The Greenhouse

We were eagerly anticipating our first visit to 'The Greenhouse' to celebrate a very special birthday. We had researched exhaustively, shortlisted to four and then edited down to 'The Greenhouse', mainly because of its 9/10 ratings for service and food.

Sadly, on many counts, we were to be disappointed. On arrival we opted for 'the bar' in advance of being shown to our table. No-one came near us, though plenty of staff walked past. After 10-15 minutes, we took the initiative and ordered champagne. It wasn't anywhere near cold enough when it arrived so we asked if we could wait while it 'chilled'.

When shown to our table, we were given three menus to look at: a tasting menu, main menu and a la carte. We asked if we could 'mix and match' the main and a la carte menus and were told, 'No problem'. My partner went for the tasting menu and I chose from the main menu.

When it came time to order, much to our surprise, we were informed that if one had a tasting menu, then we both must have it . I have certain food intolerances and had deliberately avoided the tasting menu, including the vegetarian option, however, it was my partner's birthday and he had been keen to try the tasting menu and I had no intention of spoiling it for him.

From then on, the woman taking our order - clearly someone 'in charge' - made us feel most unwelcome, a nuisance. Yes, in the end, my needs were accommodated, but only following some embarrassing exchanges. When one of her colleagues kindly offered to help, he was told to mind his own business as he was, 'in charge of wine.'

My meal was OK, though interestingly, the two courses I had wanted to order from the main menu, neither of which would have presented me with a dietary problem, were by far the tastiest for us both. No comparison to a bowl of bitter tasting lettuce that masqueraded as one of my substitutes.

My partner did enjoy the tasting menu, though any real pleasure was overshadowed by the feeling of being an inconvenience, which made the atmosphere seem distant and cold - though the sommelier and one other young waiter could not be faulted for their attempts at being cheerful.

We do think that under other circumstances, the food is probably at least good, as is the service - maybe we were just unlucky to cross the path of this particular woman on this particular night - but we will not be in a hurry to return.

The same cannot be said for Gordon Ramsay's Chelsea restaurant where we dined last night: service excellent, champagne suitably cold, food very good. My dietary requirements were dealt with efforlessly and seamlessly and we left feeling we had experienced an evening of dining as it should be in a top London restaurant.
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Maureen Rodger
7 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Thursday, February 02, 2012

I visited this restaurant for a leisurely lunch on a Friday with my boyfriend and enjoyed every second of it. The food and service was absolutely first class. The decor and atmosphere in the restaurant is perfect. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anybody looking for a first class experience.
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Linz - View all reviews by this user
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Monday, July 11, 2011

I am a fussy diner and my husband has lots of allergies and intolerances - between us, we are able to find fault with most restaurants we frequent. Thankfully, in the Greenhouse, we have found a restaurant that excels in both food and service. Absolutely no complaints from either of us - the wine list is superb, the tasting menu well judged and beautifully cooked.

A few days before our visit we had been to Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester and in our opinion, neither the food nor the service there could compete with the Greenhouse on any level.

We will be going back as soon as the purse strings allow!
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JCA
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, April 27, 2011

I ate recently at The Greenhouse with 5 friends on a meal deal. This proved to be great value; all 5 courses were very good and presented beautifully. The accompanying wine was excellent: although the list is a terrifying size, it features some budget options, which suggests that The Greenhouse seeks to include, unlike some other top-end restaurants. Service was well-judged - polite and humorous. Some prompting of the waiter to offer an alternative option was required when one of our party did not wish to eat one of the set courses as it contained foie gras, but that's a minor niggle. I'd return for a meal deal.
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dawnage - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Saturday, November 06, 2010

We could only get an early table and on arriving 15 mins before time, the receptionist was unable to offer us any where to sit as cleaning was still in progress. We were effectively sent away - glad it wasn't raining.

The menu had 'specials' disguised in some restaurant jargon and our waitress did not volunteer as to what these were. We found out the 'modern classic' special was roast chicken for two, spread over 2 courses. Fearing that this may be too substantial I asked how large was the chicken. As a response I was treated to a performance on 'air accordion.' The more traditional method of just telling us the weight would have suited us better. I then had a bit of debris in the wine glass which the waitress cheerfully dismissed as 'a fly'. No apology was given,

The food would have to be seriously good to recover the situation, In fact it was outstanding. The scallops and the vegetable tarte for starters were delicious. We both had pigeon for mains and they were tender and done exactly to our requirement. The soufle for dessert was perfect.

