La Cave

Visiting Borough Market on a busy Saturday lunchtime we wanted to sit down with our two children for a proper meal so took a chance on La Cave's set menu. What transpired was one of the best meals we've had for ages. The salad starters were simple but perfectly presented and delicious. The mains far exceeded our expectations and again were the work of a kitchen that clearly knows what it was doing. These were followed by chocolate mousse dessert that was certainly a hit with the children. The wine list is not cheap but our bottle of Albarino was memorably good. Service throughout the meal was excellent and it was a change to find that bread was both abundant and not charged extra! All in all, a really good meal, excellent value and much better than the fare provided by a standard 'family' chain restaurant.
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James Todd
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Saturday, October 29, 2011

I recently visited La Cave and will not be returning. Despite asking for a jug of water I was given a very small glass and had to ask 4 times for a refill. My friend ordered a diet coke, this was obviously the dregs so she asked for another one which came out exactly the same (as the waiter had obviously not bothered to taste it), so had to request an alternative drink. A third friend was over charged for her drinks and the desserts were disappointing.

The starters and main course were enjoyable although when ordering we asked for more information on the chicken and mash and were told, "you know, what chicken's like". We are still none the wiser if it is served in a sauce with veg etc.

We then paid the bill but left a little under the 12.5% tip included in the bill. The waiter then challenged me over this and I had to point out it was discretionary, he made a disgruntled noise and went off. He was then heard complaining to another waiter that we hadn't paid the full amount of the service charge.
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4 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 3
Saturday, August 13, 2011

Food and wine - 8/10. Service staff - appalling, rude, threatening. 0/10.

We hadn't been here for some time but decided to pop in as it was a gorgeous early April evening and fancied a glass of wine with friends. Unfortunately it soon became clear that La Cave has changed beyond recognition, with the service amongst the worst in London. Food and wine remain good, everything else was truly appalling.

We ordered a bottle of wine and turned to the cheeses, a previous highight at this restaurant. We asked for the cheese menu so that we could order what we wanted. The waitress disappeared for some time and then returned with a plate of cheese. We challenged this, making clear that we wanted to see the menu first before choosing which cheeses we wanted, rather than being given what they wanted to get rid of. The waitress, who by this stage had become extremely rude, simply took the plate away and then returned, dropping someone else's selection on the table and walking away.

Eventually we managed to order the cheeses that we wanted and they were lovely, with the wines accompanying them nicely. Sadly the service continued to be truly terrible and when we finally complained to the duty manager she just waved us away, clearly unconcerned by the poor service which we had experienced,

At the end we paid much of the tip but were then informed that we must pay the remainder, down to the penny. At this stage things got really quite unpleasant. We paid the 12.5% service charge, which was made clear was compulsory and not optional, and quickly departed, vowing never to return.

This is arguably the most appalling eatery in Europe. Unless you revel in horrific staff please avoid. Terrible.
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David
3 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 1
Saturday, April 09, 2011

La Cave is rather quaint to look at, the wine was good however the service was terrible beyond all measure. After not tipping because of the bad and rude service the waiter brought my change in 10 and 20p pieces. Would never go back.
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Christian
0 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Saturday, September 18, 2010

pretty restaurant with a cute out door terrace, destroyed by extremly poor service and a manager with attitude. Excellent Main Course however this was ruined by a bad dessert which the 4 of us all felt was made in a rush with no enthusiasm or quality.

All in all very very poor standards and certainly one to be skipped! Very Over priced for a product i feel is very un organised and un worthy!
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2 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 1
Saturday, July 31, 2010