Octave Restaurant & Jazz Bar

My colleagues and I decided to have a few after work drinks last night and stubbled across Octave. Glad we did! Managed to grab some barigan cocktails and tried out a few of the bar snacks (the calamri was very nice) but then realised they do live music every night so opted to stay on and dine in the restaurant.

You get a great view of the performance if you dine in the restaurant section rather than the bar. They had a great band Seb Genovese Trio (?) made for a really great atmosphere! Plus it didn't impede on our dinner either (the band came on whilst we ate). My friends had the steak and the other had baked polenta which she said was fab and an original option for a veggie. I had the sea bream which pratically melted in my mouth :)

For dessert I decided to go for the banana roulade, it was yummy! Also managed to swipe a bit of the chocolate pot off my friend, that was lush too!

All in all it was good fun and felt well looked after. It seems like a place that would have a good vibe on the weekend so I reckon we will all venture back on Friday to see what they've got on then. Would strongly recommend to anyone!!!
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10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Thursday, April 23, 2009

Last night, I went to Octave with my girlfriend and was totally impressed by the food and service. The waiter was attentive, and yet not over-zelous at all. He was a real credit to the industry, polite and patient. The food was delicious, I ordered a steak, which comes with a home-made sauce (I am told), which tasted unbelievably amazing. Sadly, after enquiring about its preparation it was clear to me that I could not do this myself at home:( My girlfriend had a vegetarian dish, which she loved. The whole place breathed a really relaxed atmosphere and we will be going back.
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Jonathan
9 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Thursday, April 16, 2009

My boyfriend and I went there for a birthday last weekend. First of all I was a bit worried from all the reviews I had read online, but some of them had been good so we decided to go. The music was mediocre jazz for which everyone has to pay a £5 charge for - whether you're dining or not.

Our party had 20 people in it, and earlier on in the week we had had to give our choices for dining. My boyfriend and I both chose the steak - £18.95.

I can easily say that this is the worst meal I have had in a London restaraunt in 10 years.

The steak was approximately 150g, chargrilled to death and very dry. There was no seasoning on it. The waiters did not even ask us how we wanted it cooked. They had obviously made the steaks an hour before eating and put them in a warming oven. The accompaniment - supposedly "sauteed garlic and rosemary potatoes" were cubed and so dry that they literally flew off the plate when I attempted to put my fork in them. And finally the "red wine jus" was worse. A friend of ours had the sea bream which was equally awful. Unsurprizingly the house red wine was appauling.

Decor wise, the lighting was really bright, and did not give an intimate feeling at all. The waiting staff were also clueless.

This is a total tourist trap and gets away with it because of it's location. I would seriously advise jazz lovers and food lovers alike to avoid this place like the plague, and select a more intimate jazz club for the vibe that you'd be expecting. It might even cost you less than this place! (In the end we left £60 a head each - which did not include much more than a starter, the awful mains, 2-3 glasses of house wine, oh... and of course the music...)
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Natalia Ciapryna
3 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 2
Monday, March 23, 2009

Can not really say much about this place as just been there once and had some drinks. The Jazz is ok and the deco is bit cheesy.
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King - View all reviews by this user
6 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 5
Thursday, February 26, 2009

There were a couple of bum notes in Octave last night and I am not talking about the jazz band.

I went there with my friend under the premise of spending a pleasant soiree accompanied by live music in a restaurant/bar that was not heaving when we got there at 7 pm.

Alarm bells rang when the waitress asked us whether we were having dinner when we asked to be seated. Our honest reply was that we intended to have drinks and nibbles followed possibly by something more substantial. She then directed us to the worst possible table tucked in between some railings and one side of the bar directly facing the kitchen door. That table was not even set up for service and its location meant that people walking from the bar to the other end of the room would invariably bump into the back of one of us. When we asked to be moved to another table (they were all empty at that stage), our request was declined. Feeling a bit chastened, we ordered some wine and food and settled down for the next hour to see other people being offered the more coveted seats nearer the band. Ours was really was the most unloved table in the room and not once did a waiter come to check on us. The olives and dips came without knives or toothpicks and we were not offered second drinks. We eventually ordered a main course and a side dish to share when the band started to play. When the bill came, we were surprised to see that a cover charge of £5 per person had been slapped on top of the service charge. When we pointed out to our waiter that we had not been informed of this, he showed us the menu which had this condition printed at the bottom of the page. I asked to speak to the manager but he or she did not want to speak to us. However, the cover charge was waived.

Overall, my review of Octave is that it has got a lovely setting and offers good entertainment. It is a pity that this is marred by an overpriced menu and poor service.
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Ratatouille - View all reviews by this user
3 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 2
Friday, February 20, 2009