Ruby Blue

Having previous experience with this venue under a different name, I was hopeful that they had got their act together. Alas this plca still remains a poor venue for a good night out.

We arrived early for a the meal around 8pm- and were escorted to the first bar, the whole interior of the place looks tired and worn out, in complete contrast to the funky images it has poured all over their website.

The barstaff were for want of a better word rubbish, I think my drinks cabinet is better stocked than this place, To run out of mixers on a Saturday evening is criminal, also not to bother to try and discuse the cheap orange juice that was been used also made the whole experience feel cheap.

So not the best start to a night,

The meal itself was at a push edible , although the whole party was disapointed with the general presentation and quality. It would be acceptible to serve in a public house or "Harvester" type joint. But when you advertise as a swanky venue you really need to deliver and frankly they didnt. One bowl of veg between 10 people, cold gravy and steak that I would only use for removing warts ( if i was a witch, which im not).

The meal came to just shy of £50.00 each so the party spent well in excess of £1500.00 with drinks and although we paid I doubt anyone will be returning.

Oh and the clockroom before i forget ,£2.00 an item is a joke, my jumper and jacket cost £4 and did i get the use of two hangers?? did i ever. Such a con.

I cant suggest enough that you dont go here. If you are a tourist to London dont go here, If you are from Kent and you want a stag do /Hen night dont go here.

Im very dubious of any ratinf that gives this place more than 3 /10 . It was a truly horrid place.
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Paul Jennings
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 0
Sunday, December 16, 2007

On tuesday 8th November we booked for 13 of us to go to the Ruby Blue on the evening of the 30th November. They wanted a £15 deposit per person in advance

and that was fine with us.

Also when booking we asked if we could stay for drinks after and they very kindly said they would reserve a private area for us for after the meal.

We were all really excited and looking forward to it and organised the £10. After we had done this, on the 9th we got a call saying that if we wanted the private area we now had to do an extra £25. I did not want to ask the others for this and so paid this myself.

On the 10th November I went round there adn gave them the £195 + £25 = £220

Then late afternoon that day I got another call from Ruby Blue, they now said that we had to do £10 per person to stay for drinks after in the private area. So this was the second time they had changed things. They said that it was because it was after the 26th November and they get busier for Christmas, so tey wanted another £105.

I looked an idiot in front of all my friends, work colleagues and boss, this was a real nuisance and they never even said sorry, making out it was not their problem and they had done nothing wrong. When I said to them that they had taken our money and said what it was, and they cannot just change things, they just did not care.

At 9:30am on the 12th November I called up about this. I spoke to a lady who just said it was someone else's fault, so I asked if I could speak to the manager, they told me the manager would call at mid day. At 3pm no one had called and I spoke to someone else who also could nto grasp that anything was wrong, just made out that I was an idiot and I was the one in the wrong for not just giving them more money. I again asked about the manager had not called and she basically made out that the manager was too important to speak to me. So I had to take time off to go and pick up the money from them, which they did return.

She also said that the manger would call and credit to her she did call at 4pm, however I was so upset and quite frankly humiliated that I just did not want to call her back. She did sound nice on the phone, but after the way the other staff had spoken to me all goodwill had gone.

Really sad that what could be a great restaurant is ruined by such bad management.
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Ian Matthews
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, November 14, 2007

I was very disappointed with the service at the restaurant and it was the worst dinnin expericen I’ve ever had. It is definitely not a place to go if you have a large group of people. The service was extremely bad especially we had spent £30 per head.

20 of us went there for a birthday dinner on a Thursday night and had pre-booked the table. The restaurant was not busy with many empty tables, and yet the staff there couldn’t cope with a large group of people. The waitress who served us was rude, arrogant and impolite right from the beginning from taking our drink orders to serving us the desserts. I would have left at the beginning if there wasn’t so many of us.

We ordered our food from the set menu. First of all, the waitress was really annoyed that it took us sometime to order our food. When the food finally arrived the wrong food turned up. We asked if we could exchange one dish as we believed we didn’t order it. She refused to exchange the food and said it was our fault messing up the food order (cos there were so many of us).

The food was mediocre although the dessert was tasty. The only thing I appreciated was the live music played by the pianist throughout the night.

It’s no way I will go back to that restaurant and it would be a joke to have a Christmas dinner there which they are currently advertising.
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Anna
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 2
Friday, November 09, 2007

Well first of all I must say that Ruby Blue has done the impossible and has restored my faith in what a Central London club and restaurant should be like…Over the last few months on travels I have been disappointed in my quest to find the complete package, and it is safe to say that quest ended when I arrived at Ruby Blue…

Firstly it is refreshing when staff welcome you to the club… once inside there is a warm glow of stylish décor which is easy on the eyes and is quite comforting, I felt relaxed…Ruby Blue is set on two levels… the upper level offers the bar with a terrace view overlooking Leicester Square… a uniqueness which I find appealing against other venues in the area, this also includes a dance floor; with fresh and funky beats that is very active during the evening. On the same level is the restaurant ‘The Royale’ with a refined retro look that offers a calming relaxing atmosphere whilst you dine, but more of that later…