Having eaten in many 2 star restaurants we would say the food we ate belonged in that category.

Someone in front of house should spell out the difference between frivolity and friendly. Someone in the kitchen is doing a great job.
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Aitch
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, October 13, 2010

The Greenhouse is a beautiful and elegant secluded restaurant with a botanical theme situated in Mayfair. It offers French cuisine, which can be called original, with artistic touches inspired by the chef Antonin Bonnet, who produces dishes with seasonal high quality ingredients.

The Greenhouse, a one Michelin star restaurant, offers four types of menus, a la carte menus , set menus, tasting menus and a menu for special events, which is served in the classical approach starting with amuse and ending with coffee and petit fours. Each dish has a “green ingredient” to follow the theme of the restaurant. It has a immense wine list which would take a while to read, however it has won ….

The Greenhouse was not easy to find, as it is not located by the main road, but rather in a quiet area. (like secret garden or oasis in the middle of London’s concrete jungle.)The entrance is a welcoming garden, embellished with flowers and a fountain. The inner décor is simple, however effective, the major part of the restaurant is surrounding by windows that permit to view the garden.

The receptionist welcomed us with a smile, took our coats, and guided us to our table. Immediately there were two waiters to pull the chairs out for us, they unfolded the napkins and served water. The next minute there was the sommelier who offered us a choice of a cocktail or any other soft drink. After bringing the order to the table, she offered us the wine list. Then the menu was given to us which looked appealing, due to its fresh and seasonal dishes which had a creative combination of ingredients.

As I visited the restaurant with two other friends, we all chose a different dish to be able to get a greater idea of the food served at the restaurant. I chose a green warm salad with quail eggs, iberico ham and bagna conda dressing, which was beautifully plated (not over the top in design), and there was nothing to say about the flavour and seasoning, as the flavours were well combined, the temperature was warm (as described) and the eggs were perfect soft boiled. The other starter that caught my attention was the salmon gravadlax which consisted in seven small and equal size dice salmon, topped with a thin, round slice of prickled beetroot and turnip, and finished with caviar.

The plates from the starter were cleared immediately after the last person finished and the main courses were brought to us, there was a little confusion as I was given the fish dish instead of the lamb I had ordered. However the change was done with an apologetic smile from the waiter. My braised lamb was out of this world, it was cooked to perfection, there was an excellent contrast of flavours, textures and colours, which was produced by the following components of the dish: a quenelle of peach puree, mushroom with ginger and soy sauce, small batons of carrots and parsnips, jus, finished with grated cocoa bean, and half leave of Swiss chard. After the main course the dishes were cleared again immediately after the last person finished, but I was a little disappointed as the table was not crumbed down, however the cruets were removed.

As a dessert I chose vanilla cheesecake that was accompanied by a quenelle of mandarin sorbet, which melted in the mouth, and gave the dessert the bit of acidic flavour needed to refresh and soften the sweetness of the cheesecake.

It can be said that the service was exceptional, from the beginning of the meal to the end. The waiters and waitresses knew exactly what they were doing, they were helpful and cheerful. During the meal we were left to our own leisure, however there were interventions to ask how the meal was going and the water was refilled when necessary.

There was also clear advice of the ingredients in the dishes, as one of my friends was dairy intolerant; she needed to know exactly what was in each dish. At the end of the meal as an unexpected gesture, she was asked if she would prefer a fruit plate or a selection of sorbets instead of any of the desserts specified on the menu, as all of them contained dairy.

Overall, it was an extraordinary experience, it is a restaurant to which I would return, and advise others to visit The Greenhouse.
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9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Had a great dinner here last weekend. Really imaginative vegetarian food, which is normally non-existant at other restaurants of this kind. We absolutely loved it... just as well for the price! Staff really informative and attentive, yet somehow relaxed at the same time leaving you to get on with the important task of eating.
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9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, June 10, 2009

A friend and i dined at the Greenhouse following drinks at the Dorchester on Friday - from the moment we entered and to the time we left we had nothing but amazing service, attentive and informative, fantastic food accompanied by well selected and complementary wine.....we loved it....every bit of it!

The cheese selection was a must and we litually stuffed ourselves so we could eat no more - i have nothing but praise and happy to pay the bill (oh yes i didn't as my friend obliged) - would i go back again and pay for myself - in a heartbeat!
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SP
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, June 09, 2009

A place for fine dining.
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King - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Sunday, March 22, 2009