Chez Gianni

after reading some of the reviews wanted to give it a go...........the food was very very good very fresh and lots of it.........the service was fantastic and it felt like we were in paris..........over heard the owner talking to a regular and it seemed that george clooney was coming that evening..........could this be true ? very busy and popular eatery that seems like it is part of the history of southgate
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, April 28, 2008

I know there will always be places with off nights, but i am not willing to pay to see if it was a one-off. Went here saturday evening at 9pm (only time free and a good sign) ordered our food at 9.10 asked what had happened to our starters at 10pm - they had forgotten us! I had French onion soup - please look up the recipe - its supposed to be clear not the sludge they dished up here. Mains were ok, if my girlfriends fish was so salty that it was pretty horrible. Sauces were runny rather than thick. Kept ordering drinks that never arrived. Vegetables looked like they had been in the oven for hours, the peas were shrivalled up to nothing etc. I think it may have all been the result of a rather demanding table, but still thats not a good enough excuse. There are plenty of pubs that beat this place for food. Anyone that rates this place, must be over 50, or have never been to France. This is not authentic French cuisine, but does suffer from French service (Arrogance, rude, slow, and completely unhelpful)

may this place close down.
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david
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 2
Monday, October 08, 2007

Having read some of your reviews four of us went long to this

very tired looking restaurant. We found the service to be be excessively

slow and when one of our meals rrived it was found to be inedible

sausage and mash floating on a plate of solid gravy that stayed in place like the red sea when you moved it. To be fair it was knocked off the bill but

unfortunately none of us will be going back.
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N Marsh
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Friday, June 22, 2007

i have just had the most wonderful birthday party night with 20 of my family and friends the food was great the place was cool and gianni was charming
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s vuailleett
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, June 12, 2007

When moving to southgate we asked people down our street where to go and eat.Next door have been going to Chez Gianni for over 20 years , That is a very long time in this day and age with thought and so tried it . We have been 3 times now , every time the owner was very accomodating and very sauve , he has been running the restaurant for nearly 25 yrs with his family and we can see why it is so successfull and popular with the locals , the menu choice is very good with specials changing daily , my wife loves the Fish Specials Blackboard . The food is excellent and very good value , no small portions here. The couple next to us said they have been coming for 5 yrs now , they had the 1st date at Chez Gianni and now are planning there wedding reception here.If you are looking for a 1st class local French Foody Place this is the place .
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, May 21, 2007

we have just been for a fantastic night at this very typical french bistro,it was a friday night and very busy but the service was very good.the food was of west end of london quality but for half the price,all the food was freshly prepared and very high standard,it was just like eating in a paris restaurant.the waiting staff were very helpfull and on the ball.the owner and his family give a very relaxed but excellent service.my wife had a sea food platter to start followed by a dover sole with a selection of fresh veg ,i decided to try a chicken liver salad it was warm and had an amazing flavour it was far to big for a starter portion i decided to try a typical steak with pepper sauce the filet steak i can honestly say was the best i have had in many many years and the sauce was perfect.the creme brule for our sweet was home made and just so good that we took 2 home for our children.my wife noticed a footballer from arsenal eating with a young lady but she could not recall his name,i can understand why this must be a local eatery for many celebs as the place is fantastic........we will def be back
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Sunday, May 20, 2007

A great little restaurant with lovely ambience (yet for some reason it is always very cold - even in the Summer). The menu is quite limited and the food is average, nothing fantastic, yet my husband and I always return for the restaurant's lovely quaintness and authenticity. The waiting staff seem to change every time we go there, and we have had times when they have been very friendly, and others not so. The dinner set menu (around £15 for three courses) is great value. Be sure to round off your meal with a dessert as they do a fantastic creme brulee!
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JP
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 6
Thursday, May 03, 2007

Just got back from Chez Gianni and am now feeling extremely disappointed. My first time there was really good. The food was excellent and my partner and I enjoyed our meal. This time round however, nothing tasted right. I don't know if there has been a change in chef but the quality of the food was unacceptable.

I had the smoked haddock which was too salty. My partner had the lamb liver which was the worst we've ever had! The liver was over-cooked, dry and tasteless. The gravy with it was bland but salty with way too much oil. (This was the first time my partner didn't finish her food and she's not a fussy eater!). I took over her lamb liver and felt like throwing up after a few mouthfuls. It tasted as though the chef left the liver cooking on its own for too long and forgot about it, subsequently using a salty gravy to mask his mistake.

The only thing we enjoyed was our 4 glasses of diet coke.

Some of the service staff were friendly but a few went about with no expression on their faces. When we politely offered our feedback regarding the liver, the girl looked as if she couldn't care less and I didn't see her relay our message to the chef. Of course there was no apology.

We did tell her we didn't want to kick up a fuss but would really want to give our genuine feedback to the chef so he could avoid putting out similar dishes. We were disappointed that none of our comments were taken on board (at least we weren't given the impression that it was).

Unfortunately, this may be our last time in Chez Gianni, a pity because we liked it so much the first time round. I just do not have the confidence that the food will improve because of what happened with our feedback.
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Jay
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 4
Sunday, April 15, 2007

We ate as a family Chez Gianni last night, and it was excellent for all four of us. My daughter (7 years old) loved her snails and mussels, as did her mother. My son (also 7) enjoyed his 'crêpe et cèpes' and his fishcake. My homard Thermidor was a perfectly done monster.

The service and atmosphere are fine, and the prices reasonable.
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Roland François
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Sunday, October 01, 2006

Very average.

We went last February and the heating was bust so we had an electric heater pushed up to the side of the table (it was still freezing in there so we had to wear our coats). The food was reasonable - we had the meat fondu. Despite the novelty factor of the oil cooker, the accompanying veg was low quality.

Was just bad enough that we won't return, and would chose Cafe Anjou in Palmers Green instead, but have been to worse. 4/10.
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Jon
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 5
Friday, September 08, 2006