Alastair Little

My experience wasn't as good as those below. The food was fine, but our waiter left a lot to be desired. We were served water in a dirty glass, and when this was pointed out to him, he sauntered off with it with no word of apology. Later, for my main course, I asked if something could be served without the sauce and was assured this would be the case - of course it wasn't. The food was good - especially the cucumber soup starter, but everything else fell short of what I expected for the price.
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Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 4
Wednesday, August 23, 2006

With a rough split of £9/£22/£7 making up the £38 (my split) for the 3 courses I find this very bad value for money for the meal we have a couple of weeks ago. It was extremely ordinary and for that price you'd expect something pretty special. We both left feeling rather under whelmed thinking yes, it tasted OK but nothing inventive in terms of the use of ingridients or style of cooking.

The dining room whilst pleasant enough now feels rather tired. In fact our whole experience rather felt like the restaurant was resting on its laurels.

Admittedly finding a decent upmarket restaurant in Soho is difficult but I could name at least 4 or 5 in the same price bracket where the experience would be much better. One recent opening a 50yds up the same street springs to mind!
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GJ
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 3
Monday, August 14, 2006

This is a fantastic place. The ambiance is second to none, the £38 set dinner menu outstanding, and the service first rate.

London can be so hit and miss with restaurants... there are thousands of them.I was taken to this place by an old friend and had one of the most intimate, enjoyable meals I can remember. Wonderful selection of dessert wines, too.

You must try it.
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Claire Gould
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, July 27, 2006

I was recommened this restaurant by a friend and what a great recommendation it turned out to be! I absolutely love this restaurant and can't stop raving about it! Everything about it is just simply sublime and I have had superb food and great service each visit. This is such a cute restaurant and an oasis in Soho, you must check it out!
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Jack
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Thursday, March 09, 2006

It was quiet, even for a Tuesday night (Feb 28, 2006), though that meant we had the regular (but unobtrusive) attention of the staff. They were pleasant and professional throughout.

My partner started with oysters and spicy sausage, both of which she loved. I opted for butternut squash ravioli on a bed of veg., an unusual and in my view highly successful combination. The main courses were also delicious. My main quibble was with the beaujolais they offered, which did not appeal to me nearly as much as the food. In sum, we found it slightly expensive for the quality of food on offer, but nevertheless an enjoyable night out.
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Shawn McGuire
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Monday, March 06, 2006

An unassuming front leads to quite a sweet little restaurant, albeit with a rather plain, nondescipt interior but with some pleasant oilworks hanging on the walls. After checking that we had booked, the waitress "seated" us with a strangely dimissive, "Where do you want to sit?". Nice to be given the choice, I suppose. The menu was printed out on an A4 sheet, which gives the impression that it is changed daily - I am not sure if this is the case or not. Fairly standard fare, example starters being carpaccio, mozzarella and parma, oysters, smoked eel salad, sizzling prawns; example mains being fillet of beef with bearnaise, venison with red cabbage and parsnip crisps, lamb with spinach and flageolets and a couple of fish dishes. I went for oysters to start then the venison. My dining companion chose the smoked eel salad followed by the lamb. My oyster starter was good: 6 shucked oysters on ice served with a shallot vinegar and some hot (in both senses, heat and spiciness) sausage coins on the side. I'm not a fan of oysters with vinegar, preferring the more American way of eating them with lemon and a dash of tobasco - the waitress quickly obliged with a bottle of the latter. The sausages were a little too spicy, although their heat was offset nicely by the cool, sweet freshness of the oysters - and fresh they were (good thing, given the obvious risk!). My partner enjoyed his starter although he did utter a small whine: "I can't really find any smoked eel." Mains took absolutely ages to arrive but proved to be good when they did. My venison was a little on the tough side, but this was forgiven by the nice, light pommes puree (in the real sense, i.e. light, smooth and almost moussey whipped potato), a not-too-cloying red cabbage, and a spoonful of white raisin relish. All the flavours in the dish were harmonious. My partner enjoyed his lamb dish although he found the flageolets a little too mushy. His lamb was also slightly overdone. Perhaps this was due to the dishes sitting under a hot lamp for too long - who knows. Dessert was good. I chose the fresh fruit salad with greek yoghurt ice-cream and acacia honey, my companion for the creme brulee. The fruits in my salad - apple, mango, red & white grapes, pineapple, kiwi, physallis - were perfectly ripe (hard to acheive in February so they obviously source their fruit well!) and finely complemented by the frozen yoghurt. Minor complaint would be that the ball of frozen yoghurt was tiny: about 1/2 the size of a golf ball. My companion's creme brulee was perfect, with a crust thick enough to give a satisfying *crack* when broken, and a cream that was still nice and smooth, i.e. not overcooked. The food at A Little is undoubtedly good, but for the price, £38 ex-service for 3 courses, one would expect nothing less. The portions are not huge but well-judged - they fill you up nicely without leaving you to feel uncomfortably full. The service is ok for the best part. The staff are friendly although there seems to be no real structure to their roles which can (and did) result in some ad hoc service which, in a restuarant this small (10-12 tables only, with probably only 24-30 covers), is almost unforgivable.
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LT
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Monday, February 27, 2006

An extremely pleasant W1 dining experience with excellent service and a menu that manages to be inventive while touching all the popular bases. (Buffalo mozzerella, sizzling prawns, parma harm with celeriac remoulade, steak and bernaise, tuna sashimi, cod fillet, etc.)

However, the menu is set at £38 for three courses and the food, despite being generous of portion and competantly executed, doesn't quite reach the heights to justify the price. Shave a fiver off and Alistair Little would be a steal but as it is you leave feeling vaguely disappointed, which is a shame as it really is an extremely pleasant W1 dining experience.

Visited Saturday 28th January.
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Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Ate there last March (so a while ago) after using this guide to pick a place to eat in London (came down from Edinburgh). It was a Friday night but it was very quiet. The food and service was excellent. I've recommended it to quite a few people since then and had no bad reports back. Lighting was a bit bright and it was a bit cold but nothing a couple of drinks didn't fix!
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Keith
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Thursday, January 19, 2006

I booked their private room for our company Christmas celebration. There were 18 of us sat at two tables of nine.

I am delighted to report that during our extended lunch there was not a single negative comment about the food, wine or service. I even received congratulations on selecting such a great venue!

I ordered the prawns (plenty for me), duck (also enjoyed by 8 others) and the rice pudding (beautifully presented). The portion size allowed me to enjoy all three courses and at the end feel perfectly full.

The ‘near invisible’ staff were superb. All nine starters, mains and deserts were brought to the tables at the same time, so no one was left waiting for their meal. Wine glasses were topped up and water bottles replaced before we even noticed that they were low (which probably did show on the bill!), which was excellent.

Overall a fantastic lunch had by all. I didn’t get to see the bill but my boss was one of those congratulating me on choosing Alistair Little.
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Sandra
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Friday, December 23, 2005

Such a great little place, Highly recommended, Even though people leave varied good and bad reviews, you really need to experience it for yourself, they have a great head chef who works her kitchen very well! The only thing this restaurant needs is a big congratulations for all their work!

The food is great, such different little touches make so much different. and the dessert's are simply perfect in every way. There were different foods that I had never tried before and different ways of cooking things. A*
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Dean Bennett
Friday, November 04, 2005