A group of 4 of us catch up regularly over an afternoon tea session in London. This time we…read morevisited The Balcon - a dining space attached to the Sofitel St James hotel. Knowing the standard of the hotel I had high expectations of our tea; even so the experience exceeded them. We were having their free flowing champagne deal at a bargain price of £48 p/p. I'm pretty sure they lost out on the deal for our group of kiwi women. The champagne itself was delicious and our attentive waiter Alex kept our glasses refilled to the extent that it was rare to have an empty glass at the table. We all agreed that the sandwiches were a highlight of the food offerings. The thinly sliced bread meant that for example the salmon and cream cheese could each be separated in a club sandwich like manner without the result having too much bread in it. We all requested extra egg sandwiches - yes, egg! They were so yummy. If they can make an outstanding version of a simple egg sandwich, it speaks well of a talented chef. The ham and mustard sandwich had a tasty layer of coleslaw to counterbalance the mustard, of which I'm not a fan, but I really did like this version. The scones came with clotted cream, jam and also lemon curd if we wanted something a little different. The mini (French) desserts were also a treat. I cannot say enough good things about our afternoon tea here. The ambience is welcoming, modern and has a well thought out layout. The champagne is lovely, a pale straw colour and typical champagne biscuit like flavour. And the staff are exceptional - Alex is worth a second mention as he really did take exceptional care of us and when he wasn't around then Nicolas stepped in to assist. Highly recommend. One of the best afternoon tea experiences I've had and truly value for money.

You walk into this place and it definitely makes an impression. it is beautifully decorated. The…read morestaff is super nice from the first moment you walk in. We had gone for a birthday and the staff made an extra effort to make it special. The food is very yummy. Starter: I had the grilled squid for a started which I wasn't too.impressed about mostly because it was cold bit it was tasty. Main : lamb fillet with vegetables. this was amazing. Really tasty. the lamb was tender and did not have that distinct taste of lamb. YUM! Dessert : I had the vanilla ice cream profiterol with.chocolate sauce. it was as yummy as it sounds! Others in my group had the raspberry Eton mess which was also amazing! it was relatively lighter than my profiterol. so if you are stuffed maybe this is the way to.go. Our waitress, Mélany was amazing! I really felt taken care of and she went out of her way to make us have a good time! I highly recommend this place, great atmosphere, great staff and yummy food. it may be a tad expensive but it's good value. They also have a set menu that is really good value for money.

Went in here and waited for about 10 minutes. No one showed up to take an order for food or drinks…read more Got up and left.

After our visit at St. Paul's Cathedral and that terrifying climb to the top, I needed a drink. :)…read moreWe wanted to find something off the beaten path so we started to wander. I'll admit this was not our first choice. We walked into a pub right down the street, but would not serve us because we had a minor. That was their right, but I'll get to that later. So we found Shaws Booksellers. It's a large, bright pub with very friendly bartenders. We ordered our drinks and found a place to sit. We also found an outlet to charge our phones, so that was lovely. It was the end of the day so it started to get busy and thought it wise to move and tuck ourselves away in a corner so that people could enjoy their pints after a long day of work. We had a couple drinks and really enjoy the conversation with the bartenders. It truly was a cute place to grab a drink. We had a large lunch so we didn't order any food, but the menu looking great and the food i saw come out looked fabulous. On our way out we walked by other pub and it was dead. No one is in there. Shaws Booksellers was packed and people were out on the sidewalk enjoying their beverage. So yeah, that felt good. :)

Great food, excellent location, and staff are very friendly…read more I highly recommend this pub for lunch or a drink

Popped in for a quick lunch while sightseeing and it did not disappoint. Typical pub setting but…read moreopen and plenty of natural light. Service was quick and waitress was helpful. The food was a very pleasant surprise. The bangers and mash were so very good. The fish and chips were flaky, crispy, and very tasty. Overall, great experience.

We were fortunate to find a table available when we wandered in for a late lunch. There is a superb…read moreprix fixe lunch menu at a very affordable price (so affordable, we couldn't resist spending several times as much on a wonderful Corton Charlemagne, the perfect accompaniment). I selected a cassoulet of squid and smoked mussels as my starter. It was richly flavored without being excessively buttery, although there was certainly plenty of that on the wonderful toast served with it. For my main I had the mackerel. This is a dish for true fish lovers, as it's of course quite fishy, but was not at all oily, just moist, and with a perfectly crisped skin. The accompanying beets were luscious. A wonderful cheese trolley capped off a delightful meal. Professional yet friendly service increased our enjoyment, making us feel particularly lucky to have been squeezed in without a booking. Highly recommended as a dressy, sophisticated retreat from the tourist-choked streets outside!