The lower level is the main bar and dance area with enclosed VIP areas which are individually styled; these VIP areas offer privacy but at the same time you’re not cut off from all the excitement and action on the dance floor…

On both floors the bar staff and bar backs are very welcoming and efficient and the bar offers a wide variety of cocktails and wine to suit anyone’s poison. Despite other reviews I actually found the price of drinks here very reasonable compared to other establishments, and the quality of those drinks especially the cocktails I feel is reflected in the price… I certainly think the price of Champagne is very reasonable and is one of the bars assets especially if you wish to celebrate. At the bar I would definitely recommend the Grenache/Merlot - Fleur de Vignes, and the Mojito; not to everyone’s taste but it is definitely sharp refreshing. As for the Grenache its smooth taste makes for a pleasant tipple whilst enjoying the food at the ‘The Royale’ Restaurant.

And where better to celebrate… on the two previous occasions I was here on a Saturday night, and Ruby Blue proves to be very popular with Hen and Birthday parties as it can cater to everyone’s needs and tastes all under one roof…what makes it so successful is just one word ‘Service’ The service here at Ruby Blue is outstanding, particularly in the restaurant, but on the whole the staff are very friendly, warm and welcoming, they are a real asset to club.

‘The Royale’ Restaurant I have to admit has been the best restaurant experience I’ve had since I’ve checked out the London dining scene. The restaurant has undergone a retro refit that not only looks fresh and is well lit but for sake of design is still very comfortable to dine in… At the far end the view overlooks the balcony and there is a section of restaurant again with a change of stylish décor suitable as enclosed VIP dining area to cater for larger parties. In the corner there is grand piano, which during the early evening of the first Saturday I visited live music was played by the pianist who sung a few easy listening tunes in between fresh funky beats belted out from the adjoining bar.

Again the back of house team are a credit to the restaurant… and the waiting staff here are very welcoming efficient and friendly…The organisation of the restaurant I found to be outstanding especially when they were running during maximum capacity. This I found to be the case during my second visit to the restaurant, and despite the fact I was dining on my own, the atmosphere inside was so friendly, and enjoyable I didn’t feel intimidated especially being surrounded by so many hen parties…

Onto the food, the a la carte menu offers diversity and choice to suit anyone’s palette with simple but refined dishes. To start I chose Hand Battered Sesame Tiger Prawns

with sweet chilli, red onion and coriander mayonnaise. This is a dish which not only looked well made and presented but tasted divine… the tiger prawns were succulent and juicy and the hand made batter was spot on, not over done… for such a simple taste I found the sweet chilli mayonnaise complemented the dish well and offered a refreshing and tangy taste to such a simple dish…. Top marks go to who ever decided upon the Spring /Summer Menu.

On the first evening for the main course I chose Centre Cut Fillet of Beef

with fondant potato, creamed Savoy cabbage, bacon and wild mushroom, again presentation, and quality of the dish was outstanding. I decided for the fillet of beef to be cooked medium rare and I definitely wasn’t disappointed, the taste and texture was spot on and again bacon and wild mushroom complemented the dish very well. It was a dish that definitely got my taste buds tingling and is a main course I would definately recommend.

On the second evening I chose Prime Salmon Fillet with extra virgin olive oil mash, leek, tomato and vanilla infused cream sauce. Again I wasn’t disappointed the Salmon was succulent and you could really taste the vanilla cream sauce which turned the simple taste of Salmon into something delicious and refined. The virgin oil mash was smooth tasting and had the right measure of tomato and leek for a really elegant taste. Top marks guys.

Finally the best way to finish of the dining experience… Dessert… and the real winner of dessert is New York Vanilla Cheesecake with fresh raspberries and raspberry coulis, and what can I say I was in cheesecake heaven…

On price although not the cheapest by far I’d say the quality and the I would say the panache of such well presented and well made dishes here at ‘The Royale’ is clearly reflected in the price. I would say you definitely wouldn’t be disappointed by the time you receive the bill.

Dancing the night away to sexy, funky house and RnB, with commercial chart and dance music in the mix on Saturdays, there should be no excuses as to why you’re not on the dance floor…. With a little Latin fever on Wednesday; especially as I’m partial to Latin dancing, I definitely wasn’t disappointed with the dance experience here at Ruby Blue…

Finally Ruby Blue in my mind has definitely set the standard of which I would measure other restaurants and clubs by… A standard that primarily is supported by the club’s best asset and that is the staff who made the whole dining, drinking and dancing experience all the more enjoyable…. A fabulous experience what ever the occasion, and I will guarantee you won’t be disappointed…Ruby Blue is definitely a place I would recommend and will be returning to soon to chill out and enjoy the three D’s, Dinner, Drink and Dance.
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David Banner - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, June 15, 2007

i was wary about going here having read all the bad reviews but it turned out not to be too bad.

