Le Vacherin

We choose Vacherin for our anniversary based on previous dining experiences.

At the start of the evening waiting staff were very attentive, which is what we are used to. However, this turned out to be the last positive aspect of our dining "experience" totally ruined by slow, ignorant and arrogant waiter. Firstly, he announced that Gruyere souffle was of the menu (strange that, as it was start of the evening) and that we could order Vacherin from a La carte but with a supplement of £8. We agreed to this and were made to wait for nearly 40mins. before they got around to serving it. Secondly, the main course took as long, and by the time we wanted to order our desserts (Prix Fixe menu) it had already been two hours since we entered the restaurant. I asked the waiter to just charge the a La carte menu instead of Prix Fixe since we were tired of waiting to order our desserts to which he agreed. Five minutes later he turned up with a bill showing 2 x Prix Fixe menus!

As a last ditch effort to reason with him i explained that the bill was not correct but the answer was "you must've understood". As far as the poor dining experiences go i would say this is pretty bad.
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4 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 3
Thursday, September 16, 2010

A funny one. Set lunch was generally good but some of the service was a little off. Not the waitresses, but by the maitre d', who at one point gave one of his staff a really aggressive sotto voce bawling out (in the middle of the room) for some solecism we hadn't seen. Whatever it was, it can't have been as unprofessional as his display. That kind of thing is the difference between a local restaurant and a destination, I suppose.
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6 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
Saturday, June 12, 2010

Le Vacherin is an attractive and atmospheric restaurant, a pleasant distance away from the busy Chiswick high road. The interior decor just about makes up for the less attractive outlook which casts the eye across the road and to the district line in the distance. The chef has opted for a fixed price menu and, at £33 for three courses, it is neither cheap nor extravagant . Despite delicious entrees, we were disappointed with our main courses- it certainly felt like cheaper cuts of meat and fish with the intention of maximising profits. One might expect that during tricky economic times but surely the art of making money in this trade is not to let your customers feel the pinch- Le Vacherin didn't quite pull that off. The reasonably priced wine list did go some way to alleviate the blow. An extensive cheese plate, served with panache, also helped. Service is exemplary; attentive but not intrusive. All in all we had a pleasant evening. But I think there lies the problem with Le Vacherin; it falls between two stalls. It is neither the restaurant you would choose for a very special occasion nor the excellent local you would frequent on a regular basis. And for that reason, we won't be rushing back.
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Alice Gunn
8 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 7
Sunday, May 16, 2010

Superb cooking at very reasonable prices.

I think this place sells itself short. The Michelin critics will have noted the wine list that's only one page (plenty for most of us) and the cheerful, unpretentious bistro decorations and for those reasons will have withheld the star that the food deserves. Damn nearly as good as the starred food at La Trompette down the road. But considerably cheaper. Last night they were offering 3 courses, with a wide selection for each course, at just £22! Excellent place, I fully recommend it. The signature dish- baked Vacherin cheese with delicious extras - is a must.
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9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Monday, March 01, 2010

We had an opportunity to treat ourselves the other day. After perusing restaurant reviews, we decided on Le Vacherin in Chiswick – a restaurant within budget and one with a terrific reputation.

The decor is extremely French, being under stated, yet homely. It is modeled on a classic French dining room, with an elongated mirror and the odd bistro-style print. The ambience was lovely with romantic French music playing in the background.

The food was exquisite; seasoned & cooked to perfection using the very best of seasonal products with a good selection of wine sourced from the South of France.

The starter of plump scallops, with apple purée, melt-in-your-mouth black pudding and crispy rashers of Alsace Bacon left your tastebuds tantalised.

For mains we ordered the 28 day aged chateaubriand which is Silver Served. Whilst balancing the silver platter on one hand; the waitress meticulously placed each item one by one onto our plates with her free hand. First the marrow, then the mushroom, followed by three slices of perfectly cooked rare fillet (cooked to your liking) followed by beans, frites and then finally the béarnaise. The meat was melt in the mouth material with a hunk of the fatty marrow to add to the sumptuousness. The very French side dishes of fresh seasonal vegetables, including peas, young asparagus spears and baby carrots made it taste as good as it looked - Heaven on a plate.

My dessert was incredible too with a hot chocolate pudding that oozed rich chocolate sauce once broken open & served with amaretto ice cream. We also shared the cheese board which I believe boasted 17 different cheeses.

The service was impeccable, the manager supervised while the staff were extremely friendly and attentive, leaving us to enjoy the evening without unnecessary interruption.

Malcolm John has most certainly succeeded in creating a sensational neighbourhood restaurant serving traditional French food using top quality seasonal ingredients at keen prices. I look forward to dining at his other ventures, Le Cassoulet & Fish and Grill, based in South Croydon, as they seem to have had outstanding reviews as well.

All in all the perfect setting for a decadent night out. I will certainly be back!!!
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10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, September 24, 2009

not good! we went as a table for 2 on saturday night. there is nothing particularly wrong with the food, it's fine enough although not as good looking as the restaurant's web photography makes out.

the problem was the service. the place was full and there were two or three big tables (8 people). clearly the restaurant had taken those bookings on the basis that the kitchen could cope, but from our experience the kitchen and the waiters were unable to do so. we were seated at 2040 and left two hours later having had a starter and a main and had just been offered a menu card for dessert. the gap between starter and main was eternal. the couple on the next table threw a wobbly when their mains eventually arrived. we should have done too but were too hungry by then to bother. I should say that we would happily have had cheese and a dessert but everything had taken so long that we didn't have time and had no idea whether that might take another hour or two.

so, after 2 hours we had had half a meal, and we ordered the bill. despite the obviously ridiculous delays, they were happy to present us (after another delay) with a bill, with 12.5% service charge added to it. we made it clear how dreadful our experience had been and they came back with two pre-dinner drinks removed and no service added. thinking back, it was bad enough that we shouldn't really have paid at all, save perhaps for the bottle of wine.

all in all, a shabby experience. those tempted to go in should consider trying the pub next door instead.
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ateit - View all reviews by this user
4 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 2
Monday, March 16, 2009