Le Garrick Brasserie

i thought the restaurant was a funky cool looking place , until being served . it was very rushed , then the food arrived . the starter was tastless calamari swimming in olive oil . the main was lamb stew (which ihave to say was tasty ) , but only had 3 very small pieces of lamb in it . with boiled tinned potato . the other person i was with had chicken , which was cold and again had tinned potato in it . when we told the waiter he was not at all bothered and did nothing to try and make the situation better . i eat out a fair amount and have to say ,this was the worst restaurant i have been to in years .
Comment on this reader review

chris cooper
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 1
Monday, February 18, 2008

We 'had dinner' at Le Garrick restaurant in Covent Garden last night. We did not have a booking and were placed by the front door which did not close properly. As a result, there was a current of cold air blowing across the table.

The menu looks more promising than the actual quality of the food. After a fire alarm intermittently going off for five minutes, with much action from the floor staff to prevent it from doing so, we were treated with a view into the kitchen corridor which had a tablecloth on the floor which staff walked over without thinking to pick the cloth up. It seems that the fire alarm goes off regularly as the waiter told us it was the fish that triggers it.

Moreover, when ordering our meal we were both asked how we would like our respective steak meals cooked. I asked for a rare 'Le Garrick' burger and my friend ordered a traditional steak. After the drama of the fire alarm, moving tables because the door didn't close properly, a very average terrine served with baguette and butter portions (that had melted) we were looking forward to something nice. However, the burger was not served rare but well done. It was dry and also had gristle in the texture. The bun the burger was served in was fast food quality rather than restaurant quality. My friend's steak was also served well done and was very chewy, drowning in a grey sauce in the hope that this would cover up for the poor quality meat.

I am not sure why we were asked how we wanted the steak meals cooked as it was evident that the kitchen didn't exercise care in this area. After more drama pointing out the food's shortcomings we said that we will pay for the entree and the bottle of wine. We then had to wait 15 minutes so that the waiter could check with the manager. Finally, we paid and left. The best thing about this meal were the chips, which we didn't eat.
Comment on this reader review

Tom
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 2
Saturday, February 09, 2008

For an average priced meal in Covent Garden, Le Garrick is a good choice. Once you descend under the pavements, you find yourself in a quaint rustic Parisian but definitely London style restaurant. It’s cramped and a bit dingy, but that is part of the charm and little has changed since I last ate here about 3 years ago.

The food is fairly solid fare. I went with the moules followed by an Onglet all of which was cooked well, but perhaps the poirve sauce for the steak lacked in flavour (a few peppercorns would certainly do it justice). My company had pate followed by whole baby Poussin which was very tasty. I picked a bottle of £20 Bourgogne wine. While perfectly drinkable, was a bit disappointing. In this day and age it is very easy to establish a reasonably priced but good tasting wine list, and this French brasserie style restaurant should be standing out in this regard. Overall, a recommended place if you want a meal that doesn't exceed £20.
Comment on this reader review

Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Thursday, December 20, 2007

Had a pre-theatre meal here - great for cosy dining, fabulous food!

For central the prices are fantastic!
Comment on this reader review

Brazzinha
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, May 14, 2007

I agree with some of the other reviewers that Le Garrick can be somewhat "cramped" and imagine that with a party of any more than 4 it gets quite tight, but i've been hear 3 or 4 times with my girlfriend and have always enjoyed it. The atmosphere is "Paris rustique" with tables dotted around the lower cellar like restaurant and various ornaments on the walls. We normally go for an early meal to avoid the crowds and before it gets too smokey - which it can do at times. I have always found the service to be very attentive and friendly and unlike some of the other reviewers haven't been disappointed by the wine list. The french orientated (obviously!) food is also great - from the incredibly decadent camembert "soup" which is to die for and a meal in itself to delicious steak et frites. I would also add that there are a reasonable selection of vegatarian dishes which I always find a bit difficult when taking my vegetarian girlfriend out to some of the more carniverous restaurants. So in conclusion - maybe not one worth travelling all the way in to town for but definitely worth a try if you fancy an early evening meal and are in the area....
Comment on this reader review

Toby English
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Monday, December 18, 2006

We went to Le Garrick with friends for the first time this Saturday and two of us ordered "organic Coq au Vin". A few mouthfuls into the meal, Mike pointed out that he thought we had been served rogue chicken. Anita, a small animal vet in our group, checked the bones and confirmed without any hesitation that it wasn't chicken we were eating, it was most definitely rabbit! Strange given that there wasn't any rabbit/lapin on the menu, it wasn't just a mix up of someone else's order. We queried this with our waiter and all he gave us in reply was a coy shrug. While the meal was fairly good, we object to having the wool pulled over our eyes and found it insulting to be treated in this way. We are no fools and we will not be returning to Le Garrick again. We don't appreciate being deceived!
Comment on this reader review

Emma
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Sunday, December 10, 2006

Yes, cramped; but I'll just add that I have found the food here to be just right: a well prepared confit duck leg (larger, and more juicy than usual, but lovely and crisp), a simple potato and anchovy salad with chilled potatoes that were actually chilled not just cool and a perfect coq au vin. Wine is not a star, I agree Charlie, but this is basic food and vin de table goes fine; the price matches, too.
Comment on this reader review

Steven Rhodes
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Thursday, December 07, 2006

This is one of these hidden secrets in Central London you find by walking slowly in the busy streets around Covent Garden. We were a party of four looking for a quick dinner around 7pm and that exactly what were looking for. The restaurant is on 2 floors, ground floor and lower ground floor. The lower ground floor is a bit like a long wine cave with tables from 2 people to 8 (there is this great kind of alcove when you can accommodate 8 people in a round table). The food is traditional French with no complications. We order main courses straight away with 3 rumsteaks and 1 mussels served with French fries of course. Then we finished our dinner with 1 cheese plateau and 1 “pot au chocolat” and some coffee. For the wine, we drunk a bottle of white Bergerac, which I didn’t fancy too much but it was ok for the price though (only 17£ which is good for London). The bill was light for a change, only 80 pounds for 4 persons. The service is fast, friendly and eager to help you out. This is a kind of place I would recommend before going to a theatre or see a movie or before a drinking session in the West End bars.
Comment on this reader review

Guillaume
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 10
Sunday, November 19, 2006

have eaten here on and off for years now. even though i still enjoy the place, it is definitely not as good as it once was. this is the place we go to when myself and friends fancy a nice steak. we always have the onglet and always enjoy it. the problem we found was that the new owners started to mess with a simple formula. a choice of two sauces was unfortunately replaced for a while with tasteless onions that added nothing to the dish. i believe its changed again but why mess when it aint broken? oh and please, dont mess with the decor too much more, the place is slowly but surely losing its rustic charm
Comment on this reader review

Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, September 26, 2006

I have been going here for years (for convinience-close to office), and long before the current owners arrived. I've tried everything.

This place has bags of potential but suffers from 3 main problems.

1. Terrible wine list. They've gone for mark-up over quality, with a very short wine list and not one decent wine on the entire list. Average £4.00 per bottle above recommended retail prices. And it does claim to have a wine bar????

2. Food is very average at best, and often well below average.

3. They have tried to get too many covers out of a pokey space, which would otherwise be really lovely and cosy. But when it's busy, it's impossibly uncomfortable.

I'll say again. This place could be so good – which only adds to the failure of the current management. Try harder.

ps. The waitresses are all LOVELY!
Comment on this reader review

Charlie
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 5
Monday, February 27, 2006