Paternoster Chop House

I don't normally write reviews but i felt i should about this place. I went here last night and would have been nice apart from I had a very off fillet steak. I noticed the smell before I even cut into it so I am not sure how it got sent out. I had asked for it medium rare and it came suitably pink but with no blood running out at all, which is also a good indication that it was old. I guessed it was the piece that had been kept on the meat board they brought round to show us (probably all week) as it had looked dry then. I tried to eat it, as i was with unfamiliar company and did not want to make a scene, but did not enjoy it at all given the foul stench and strong taste, so I left it. When we mentioned it to the waitress she took it back to the kitchen but then brought it back saying that it was fine and that this is the way their meat is; it just has a very strong taste! I have never heard anything so ridiculous in my life. We made sure the amount was taken off our bill. I have to say I was not impressed with the Chophouse- apart from lovely surroundings and a relaxed atmosphere, the fact the chef sent that out, when the stench from cooking it must have been clear, and that the waitress served it and then they both tried to pretend it was fine, is apalling. If all their meat is like that, i would not recommend it. Aside from this, the food is plain and minimal. Nothing to write home about at all.
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Emfear
3 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 1
Wednesday, August 17, 2011

This restaurant is fantastic! My sister and I took our mum for her birthday last night and we had such a great time. The menu was lovely and the food was absolutely delicious. We did the Evening Standard deal which was great. The staff were so pleasant and attentive and not at all pushy. The surroundings make it even better. The atmosphere was brilliant but in no way intrusive - it was great to finally find somewhere with a buzz but where you dont have to shout over your food. I thoroughly recommend this place. Oh and yes it may cost more than Burger King but that's because its worth it!
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10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, August 03, 2011

Food was nice - if a little bit minimal, service was quite good. But both cost far far too much.

The place is clearly their to capitalise on its surroundings and the workers at nearby city firms - which it seems to do very well judging by how busy it was.

Paid something like £26.50 (give or take a bit) for 'Beast of the Day', which was little more than a chunk of well-cooked roast beef, plus some rather uninteresting mashed spuds. Add to this recommended tip and wine and it made a fairly costly and very dissappointing experience. It was worth about half the amount we paid.
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5 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 2
Monday, January 31, 2011

Went yesterday evening (Wednesday) for a celebratory family dinner - my mother in law has just retired. We'd booked under the Evening Standard's fixed price offer - £25 for 3 courses and a glass of champagne.

Paternoster Square is a pleasant, lively place on a warm, weekday evening. The Chop House is a large, modern, well laid-out room. It was busy with a rapid turn over of custom. As other reviewers have said: it is noisy, but we liked that as we're noisy too and it allwed us to let our hair down and relax.

The service was prompt and generally pretty professional - slick rather than charming. I have become a bit impatient with inattentive and slow waiting staff and so I often now get my retaliation in first by being a bit pushy and demanding - it seems to work. They probably think I'm an annoying git, but at least I'm a well-served annoying git.

One pretty major glitch on the service front: an eager young waiter brought our 6 flutes of champagne to the table on a tray then spilt them all over my wife's back - that's a whole bottle of champagne all over her dress, with broken glass all around. Not great. Fortunately for them my wife is a very sweet natured woman and she was more concerned for the crest-fallen waiter than herself. Nevertheless they swept into action pretty efficiently to deal with it all. Fresh champagne was brought etc. and there was an apology. Hey - accidents happen and we weren't going to let it ruin the evening.

However, the apology was not supported by any free drinks or a reduction of the bill - just a voucher for my wife to bring back with a receipt for the dry cleaning of her dress! SO....a bottle of champagne spilt all over the dress, and they wanted her to PROVE she'd had it cleaned?? Poor, I thought. Just a bit graceless and thoughtless.

Anyway: the food. I thought the fixed price menu was too short and uninteresting. Lots of good stuff on the al la carte mind - but that was startlingly expensive. From the fixed price I had an excellent porky brawn - a jellied delight. My faggots weren't faggots - they were just slices of pigs liver in a cloying sweet black sauce. Strange bit of mis-description.

Those who ordered the haddock and pollack were very plesed - really good portion sizes of fish.

