All reader reviews by Anonymous

Alyn Williams at The Westbury

I simply don't believe that the handful of reviews of this restaurant are genuine. My friends and I went for a meal last night, and the service and the food itself was such a shambles that we were not charged for any of the food that we were served.

Even though the menu is very small and the restaurant was virtually empty, it took over 45 minutes for our starters to arrive, and we were there nearly two hours before we received our mains. Various things that we ordered (like potatoes!) never actually arrived at all, and each one of our main courses was stone-cold, badly presented and tasteless. We didn't stay for dessert as we were desperate to get out of this awful place.

Maybe they were just having an off night, but I doubt it. We could tell from the apologetic attitude of the waiting staff that they knew that this is a failing restaurant.

You should take all of these fabulous reviews with a large pinch of salt and avoid this restaurant completely.

Thursday, May 31, 2012
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0

Beach Blanket Babylon (Notting Hill)

I went back to BBB on 23 December after a break of about ten years and I was genuinely appalled by what has become of this one time fine restaurant.

What my date and I experienced was, without doubt, the worst meal I have ever had in 30 years of living in London. My starter, the Chestnut Soup, was so solid and heavy in texture that it reminded me of recently laid concrete that was in the process of hardening. It was also steaming hot on the top and cold in the middle - a sure sign that it had been heated up in a microwave. We both had the Turkey Roll With All The Trimmings as a main course. The turkey itself was shaped like a small torpedo, it was encased in a hard skin that was so tough that it was difficult to cut with a knife and it simply tasted revolting. The "trimmings" comprised one sad, stringy carrot and a couple of burnt, cold, tiny, roast potatoes.

The service was bizarre; when we ordered more drinks, the waitress actually brought the bill instead - and this happened twice! In fact, the problem here was that the waitresses neither spoke, nor understood English.

The final horror came with the price of the meal. I've had cheaper meals at 2-Star Michelin restaurants. They are charging Michelin Star prices for food that wouldn't even be served in a motorway service station cafe.

This restaurant is an absolute disgrace - you should avoid at all costs.

Friday, December 24, 2010
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0