Canteen

Went here for drinks and pudding last night after walking out of Giraffe next door in disgust. It was a breath of fresh air! Prompt, courteous service, bringing us the simple things we desired. I'd return to eat a full meal sometime.
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dawnage - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Saturday, May 10, 2008

I have eaten here a few times for lunch and it has been an ok experience. The Neal's Yard cheese platter is top notch and enough for two.

BUT... I decided to go there for breakfast recently during the week. We arrived just after eight and were the first people in there. I ordered Eggs Benedict and my guest Eggs on Toast and two coffees.

The waiter then comes back and tells me that they had no holandaise sauce (which I found quite strange as I assume they make their own) so I decided on Eggs on Toast.

Our coffee arrived pretty prompty but our breakfast took 30-35 minutes to arrive. I'm no cooking genius but it does not take this long to fry some eggs and toast some bread.

We were still the only people in here during all this time and we could see that there was about 3 people working in the kitchen (but not, as it would seem, cooking our breakfast).

When the food arrived it was nice enough but nothing outstanding. The toast (one slice only!) was hard to cut through, making us feel that it was bread from a few days ago.

Add in the laughable 12.5% service charge (when is someone going to make that illegal?) the bill exceeded £15 which was for four fried eggs, two slices of bread and two cups of coffee, which is basically cafe fair, but not quality, or price.

Next time we want to have breakfast around Liverpool Street we will be going to one of the local cafe's or Hamilton Hall where the same meal would have come to less than £5 and we would have been eating within about 5 minutes of arrival!
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Paul
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Saturday, April 12, 2008

Great place, always enjoy coming here when i am in London.Pleasant service and fresh, simple tasty food. Am orry to see other reviewers have had such a different experience. Have yet to try the one near Waterloo.
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Pat
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Saturday, March 22, 2008

Came to Canteen once again as I do everytime i visit London and was again very satisfied. Pleasant service with a smile and good honest British food. The cheese plate is particularly nice. I would have liked to see some hot cross buns on the menu as it was Good Friday!:)
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Susan
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, March 21, 2008

Wow, what an amazing contrast! This place surely must rely solely on its reputation of good food.

We have been here twice now, the first being a quick lunch mid-week - proving to be just what was required, quick in-and-out lunch with great food and no bother. While the second time, holy s*%t, at least at Mcdonalds i get a smile!

We walked in on a public holiday, and wasn't really greated at all (We had to ask for a table). The restaurant was full, and the hostess told us that we would have to wait 20 mins before ordering, fair enough we were in no hurry, we would happily wait on our table and drink. We asked the hostess if we could wait for one of the booths to become available, she lead us to a table outside and told us it wouldn't be long. After sitting in the 5degree wind and watching the hostess seat 3 other couples in booths, i had to get up and ask her if she had forgotten us. She admitted she had.

After ordering, the waiter returned to tell me that they had sold out of the ale that i requested, i asked for a suitable replacement and he mumbled and stuttered and tried to recall anything he could from the drinks list. Nothing came to mind.

Now that we had some some drinks and a miniscule portion of pork scratchings in front of us, we were getting hungry and anticipating our food. Our starters arrived via a waitress who walked off before we could ask for some cutlery. We had to get the attention of another vague staff member. Great food - loved the devilled kidneys on a thick slab of toast, and the onion and sage tart was pretty good too.

Things were looking up! We were wrong... The hostess cleared our starter plates and we sat for a few minutes waiting for our mains. The same hostess returned and actually asked us "have you had all your food yet?".

Our mains were placed quite promptly, but again, no cutlery, which we had to ask for, no pepper and salt, which we had to ask for, and no lemon for our fish and chips, which we had to ask for. Unbelievably, the waitress that seemed to be running our section, was too busy flirting with the manager 3 feet away, to notice any of this.

Again, nice food, good portions, a bit too much flour, yes flour, in the mushy peas.