the 50% off offer saved our party a lot of money and the menu was fairly good. food was tasty and wine selection ok.

the hilight of the night was the grand piano player adding a unique aspect to our night.

wasnt happy about the waitress dropping bits of the cork into my wine as she poured it out. or having to go downstairs into the club to go to the toilet- toilets upstairs in the actual restaurant would be better.

overall, if your not too fussy, you will have a nice time here but if you like everything to be perfect, then perhaps stay clear of ruby blue.
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kim
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, May 02, 2007

We were very disappointed with this restaurant. Booked a table for 5.30 as we had to be at the theatre at 8 only to arrive and be told that the restaurant didn't open til 6. Waitress was unhelpful, no soup available as the restaurant had just opened and it wasn't ready yet(!), Waited for an hour between sitting down and first course arriving, it was like trying to track down the lost treasure of the Sierra Madre trying to get the waitress to hang around for long enough to take our drinks order and even then it took over 10 minutes for one diet coke to get to the table. It has to be pointed out that the restaurant only had four tables full at this point so wasn't yet busy.

The food, when it finally arrived, was actually very good and very well priced but the slow, rude service completely detracted from the experience.

Despite our clear unhappiness we were still charged an "optional" service charge and the restaurant manager argued with us when we refused to pay the service charge.

Although the food was great I could never recommend this restaurant to anyone.
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Louise
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 4
Thursday, March 22, 2007

Do not go to this place!!

We went to Ruby Blue last night for a friends birthday party. Having waited an hour to order we all ordered off the party menu. We waited another 45minutes for our starters and 6 of the 12 starters they bought out were incorrect - they had run out of the terrine but hadn't told us. We therefore had to eat the soup they had made for us instead!

At this point we were given two bottles of free wine. Very generous except they bought us the house wines which we had been told had sold out and could not have earlier when we were ordering meaning we had to order more expensive wine!!!!!

OK, so things weren't going great but it got even worse!!!! When the main course came, another hour later, out 8 out of the 12 meals were incorrect. They didn't have any chicken but once again hadn't told us and just bought us all steak!!!!

The desserts were all correct but took 45 minutes to be served.

At no point did the manager on duty apologise although we were given a discount at the end this was very small considering how much incorrect food was given to us.

The atmosphere was good and the food quality was good but the service was shocking! I can't review the dancing downstairs as the meal took 4 hours and we had to leave to get the last tube home.
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Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 0
Sunday, March 04, 2007

my girlfriends and I try to have a 'get together' at least once every few months.We are all busy juggling jobs and families so we try to meet in London and make an evening of it. After having spent weeks deciding on a venue,we decided on Ruby Blue. What a dissapointment! Theres nothing bad to be said about the restaurant staff or food.Both very acceptable. But on entering the restaurant we all decided to use the ladies and discovered no soap. On pointing this out to the bar staff she asked if we'd checked the cupboards under the sink! Well,I'm not in the habit of restocking toilets when I go out and we pointed this out to her,who found this hilarious! After checking and finding none,she asked if we'd checked the mens(we were 4 females!) she then came back from cheking the mens room and said that there was no soap.We then asked her to find some as there was surely some somewhere in the building.She ran around for a while then came back laughing.NO SOAP! Not surprisingly We are going to trading standards.Also I do not drink very often so when I do go out we like to have a drink or 2.That evening in the restaurant,then bar downstairs,I

drank 5 double vodka redbulls and a single and also 2 tequila shots. The alcohol content in them was next to nothing despite being charged for'smirnoff'! Thres no way that I could possible be sober after all that! The lady with the shots had run out of tequila before she got to us,I asked to see her bottle after sipping mine and she said that she seemed to have run out and that she'd replace ours.after dissapearing for 15 minutes we found her beside the bar,hadnt even asked for more tequila and then only gave me an extra one as my friends hadnt complained! The only saving grace for the evening was the pianist in the restaurant-you are wasted there,go somewhere else!

Oh,and later found a lady dispensing perfime makeup and SOAP! FOR MONEY!

Thats obviosly why they dont have any,The lady takes it home with her?

Was taken for fools all night!

DO NOT GO HERE!!
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Went on 2 December - worst place I have ever been to. We were a party of 14 celebrating 2 birthdays, even though food was pre-ordered, we had to reorder! Waited just under 2 hours to be served anything and I personally had to return my main course as it was tasteless, the rest of company were not impressed with the good. Because we had the 'audacity' to complain about the service, we were barred from the nightclub and asked to leave the premises.
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jennie hamer
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, December 05, 2006

The service was really poor we went Saturday 3rd Nov 2006 and had to wait 1hr 30 mins from our starters for our main course when it arrived it was only just warm no one apologized and when we asked we were told there was a problem with the chef but all tables around us were being served we were then offered a free coffee for the wait this is the first time i've never left a tip in my entire life it could have been so much better evening if they just tried harder
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Mrs Richardson
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 2
Monday, November 06, 2006