L Restaurant and Bar

Outstanding food,excellent service (thanks to Fernando), altogether a very enjoyable evening ,however it would have been very pricey if we had not have had the 50% off offer. The very friendly staff & attractive interior make it a restaurant i would definitely recommend to others.
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Patricia
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Friday, March 27, 2009

My wife and I had a pleasant meal on Thursday evening at L Restaurant.

The decor is better in the restaurant than would appear from the slightly dingy bar area at the entrance. Lots of natural light and pleasant if unpretentious furnishings. It was, however, surprisingly empty for a Thursday night for such good food, and this did make the atmosphere a little dead.

Service was very attentive, but not intrusive, but then they were not busy.

The food began excellently but went slightly (but not far) downhill as the meal progressed. The starters were out of this world both for taste and presentation. I had the fois gras, which was fresh and moist. My wife thoroughly enjoyed her goats cheese salad - it looked so beautiful on the plate it was (almost) a shame to tuck in!

The main courses were good, but a little small. my wife's rib eye could have been fresher, and the rioja sauce could have been more tasty. I thoroughly enjoyed the seafood stew (can't remember the posh name for it) but was left feeling a little hungry, as it was too small. (We have been living in the States for the last 3 years, so perhaps we have unrealistic expectations on portion size).

We usually share a dessert, but we were both certainly still hungry enough for one each (and if we'd had time, I'd have gone for cheese after the dessert as well.) My creme brulee was very good - the sugar still soft, hardening as the spoon entered. I could have eaten 3 of them though. My wife's brownie and golf-ball sized scoop of ice-cream was also delicious - very rich chocolate.

The wine list was good with a good selection of wines by the glass and half bottles. we had an excellent half bottle of 2004 chateau le pey (it was far better after 15 minutes in the glass), and a lovely glass of dessert wine (muscat).

Altogether a very good evening. the 50% made it also very reasonable - 60.00 for 3 courses, wine and tip. I expect we'll be back.
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Michael G
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 8
Thursday, August 28, 2008

We booked this restaurant on line for July after reading many favourable reviews. We were greeted by the host who accommodated my husband's disability by offering us a choice of tables. The service was very attentive, the atmosphere beautiful and the meal was sublime. We would suggest that you try the Mojito--not too sweet, just a perfect balance of mint and lime. We enjoyed the gazpacho and the Zarzuela de Pescado. Our only regret is that we were too full to try any of the desserts. We would love to returnt to this restaurant.
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Louise
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, July 24, 2008

The L Restaurant and Bar had a good menu selection, in general the food quality was just standard. The best dish of all courses was the scallops that was cooked just right. For the main courses, the duck was fair; the monkfish and shellfish stew was more like a seafood soup and the portion was a bit too small. It is definitely very pricy if without the 50% off offer. The waitress was always attentive and quick but lacked a touch of friendliness. The interior was nice and the ambience fair, given it was not busy.

On another note, even though I am not very artistic, the background music - "live jazz" - wasn't very jazzy at all, but it's nice. All in all, everything lacked a bit of a wow factor.
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Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 3
Wednesday, June 04, 2008

My husband and I were in London for the weekend to watch our local team - Portsmouth - play in the FA Cup Final. I had found this restaurant on your website which I read avidly and we booked for our first night there. What a lovely welcome we had. We were greeted enthusiastically and taken to a very nice table. The waiter and his wife who was helping out that evening looked after us so well, advising on choice of menu and giving excellent friendly service. The food was delicious, very well presented and in fact the whole evening was a lovely occasion. The restaurant itself is very modern, light and airy. We would highly recommend the restaurant to anyone and will definitely go again when next in London.
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Mrs Heather Wills
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, May 19, 2008

Another fantastic meal at L!!

We booked a table in early January for dinner with six of our closest friends just after everyone returned from Christmas holidays. After going to L several times in 2006 and early 2007 we hadn't had the opportunity to return for several months. Much to our surprise the menu had lots of new dishes many of which were perfect for sharing. We ended up with two fantastic platters of delicious food that made the most of novel flavour combinations without going over the top as do so many restaurants "modern european" restaurants. The food at L is truly a foodies delight. Given we'd chosen the restaurant we were pleased that our friends raved about both the food and overall experience!
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Shawn Luetchens
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, January 28, 2008

I went there last Sat for a birthday dinner with my friends. Throughout the evening, the whole staff indulged us with excellent service, drinks and food in serene ambience. It was a superb evening!
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Anna
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, December 12, 2007

took my girlfriend to the L last night and we were not disappointed. In fact, I think it's the best dining experience I've had.

The manager was fantastic. We were provided with a complimentary glass of champagne purely due to me briefly mentioning that it was her birthday while booking.

Furthermore, while my girlfriend went to the ladies the manager told me the staff were 'planning a surprise'. They didn't let her (me!) down when they produced her dessert plate with a beautiful chocolate 'Happy Birthday Dee' written to the side of the dessert.

Our experience was beautiful and we thank all who work on the ship. The Sommelier was informative, the waiting staff ultra-frindly but unobtrusive. The setting is low key and romantic and the food (though limited in choice) is exquisite.

£120 well spent and loads of brownie points in the bag. Thanks all at the L, I owe you one.

Go there.
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Mike
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, November 01, 2007

Went to L Sat 27th Oct approx 6.30pm - we wanted somthing decent to eat after a day of shopping. We did not receive a good welcome and they seemed somewhat inconvenenienced as we did not have a booking, they were pretending that the restaurant was fully booked! We were the only ones there!

After some deliberation we were allowed to be seated (at the worse positoned table in the restaurant ) and told that we must be finished by 8pm!

After about an hour a few more people arrived by the time we left @ 7.45pm the restaurant was only half filled.

Our waitress was polite and helpful. The food was good, nothing spectacular but no complaints and good value for money (for 2 people we paid £85 for 2 courses + wine).
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, October 31, 2007

We went to L on Saturday night. It was very busy and lively. On the gallery level the noise from below was too much for us but the customers below were obviously enjoying their experience. We did benefit from the 50% reduction on food only. The quality of the food was excellent in general. Starter was a bit short on scallops for the price. 2 slices of bread at £1.75 was excessive and should be provided anyway.

Main course - Halibut on Thyme Mash was very nice but an accompanying veg e.g. green beans or mangetout may have added to the appearance and value. The creme brulee was delicious and the Spanish cheeses were lovely. We didn't actually order creme brulee but were happy to accept it as it is a favourite of ours.

Wine was a different story - Chablis (£27.50) to accompany the fish was of poor quality with a strange aftertaste. It took 3 attempts to get it chilled down by which time we were on our dessert course. A glass of a lovely Pino Grigio was provided while we waited though. The waitress was charming and attentive but the gallery is very tight for space at the tables for 2. Total bill was £87.00 and some items were overcharged. Not sure if I would return which is a shame because the chef is obviously very capable.
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Visitor from Scotland
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 5
Monday, October 08, 2007