We finished our mains, and I had a bit of room for dessert, the treacle tart was tempting me. We waited for our waitress, or the hostess, or anyone to acknowledge us and take our order. And waited. And waited. And waited. Then gave up. Why is that staff in some restaurants love mingling around the pass, having a great laugh and forgetting what they automatically get 12.5% for! Yet again, we had to ask for our bill - without the discretionary service.

Its a real pity for London Restaurants to have Canteen as a Icon and benchmark for British dining experience.

(we dined on Good Friday at 2pm and sat on table 23)
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RH
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 5
Friday, March 21, 2008

A really average experience. Like the reviewers below, I found the staff surly and disinterested. When we arrived, there was no pretence of a warm welcome - we were left standing around waiting to be seated while at least four members of staff looked directly at us. This sort of rudeness wouldn't be so bad if the food knocked you out. It's hard to know what this restaurant wants to be - traditional British fare perhaps? In which case, go to Simpsons or the Quality Chop House. Because the fish and chips - as another reviewer said - was really naff. A flavourless chunk of breaded haddock on top of soggy oven-style chips. The pork belly a friend of mine had was inedible. And the chicken and chips wasn't worth the price this place wanted. Skip the starters as they are tiny and clearly pre-prepared. In fact, most of the food here must be prepared well in advance because it doesn't taste of anything - quite a remarkable achievement. One of the blandest meals I've had in a long time. The Italian wine had a chunky mark up on it and suffice it to say, we were left to pore it ourselves. This is London eating at its worst - overpriced, smug and an unpleasant after-taste when you leave. We didn't bother with dessert!
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Ross Todhunter
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Sunday, March 16, 2008

i live nearbly and go to this place at least twice a month.

I have to say if this place is called number one for british food, then there is a real trouble with english food in london.

firstly of all the food here is prepared well in advance.

secondly quite often their pies come not thouroughly heated, which ia a big no no for any restaurants!

thirdly the service is very very variable from time to time. the staff turnover in this place is unbelievable!

overall i have to say it an average food, nothing special. Their fish and chips are one of the worst i ahve ever had, although some of the other fish can be very good.

If on the menu go for meat pies, aprt from the chicken variety. Roasts are good too as well as their starters.
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- View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Great place! The staff and the food are both yummy!
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Elisabeth
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, November 28, 2007

We went this Sunday at lunchtime, had to Qqeue which was fine as we didn't book. The experience was superb. We took the waiters wine recommendation to accompany the Duck, an Argentinian Red Malbec , an excellent choice and at around £20 reasonably priced for London. The Duck was beautiful, it just fell of the bone and the skin ws crispy. Accompanied by some very tasty roast vegetables and a good bread sauce. One of our party had the haddock and was equally impressed.

A variety of Desserts, treacle tart, orange jelly, and apple crunble, were a nice finish, with maybe the best macchiato I have had in a restaurant - real foam in a glass. Service was great and attentive.
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Evad Retset - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Sunday, November 18, 2007

I live nearby and have eaten here once; the food was quite good, with a quick service (hence 'Canteen.).

However my experience is rather with their customer service. I went in person to see if I could arrange to buy a voucher to give as a gift for a group of friends. The first hostess gave me a dumbfounded look and had no idea about what I was talking about, like she had never heard of this happening before. She fetched someone who seemed equally clueless but said they didn't do this, most likely because he didn't get what I was asking for. So I went to the Scarlet Dot spice bar two shops away and they were happy to arrange this for me.

A month later I tried to make a reservation over the phone for a weeknight dinner around 7pm, a few days in advance. When I asked for 12 people, the person I spoke to said that they only had benches accommodating 10 people. Then I requested two tables of 6, and he refused, saying that they only had the one table for 10 left. How about later in the evening? 'Sorry, we are full all evening'. So this time Carluccio's at Spital Square got my business.

The staff at Canteen seem to have little interest in helping to generate business. They have lost out twice already and I won't try them again.
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Tried but failed to give them business
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
Sunday, November 18, 2007