Dessert: my sticky toffee pudding was dry with a stingey dribble of toffee sauce - a shame as the flavours were good. The almond and raspberry tart (posh Bakewell) was good.

Wine: a very good list in fact, with enough in the £25-ish bracket to please. We had a very good white Rhone, then a few glasses of a cherrylicious trebbiano. Champagne is stupidly pricey (that's the city for you). £49 for house champagne, a decent but by no means stellar Piper Heidseck.

Overall: we had an excellent evening. I wouldn't rush back however unless someone else was paying - you can eat well-sourced honest English grub much more cheaply elsewhere.
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Kwev
6 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 5
Thursday, July 29, 2010

Good service but much too noisy, I could hardly hear what my client was saying. Also had to send the roast beef back as it was virtually cold... but the staff dealt with it very nicely. And the condiments were excellent.
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HW3 - View all reviews by this user
6 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 5
Friday, May 21, 2010

Came here for Sunday lunch last week with 2 friends and had another average 'D & D' meal. Don't get me wrong there was nothing really bad about the restaurant but nothing to make me want to go back.

First off the food, Sunday lunch here is a set menu of 2 or 3 courses for about £22/£26. Decent amount of choice even though they had run out of a couple of items by 1.15pm, but the dishes were all a bit boring. For mains we all had a roast, 2 beef and 1 pork, all were pretty good with plenty of veg included, the beef being the best dish we had.

Service was fine & the place had a nice buzz about it, but it was only a third full and I can imagine if full it would be very loud indeed. Mens toilet was out of order so had to use the disabled, not a problem but they seemed to be using the disabled toilet as a store room as well, clothes rail, menu stands were among the things I found in there.

After telling myself I would never return I'm off next week to Pont de la Tour, D & D's flagship restaurant, lets hope they have improved things in the last 18 months.
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Chris
7 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Sunday, January 31, 2010

I hosted a lunch party here on Sunday for 23 guests which was a great success - due in large part to the impeccable service that we received from the restaurant staff and the exceptionally high standard of the food.

The food - pumpkin soup to start, followed by Galloway beef or gilt head bream, rounded off with sticky toffee pudding - was delicious and great value at 3 courses for £25, particularly in view of the generous portions.

The staff were friendly and attentive at all times - even coming to the rescue of my seven year old niece who was fighting a losing battle with a bottle of tomato ketchup - and more than earnt their 12.5% service charge.

All in all, it was a great day and I will definitely be returning in future.
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Helen Bell
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Went with work out of desperation as St.Pauls isn't that great - being rammed with chains.

It was about 50% capacity, but they mad a fuss about getting us a table - when it was plainly obvious that they had plenty of space.

Service wasn't that special. We had to ask for everything and everything had a subsequent delay.

Bread was average (and we had to ask for it). Fishcake OK. Veal very thinly sliced (as if by machine). Chips over fried "thick chips". Spinach was the nicest thing - at £6 for a small serving.

The atmosphere was fairly buzzy, but the bar area is rammed full of overweight city boys drinking Stella - so it's a poor first impression.

Dessert was nice. A panna cotta was advertised as blancmange - no idea why.

Coffee came to the table with the crema collapsed.

I'm so glad work were paying. There's no way I'd want to spend my own money.

Really average and very expensive.
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coops
4 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 2
Sunday, October 18, 2009

I have to say that my lunch, today, at the Paternoster Chop House was one of - if not the most - disappointing eating experiences I have had in London for a very long time.

Quite simply, the main course - the pork - should never have left the kitchen. Not just my view, but also that of the member of management who came to apologise for what amounted to a plate of pork fat which was ninety per cent inedible.

Although they removed the meat from the bill, they still charged for the vegetables even though they were left almost uneaten due to the state of the meat.

I shall not be returning, and neither will my friend whose meal was certainly as bad as mine.
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D. Jones
4 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, July 29, 2009

The worst dining experience in central London in over 30 years!

Visited today; starter OK, but pork main course was pork fat.

Bill credited (but not the vegetables).

Give this place a wide berth!
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Dave
2 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, July 29, 2009