion, seared well too, giving a good smokey coating exterior into the perfect medium rare inside. However it lacked flavour and needed to be marinated longer for the flavours to go through. The flavours from the voodoo and hollandaise sauce was not strong enough either making the dish quite bland. However I was happy with unique pairing of a whole unsliced leaf of some sort of greens although I’m sure it would not be to everyone’s taste as it did require quite a bite. As it was a quality rump steak we did polish it up appreciating the natural subtle flavours and textures of the steak although for £18.75 it was too average especially without any chips.

We also ordered the pinot noir burger which was slightly more successful. It also came medium rare but was more tender and succulent. It came thick and chunky with a good layer of melted smoky cheddar that added that depth of flavour with the red onions that topped it. However the red wine was not apparent enough in the burger and could have done with more flavours. The burger as a whole also needed something to break it up and lacked some sort of sauce and juice to it e.g. a tomato, some more leafy greens then those that came on the side and maybe some gherkins. But this is only a suggestion. The bun however was very successful in holding the filling together and a well toasted sesame one creating a nice smoky flavoured crisp topping into a more fluffy inside that came apart nicely with the burger. It may not have been the ideal burger but still enjoyable.

On the side we also ordered some chips which were probably the least successful dish of the day. Although fluffy and good quality potatoes they were uncooked, lacking that crisp coating and also unseasoned making them quite bland. Without ketchup and pepper it would have been hard to finish them especially when it was very generously portioned too. The waitress was brilliant in filling our third helping of ketchup although it made us feel like a nuisance in calling her over time after time. Hopefully in the future they could provide little bottles of condiments or invest in bigger dipping plates especially when things get busy.

Luckily desserts were more to our satisfaction. We ended up ordering the Knickerbocker and the Kentucky bourbon pecan pie. Both were loved in different ways. The pecan pie came warm and sticky with wholesome soften pecans sweetened perfectly. It was an enjoyable texture with an indulgent nutty flavour. It had a nice firm crust that carried it all too with a contrast of bitterness from the bourbon cherries. A little bit of cream or icecream on the side would have made it perfect.

That was when the knickerbocker came in perfectly which we kind of ate it along with the pie. We were told the icecream were made from the gelato shop across the road that makes it freshly for them. The flavours that we had were caramel and strawberry and they were just incredible, silky smooth, creamy, made with real strawberries. Even the caramel felt light, and gently sweetened so it wasn’t overpowering the fresh blueberries and juicy strawberries that topped it. But this was just the start as we were told that they are planning to invest in more flavours such as pumpkin ice-cream which will be interesting.

Out of ten I would give Lowcountry a good 7.5 just for food just to clarify that they do know what they are cooking and using the right ingredients and I’m sure with little changes along the way they could easily go from that to a good 9. I would give a 10 for the Shrimp and grits alone.

Towards the end of the meal the front of house manager noticed how curious we were with the folding of the napkins and kindly offered to teach us. We were then given a tour whilst having a nice conversation about their plans and farewelled out like a friend leaving their house. My heart sank when I had to leave and this is how every restaurant should be although I understand it would be hard to maintain that when things get busy,

Everything else about it like the decor and service I could easily give a 10. We were really looked after during our meal and as we ate we watched other customers received the same love and attention too. Even the chef interacted with her customers and the manager stepped out to greet people making sure things were okay. But it wasn’t just a face as they shared the same respect with each other, laughing as they worked and making conversation. Our waitress even made her way to introduce me to her colleagues praising them how great they are to work with.

So Lowcountry is not perfect but no restaurant is. The only thing I would really urge to be better would be the chips. When the actual menu comes out with different cuts of steak such as the rib-eye and the fillet, leg of pork, roast chicken and more fresh seafood dishes, I’m sure there will be other dishes to enjoy as much as i enjoyed the shrimp and grits which I would recommend just to go there for!
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Lamchowder - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 7
Friday, May 11, 2012