The Good Earth

We ate at the good earth in early February after the theatre, there were 3 of us, my wife, myself and my adult daughter. We had 3 main courses between us and 2 portions of rice. The bill came to £80 including a drink each (one of which was a cocktail for my daughter), we did not think this was at all excessive. The food was clearly freshly cooked and outstanding and service impeccable. We would certainly eat there again.
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G Evans
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Have been to this restuarant on quite a few occassions and we love it!!!!! Nice atmosphere - great food, slightly expensive but well worth it! Try Lettuce wrapped chicken - it's to die for!!!!! Also Seasame Ice-cream - sounds disgusting but really yummy!!!

Certainly the best Chinese we ever eat - so much so we don't go back to the ones we used to go to!
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Laura and John
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Saturday, June 16, 2007

My partner and I went to the Knightsbridge branch of Good Earth last night (a Saturday evening), and had a pleasant time.

The decor is clean, smart and unfussy, without being minimalist. The busy upstairs seemed much noisier than the relatively calm downstairs section, where we sat.

The menu is fairly extensive, but not so much that you have to order by number. We were delighted to see the separate vegetarian menu, with its "chicken" (sic) dishes made of soy protein. The menu doesn't seem authentically Chinese, with its influences from Japan and Malaysia, but if you were looking for a truly authentic experience you'd already have gone elsewhere. The presentation of dishes was good, although I thought the "sizzling mushrooms" a little bit over the top. But that's not really a complaint.

Service was surprisingly friendly and fast, although it slowed down a lot as the place got busier.

We spent about £80 for dinner for two, including wine and service, and we thought it was just about value for money.

I'm a bit surprised at some of the negative reviews. Some of the staff look stony-faced, but we found nothing in their manner that we would call unfriendly. The food certainly wasn't "c**p", far from it - although I'm not wild about Chinese food, I would happily eat here again.

My impression is that the restaurant is more suitable for groups than for dining a deux. The larger tables, equipped with lazy susans, seem well set up for parties of six or more. Having said that, the couples near us weren't ignored and it would be possible to have a good evening here if you didn't have your heart set on intimacy.

It's not as cheap as its reputation suggests (although I understand the set lunches are very inexpensive), but if you had a small group to entertain and you wanted to go one or two better than Wagamama, I'd seriously give this a try.
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Stephen C - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Sunday, February 18, 2007

Avoid it! so disappointing and expensive!! spring rolls: thick paste, barely cooked, no salad, no mint, not the right sauce... Sweet and sour pork: thick chewy fried fat pork with its orange chemical, sticky to solid maizena sauce... Crispy duck: not as bad except no marinade taste, old cut veggies... steam rice: steamed OK...all this for 27quids! Customer care = ZERO.
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Xavier and Sophie
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Friday, August 25, 2006

crap food, crap service, crap evevning. £60 for 2, without service, money down the drain.
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Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Monday, May 08, 2006

This is the best Chinese restaurant in the world, (I should know, I travel quite a bit)! I grew up right around the corner and my family used to go twice a week. I have recently returned to London and found that the food is still fantastic. On top of that, the staff always remembers who I am even though it's been a long time since my family lived there. Try the crispy seaweed and roast duck!
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Susan
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, May 04, 2006

This is the best chinese restaurant I've ever been to. Exquisite food, I go there regularly now when I have family in town. Excellent service, wonderful atmosphere, I have never been disappointed. It may appear a little expensive but it worth it! I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who likes chinese food.
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Richard Brooks
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Saturday, March 25, 2006

If you like good food and a good atmoshere, DONT go here! The staff were rude, and the food was average, definately not worth what they charge. However our complaints about bad service (they forgot my dish) were dealt with really well by the manager, but I dont think we'll ever go back.
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RB
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 1
Wednesday, March 15, 2006

I dragged my girlfriend here even though she claims not to like Chinese food and we had a really nice evening. The decor of the restaurant is very smart and there is an air of quiet sophistication about the place. The service was very professional and the food was absolutely exquisite - possibly the best traditional Chinese food I have ever had. The sizzling beef I could have eaten all over again (not that it was a small portion!) and my girlfriends prawns in spicy tomato sauce were apparently very good as well. As for the prices, it's not cheap but it's certainly not expensive bearing in mind the quality of the food and the location. My only tiny reservation about the restaurant would be that it's very quiet. On the upstairs floor - which is a lot more intimate and is slightly smarter than the rather cavernous downstairs - you can hear people's crockery clattering a bit and some of the tables are close together which means you can all hear each other's conversation. Luckily for us our next door neighbours left soon after we arrived so it didn't bother us but I can see how over the course of a whole meal it could slightly spoil a romantic tete a tete...

Anyway I would definitely recommend Good Earth and we will certainly be back.
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Jeremy Liebster
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Monday, February 27, 2006

We visit London only once a year but this restaurant is always on our list of "must do"!

Great place to eat!

Friendly staff, efficient service and the food is the best we have tasted.
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poppy - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Sunday, February 05, 2006