Awana

I've been to awana a couple of weeks ago, I'm not leaving in london but I know quite well the restaurant in the area cause i used to leave around few years ago. I like asian cuisine but never been to awana before. I try a lot of thai restaurant in london or in france ( I m french). What do you expect from a fine dining restaurant? First the food, then the service and at last the atmosphere. Well, i must say than the experience I had few weeks ago was terrific.

The food was delicious, from the roti salmon and cheese, the salt and pepers prawn to the lobster cha kue teow ( i didn t take any desert as i was full) everything was perfect, and served at the right time.

I observed many of the diners enjoying dinner alongside us and could hear their appreciation as they tasted and ate their meals. As our meal came to an end, I was filled with the satisfying glow of having enjoyed a good dinner. I was delighted to hear some of my fellow diners expressing similar sentiments.

The maitre d hotel Jenise was a delightfull and knowledgeable guide to the evening proceedings. She made us feel welcome and helped with our choice of dishes.

The sommelier named Daud was friendly and very knowledgable when we had a couple of questions regarding the wines we were tasting. ( we took a couple of bottle of wine).

The level of service at awana is quite remarkable.

The atmosphere is very cosy, from the entrance with the receptionist until the end of our adventure everyone is smiling. This place gives a unique sense of belonging.

I m travelling a lot and it s nice to have a place where you know you won t be disappointed. Awana is one of those, I ll definitively go back during my next trip in london.
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ophiure
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Thursday, July 02, 2009

I am so surprised to read all the good reviews for this restaurant. I went with my Malaysian friend (I'm Chinese) and we really rued the day we came ! We came because of the 50% off special. The moment we walked in the door (on time for our booking), we were gestured brusquely to wait in the waiting area and order a drink. We decided against ordering a drink and sat there for about 30 minutes while the receptionist turned to a waiter and laughed and joked with the other staff. When we finally got his attention and asked whether we could be seated. The waiter pursed his lips and then showed us to a small table, returning in 4 minutes as to what we wanted to order. When we asked for more time, he then disappeared for 20 minutes (chatting and recounting detailed life experiences with other staff) before returning to us (after we flagged him down). When we asked what certain dishes were, he was extremely brusque and dismissive. Note that if you ask for the 50% discount, you get a very scaled back menu with the cheapest dishes.

When we finally got the food (again, took a good 25 minutes), they were small portions and, frankly, was very similar to food from Chinatown. When we got the bill, it was reasonable (for an ok meal) but we were thinking that it would be a huge rip off without the 50% bill.

We were actually scouting for places to take some Malaysian friends who would be visiting London in a couple of months. Suffice to say we instantly crossed this restaurant off the list.
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Lemonade
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 3
Tuesday, June 30, 2009

I went to Awana last night for my 23rd Birthday after coming across the positive reviews on this website and i was not dissapointed!

So much delicious food to chose from, even for my sister who is a vegetarian! Everything we ordered we ended up sharing as everyone claimed they had the best dish and the service was wonderful.

The manager asked my mother discretely whether it was for an occasion and when she told him it was for my birthday he said they could arrange to make a little cake. My mom also mentioned im not one for drama and lots of attention so if they could please not sing! They respected this and the waitress just placed it on the table with no fuss, much appreciated!

I would/will reccomend this restaurant for the brilliant choice and quality of the food and the commited staff :)
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Ellen
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Monday, June 29, 2009

We ate out at Awana on friday and thoroughly enjoyed the food and the wine. We are very surprised to see some bad reviews of late as we have nothing we could possibly complain about.

The atmosphere was wonderful and the food arrived in good time without being at all rushed. We felt the menu was very reasonably priced and the staff were friendly and accomodating.

Upon booking the table we mentioned that we would be going to a show at 8.30 so the Manager suggested arriving at 6pm, from the outset this showed that our time at the restaurant would be unrushed and entirely to our own command.

We would recommend to all....and we would eat there again
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Sui
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Thursday, June 25, 2009

I can consider myself as a regular customer of Awana. I definately enjoyed the service but most importantly the food. Recently I came and had dinner with my girlfriend.

We had cocktails first at the lounge area but after it became noisy with a group of people we decided to move to the table. After being seated I came by the reception and informed her that today was my girlfriend birthday and if she could put a candle on the dessert. She said ok.

