All reader reviews by Huwy

La Poule au Pot

What a place! I love it! So many restaurants should take a leaf out of this restaurant’s book. The food is just perfect, no nonsense French brassiere food. Chicken liver parfait, quiche, moules and onion tart for starters. Beef bourguignon, cassolet, steak béarnaise for main course. Fantastic flavours, great cooking and just put on the plate, no fancy presentation just great tasting homely food. If that is not good enough, I can certainly recommend the magnum of house red which is perfectly reasonable quaffing juice. Don’t worry if you can’t finish the entire bottle as they drop a wine dipstick in to see how many glasses you have drunk.

The décor is something that has to be seen to be believed as it is the only restaurant in London that can get away with having net curtains. Even a trip to the gents is like walking through the mind of Laurence Llewellyn Bowen.

The staff are fantastic even down to their unbuttoned, medallion wearing gallic swagger. I recommend this restaurant to everyone, pretty pricey but worth every penny and a great night out.

Staff – Great / Ambiance –Excellent / Décor – Incredible /Food – fantastic and homely / Value – Pretty pricey but well worth it.

Sunday, December 13, 2009
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8

The Curtains Up

Bar snacks, Bar Snack, Bar Snacks and Doombar. This pub makes wonderful bar snacks and the Doombar bitter is awesome. I had a pork pie with mustard, fried fish, hummus (something for the Mrs) and honey and mustard cocktail sausages delicious …… This is of course, providing you can get served! It would be quicker to get a pint if they employed a platoon of Chelsea Pensioners behind the bar. Stupidly, I returned the following evening for a full meal! Call me a darling, but anywhere you can drink six pints before food arrives has got to get their act together. Anyway, the menu is standard pub fayre including the obligatory fish cake. I opted for the rib eye steak with béarnaise sauce, it was awful and the sauce was an absolute shocker.

The pub / theatre has recently been decorated, which is nice.

Staff - Polite – but shockingly slow / Ambiance – OK/ Décor – Nice / Food – Bad / Value – I value my time more.

Sunday, December 13, 2009
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 1

The Providores & Tapa Room

Ladies and Gentlemen the Tapa Room at the Providores is a London must. This is my joint favourite restaurant (Vinoteca the other.) The Mrs took me there 3 years ago for brunch (what ever happened to the all day breakfast) and have been one of their biggest fans ever since. Bunch or dinner the food is amazing, the staff are brilliant and I love the busy dinning room.

Staff – Amazing / Coffee – Amazing (flat whites) / Food – Amazing / Ambiance – Amazing / Décor – I thinking 4 amazing may be too many, so we will give it an appropriate. Value – Expensive but WORTH EVERY PENNY.

Sunday, December 13, 2009
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8