Volt
special offers
50% off
...from the Gourmet menu (regular price for the menu is £44.50) Includes Vat, excludes service. Click for more details
our review
I have to admit my heart sank going into Volt; it was clearly a place for the young trendy and cool. I’m not any of those, I’m not sure I ever was. Add to that the fact that this is a bar –restaurant, staffed and owned by Lebanese and Middle Eastern people who are serving Italian food and using a meze concept and you have to worry a bit don’t you?
The thing is, it was really good. Having just got back from Italy I eschewed the meze idea; I wanted straight Italian, no tongues. Pasta starter of Orechiette con salsiccia, Broccoli, Cipolla dolce e Pecorino was surprisingly well done; the pasta nicely al dente as was the broccoli with its simple additions of sausage meat, onion and pecorino cheese. Seafood pasta showed the same accuracy with straightforward ingredients; smooth linguine, decent seafood morsels and the all- important tickle of chilli. It was so nice I began to forget about the fact that my knees were higher than my waist, owing to a very low chair in the middle-eastern style. The place was buzzing and it was pleasant to eat in a noisy place for change, but that’s Italian isn’t it? Food with friends, not food to worship.
A main of sea bass fillet with artichoke and potato suffered only from being enormous. The skin was well seared, the flesh tender. There was just too much of it for me after the pasta. The potato and artichoke galette with it was soft to the knife and creamy on the tongue. Lamb cutlets came in equally large portions, marinated in thyme and garlic and served with mixed mushrooms and potato puree. The meat had the charred outer and pink inner that’s absolutely necessary and it was another unpretentious but completely satisfying dish.
The only point Volt failed to strike sparks (hey, you’ve got to get an electricity joke in there somewhere) was the dessert of Tiramisu, which didn’t resemble the dish I’m used to. Harmless, but not interesting.
Volt is as I say a ‘loungebar’ so it’s reasonable to expect a funky spot with a lot of drinkers and background chilled music. The fact that the bar and restaurant are seamlessly joined though is unusual, as is the meze concept which has to be worth a try based on the quality of the mains. Recommended.
Nick Harman - March 2008
your comments review this restaurant and win a bottle of champagne
I went with a friend to take advantage of the 50% offer. The waiter who explained what we could have from the menu was polite and friendly. The waiter who looked after our wine was unobtrusive all evening, if a little distant when he was around.
The mezes were largely delicious - my friend and I both had the veal as a main and found it a bit bland, with a slightly soggy breadcrumb coating. The wine was expensive (cheapest bottle around £18), but drinkable. My desert souffle was a joke (a pot of melted chocolate sauce with a thin crust on top), but my friend's sorbet was quite nice, if a bit generic.
The actual building was beautiful. I would probably go back again, but not if I had to pay full price.
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Sam
Overall rating 
Food 6 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 4
Sunday, September 21, 2008
What a find. VOLT really helped make our wedding anniversary. The food and wine was superb. Staff fantastic. Really made us feel welcome. We mentioned in our booking that it was our wedding Anniversary and whilst nothing special was laid on waiter came over an cogratulated us and gave us a glass of champagne. Would go bck to Volt just for a meal there. toilets must see
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Elliot Alan
Overall rating 
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
My wife and I went to Volt last week using the 50% off Gourmet Meal. We enjoyed the meal and the service immensely. The Gourmet Menu (£44.50 each+ wine) was expensive without the deal - we certainly would not recommend going for that kind of money - however, with the deal it was reasonably priced. The food was Italian and of a very high quality with homemade pasta and honest italian salads and carpaccio to start. These were large and more than enough for 2 considering the size of the main courses. I had the veal for main, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The wife had the fish which she found to be too oily (i.e cooked in too much oil/butter) and did not eat it. For desert we had sorbets & icecreams. The service was very good and other than the fish we thoroughly enjoyed our meals. The only peculiar thing was that the restaurant had an Indian/Asian style to it that really did not fit the Italian food they were serving.
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Mortz
Overall rating 
Food 7 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Monday, August 04, 2008
It was really overpriced!!! Nothing is so special some of the starters are very nice but I would never go again - soooo expensive, I know better restaurants and cheaper...
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Overall rating 
Food 2 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 0
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Not having a clue about this place before turning up, and choosing only because of an apparent 50% off from toptable I didn’t know what to expect at all
Luckily the whole experience was very impressive - but only for the half price offer that we used. The décor and general atmosphere creates a very unique and pretty outstanding environment, although with oddly low tables.
Service was either friendly or a little snobby (depending on who), but very competent. Food was exceptional for what we paid (£22 for a 4 course meal) - beautiful meze pasta starter, sea bass main and incredible ice creams and sorbets for desert (easily the best ice cream I have ever tasted)
Wine list is expensive, but looked good – started at £20 – beer normally priced
Toilets are a pretty impressive experience if you get the chance
All in all, fantastic value for £22 (set menu) but wouldn’t pay £44
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David
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Service was very poor and quite snooty. Decor is nice but food was overpriced and was not of the quality I had hoped for...especially as my vegetarian main course had bits of meat in it. Nice salad starter but too oily.
I am very suprised this restaurant has won awards as I find it fell very short of expectation. I wouldnt recommend it.
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Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 2
Thursday, April 24, 2008
I took 3 friends here for a post theatre dinner.
i booked online and they were happy to take the booking.
The special offer 50% off produced an impressive froideur from the waiter.
It was met with an icy disdain.
In any event is wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
The fixed startes included the weird concept of sharing pasta.
One was orchiette with a sort of mashed sausage-deeply nasty.
The second was a seafood pasta-no taste at all.
we were told on arrival to choose our pudding-but that there was none of the offered tiramisu and they were shutting the kitchens so we couldn't order souffle.
One main course was veal milanese-tough and almost certainly not freshly cooked-completely inedible.
On balance a very poor meal and off hand service.
The room is however very stylish.
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neil logan green
Overall rating 
Food 1 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 2
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Went here on Saturday night and had a really chilled, romantic evening. We were greeted at the door and our coats were taken, at the cocktail bar we ordered a mojito and cosmo, both which were quickly served. Food was good, we opted for the gourmet menu which turned out to be ideal for sharing, it was nice not to be rushed as we were served a selection of mezze type dishes. The other half opted for steak for main which I am told was incredibily good and cooked to perfection. I had the salmon but found the balsamic shallot a little overbearing. We used the 50% discount for food which made it good value for money but doubt we would come back without a discount. 2 cocktails, gourmet menu, deserts and a bottle red came to £100.
Would recommend this placce to anyone, for birthdays etc.
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Mrs Jones
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
I recently held an office celebration at Volt for 17 people. The organisation was excellent, the staff attentive and the food superb. We got a 50% discount off the Gourmet menu which was good value though I think they claw the profit back on the wine (which was also very good).
Highly recommended.
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Phil
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
We took advantage of the special offer and went here on Saturday night. We did not know what to expect.....however, from the moment we walked through the door the staff could not do enough to help us!
Everything was exquisite.........from the drinks, to the amazing food to the friendly service.
We will certainly be back again, with or without a special offer.
I cannot reccommend this place enough!
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Overall rating 
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