We had such a nice meal of udang goreng and Awana's specialty beef rendang. For dessert we ordered the chocolate fondant which is very recommended to chocolate lovers. It came with coconut ice cream and made the experience more interesting. However to my surprise a small birthday cake came with a candle on it with our dessert. It was really a nice touch on Awana's part. My girlfriend was delighted.

I definately recommend the restaurant the food is always very good and the staffs are always very friendly.
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Muzzaffar
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, June 24, 2009

I had high expectations as a Malaysian inviting a party of 5 to enjoy an authentic Malaysian meal at Awana. We had the tasting menu called "The Malaysian journey" that had 8 different items. Unfortunately I was extremely disappointed by the lack of authenticity, taste, and the cold food served. An expensive and undeserving meal for a total of £260, Would not recommend this restaurants either to Asians and especially Malaysians or anyone else for that matter. Cannot understand the excellent reviews posted compared to the very disappointing experience I had.
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Ani Yusof - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 1
Saturday, May 23, 2009

We went to Awana on friday evening on the 22nd May. After having a not very good experience last time, the manager Ken invited us back. I have to say we were not disappointed.

From the minute we walked in, we were greeted and promptly served. We had champagne cocktails which my sister enjoyed very much. It was fruity and had a good amount of alcohol in it. Everything was ordered by Ken and was appropiately chosen. The starters of queen scallops, pia ti (speciality nonya dish) and chicken satay were excellent and spicy. I was pleasantly surprised when a selection of sorbets were brought after the starter to refresh the palate. It was a really nice touch.

The mains of king prawn with peanut butter sauce, prawn rice and noodles, and in particular the fried fish was hot and tasty. We were attentively served and felt relaxed. The waiter informed us that we could ask for more sauce if needed - which was an excellent touch. Ken informed us that everything was cooked from fresh and no MSG was used.

I asked Ken to choose desert and was amazed. A very large pancake with shaped like a cone arrived. It came with cinnamon ice cream at the bottom of the cone with chocolate sauce to pour over it! My partner liked it very much and I was impressed. All the dishes were explained and it was clear the ingredients were very fresh. We also had the tapoica pudding with cream which was very very delicious! my sister polished it off. To finish we had tea and coffee. I was particularly impressed with the service, which was even better than a michellin starred restaurant that I had been too, in terms of attentiveness. I did not even have to wave for the waiter. I was very happy and had a great time. I wish to thank Ken for this amazing experience.
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Kathryn N
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Saturday, May 23, 2009

My wife and I went to Awana and the experience was fantastic. We went for the a la carte purely because we had never tried Malaysian Food and it was our anniversary. We selected 4 dishes each and every one was superb. Service was excellent from the second we stepped through the door.

We enjoyed some cocktails and were not rushed to table.Sometimes I think it is more about your own approach to dining at a restaurant like this. If you can afford to eat there, you deserve to be there, don't act arrogant or think you're not good enough to be there. If the food isn't good enough, it is important to say something.

Having met the maitre'd Ken I know he would be mortified if the food is not up to standard. Saying that, we went on a Saturday and the restaurant was buzzing. We just went to enjoy ourselves and we chatted to the staff. We had a lovely meal and enjoyed their range of exotic ice cream and sorbet. Their work is tough and if you are friendly to them it makes their job a lot easier and, if you do this anywhere you go, you will get even better service.
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, May 06, 2009

I spent my 24th birthday here with friends and my girlfriend, and we all loved it!

At first, the bar area left us a little overwhelmed , but a glass of champagne soon put that right and we able to find a seat on a comfy sofa with our pre dinner drinks.

The restaurant has a warm and unpretentious vibe, yet delivered the most elegant, delicious and interesting food as expected from a Rosette restaurant. From start to finish the service was faultless; friendly and attentive serving staff, a knowledgeable sommelier whose wines suggestions left us completely wowed! And an unexpected birthday cake made it all in all a perfect night.

Without hesitation, I would recommend to anyone who wanted a first class treat to come here – I am sure they will not be disappointed.also i think 10 out of tem is also less for awana because its really nice,
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ajit yadav
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, April 24, 2009

It's my first time in Malaysian restaurent, AWANA. The food are very nice and very delicious, especially chicken satay and roti canai. And also very good service.
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Yutthachai
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, April 21, 2009