Blandford Street

I have eaten here twice in the last two weeks - firstly for business and secondly with my family. It was fantastic on both occasions. The menu at Blandford Street changes every few months and it is always exciting - sourcing fresh and ingredients for the season. At some places, scallops purport to be hand dived and fish is supposed to be fresh - at Blandford Street the scallops are definitely hand dived (and cooked to perfection) and the catch of the day is caught from British waters that day. The confit of duck was superb and there are interesting choices for vegetarians. The desserts also did not disappoint - the raspberry fool was light, fresh and a delicious ending to a fantastic meal. The service is discreet and efficient. It is of no surprise that this place earns a star in Time Out. Given the quality of the ingredients, this represents value for money.
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Thursday, July 12, 2007

I booked Blandford St for a special dinner on the basis that it had been given a red star by Time Out. I just can't imagine how it could have earned that red star, since everything we tried was disappointing. A starter of sea bass sashimi consisted of an admittedly very fresh bass fillet simply chopped into sections. Parts were tough, and the fish was tasteless and in no way enhanced by the accompanying watery seaweed. Sashimi needs expert slicing and preparation. Another of buffalo mozzarella contained delicious, meltingly tender cheese, but was accompanied by stale foccaccia. Main courses were worse - a dry coq au vin - I've had far better similar dishes at most gastropubs - and calves' liver, which was none too tender, dry and served as a huge piece, cut into thick unappetising chunks instead of the more usual delicate slices. The accompanying rather vinegary braised red onion and potato dumplings were utterly ordinary. This dish cost £18 - far too much for a dish of this quality. We eschewed pudding. One final comment, which put the seal on my feelings about Blandford St: the ladies' may have the now-ubiquitous Molton Brown soap and individual hand towels, but the loo itself looked as though it had been cleaned in months. Must try harder.
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Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 2
Tuesday, June 12, 2007

The food at Blandford Street is overpriced and underwhelming, at least on the evidence of our recent visit. My starter of chilled pea soup with pea shoots, creme fraiche and chilli oil was rather bland and flavourless; the chilli failing to provide the necessary kick. My partner's starter of mozzarella, tomato with and foccacia with a pesto dressing was also disappointing. While the mozzarella was dense with a good buffalo milk taste, the foccacia was dry, and the tomatoes rather watery.

The mains displayed a similar lack of finesse and attention to flavour. The catch of the day, a generous fillet of halibut, was both a shade over cooked and without the sufficient pan fried cruzziliness. It came with a slightly odd pairing of artichoke hearts and a mushroom sauce with the taste and texture of Campbell’s soup. My partner’s main of tagliatelli with dorset crab and peas and asparagus was returned half eaten. ‘I’ve had better ready meals,’ he sniffed.

All this, plus a bottle of rather good house white came just short of £80. You can eat much better for less, even in this relatively well healed part of London. Given the praise heaped on this restaurant here and elsewhere – including a coveted red star from Time Out’s Eating and Drinking Guide - I can only assume the chef was having an off night, or ‘modern European’ cuisine really is the last refuge of the dull and unadventuress.
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MarkD
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 3
Saturday, May 19, 2007

The food here is excellent. Four of us went and ordered different dishes, all of which were great. The twice baked souffle was devine and the mutton also stood out.

The service was good, as was the wine list and i would recommend this place to anyone and will definitely be going again.
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Emily
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, April 11, 2007

I can't say how this restaurant rates in the eyes of food connoisseurs in central or whole London but it certainly is the best restaurant in blandford street.
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Sai Abdurazak
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Sunday, February 25, 2007

If you are goning to have a party, the private room of this restaurant will definitely end up on the top of your list. I had a birthday for 16 people last week, and i have to say that food was delicious, service impeccable and the private room of red banquettes and silk wallpaper gorgeous. Having been welcomed by glass of champagne and had both red and white wines our bill was still much less than i expected (which was a heal to my wounds after christmas season). I didn't have a chance to thank the chefs for amazing food they cooked, irrespective of our caprices, and want to say now they are THE CHEFS. Staff's friendliness matched the taste of food. Just brilliant.

I'm ready to put my weekly wages on that you can't find the better combination of such a top quality food and a high calibre restaurant's amazing private room for that inexpensive price of Blandford Street Restaurant in Central London. Anyone wanna bet?
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Clement Broide
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, January 29, 2007

The food here is definitely worth making a trip for, you can be sure you're not getting a cheap slice of meat tarted up to look expensive. The fish tasted as if it has only just stopped swimming and the steaks were succulent. And there were some interesting items like the wild rabbit and wood pigeon terrine and Vietnamese style fish (a personal favourite). Some small criticisms- some of the house wines by the glass are pretty dull and the lunchtime menu is a bit limited. Otherwise, relaxed atmosphere and friendly service nicely complement the quality food. I'd recommend it to anyone who was looking for a really satisfying meal at a reasonable price.
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Jay Molan
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Monday, June 12, 2006

I went to Blandford Street with my boyfriend as it was recommended to me. I liked the starter, good quality Fois Gras (although the best is at Drones) and my partner had Seared Beef, which was very good too. However the main dish of lamb chop and veg with a Parsley butter was average and quite bland! I asked for it to be cooked medium but it was very well done and chewy. Also the dessert of spiced carrot cake was not moist at all it seemed to be out of date and stale! I would come back again as the staff were attentive and the actual restaurant had a good feel about it...but not in a hurry.
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Gem
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Friday, May 26, 2006

On wednesday i was entertained a dinner in Blandford street restaurant. Seared Tuna with Japanese style garnish for starter preambled by soup pre-starter was nothing less then great (I was slightly amazed that none of the chefs was Japanese). For mains i had steak and flexibility with which they changed the garnish to suit my liking made me felt a little bit special. A warm atmosphere and helpful staff, plus excellent food - all you need to have a nice dinner - can be found at Blandford street restaurant.

Unlike many "posh" restaurants in central London prices there were not exorbitant, everything fairly priced, including wines (we had very good Sauvignon Blanc, by the way). Though, I'm not a food or wine expert, although i dine in central London often, i can assure that you can get very good value for your money here, no doubt.
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Duraza Michel
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Friday, April 07, 2006

I have been coming to Blandford street for a number of months now and it only seems to get better! I have yet to find something on the menu which I don't like, but they've definitely outdone themselves with the wild rabbit I had there on my last visit. I also find the staff incredibly friendly and charming. They have an uncanny ability to make you feel like a regular almost from the outset.

However no meal is complete without their superb cheeseboard to finish it off! I can strongly recommend it and greatly look forward to my next visit.
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Rennette
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Friday, April 07, 2006