We arrived early for our dinner last Wednesday so it seemed rude not to wander upstairs to the bar…read moreand kill some time with a couple of cocktails. Evidently we were not the only folk to have had this idea as the room was fairly packed with only a couple of tables to spare. It's a nice stylish room with an old school "clubby" feel to it; leather sofas, comfy chairs, vintage cocktail books and pieces of antique drinking paraphernalia - all in all a classic toffs Westminster bar. The cocktail list was more of a novella than War and Peace with plenty of interesting combinations. Service was efficient and friendly and before long I was sipping on a stunning 3 Generations (based on a trio of Johnnie Walker whiskey) while B was luxuriating in the signature Pembury Cup.After our drinks, which came with a tasty little spoonful of Shepard's pie and a prawn mousse, we were in fine fettle and ready to tackle the menu. The restaurant consists of two rooms; the first is slightly larger and a touch more grand than the smaller room which is off to one side (in my mind this second room had a touch of the"breakfast room" about it). It's not quite as ornate as La Gavrouche but there is plenty of space between the tables, starched white linen and cutlery by David Mellor - very grown up but not overly fussy. On this visit the other punters were in the main cosy couples with a few groups of four dotted about; a nice atmosphere with lots of happy chatter. It seemed to be a city boy free zone. A decent selection of bread and some water, filtered in a nice bottle at no charge, arrived while I was still going through the wine menu. Unlike many "high end" London restaurants there was plenty of choice without having to take out a second mortgage. I think there was an entry level bottle at £20 with some pretty decent white and red around £30. We were dining from the tasting menu and throughout the evening we had a very fine selection of dishes; all skilfully executed, beautifully presented and just the right size of portion (plenty to get your teeth into but no so much that you feel bloated by the end of your seven course feast). Stand outs were the ballotine of confit of wild rabbit with a mushroom salad and truffle cream, the very tasty sardines on toast which came with a caponata dressing and the roast gunard with a ragout of violet artichoke, courgette and oyster mushroom. The waiting staff, of which there are many, are friendly and attentive. You will be served your meal at a gentle but fairly constant pace; not too rushed and no long waits between courses on our visit. By the time we had got to coffee and petite fours a very pleasurable evening had slipped through our fingers and it was time to get the last train home.

It appears to be gone! There is a different restaurant at this location. The cuisine Thai. Looked…read morefine, but we sought out a pub.

The Charles Dickens is a cosy, traditional local pub with great real ales in that slightly odd…read moreno-man's land half way between Waterloo and London Bridge stations. It's only a five minute walk from Southwark underground station, and is pleasantly down-to-earth compared with many of the glitzier places closer to Waterloo or Borough. The exterior is plain and unassuming, with a traditional interior with lots of wood, decorated with prints of pencil line drawings depicting various characters from Dickens' novels. (Dickens lived around the corner around 1824 when, at the age of 12, his father was in the debtors' prison). There are also two Sky TV screens (showing the news when I went). The clientele are a mixture of locals, workers (lunchtimes and after work, but not too many 'suits') and the odd celebrity Andrew Lloyd Webber was enjoying an evening there on my last visit (not that I'm swayed by such things). I found the staff to be helpful and friendly. The main reason for a visit in my view is the range of real ales they have half a dozen hand-pumps, and on our visit had an excellent range of winter ales, including Harvey's Christmas Ale (8.1% ABV!), Okell's St Nick (4.5%), and Rudolph's Ruin (4.6%), as well as Adnams Bitter (4.5% ABV), the hard-to-find Harvey's Sussex Dark Mild (3.0%) and Twickenham Original Ale (4.2%). It was like a little beer festival. They have a food menu of standard pub fare: nothing exciting, but for London the prices are good value for money, and both meat and veg are bought in fresh form the local markets. Starters range from £2.50 to £6, mains from £5.95 to £7.95 for a sirloin steak, and desserts from £1.50 to £2. There's a roast on Sundays. We had a group meal there and both the grub and the service were fine. Actually, the beer's good value too for Central London. Worth searching out.

I reserved the upstairs during a very last minute trip to London to see all my friends. They…read morecouldn't have been nicer and more accommodating. We had such a great time. Thank you!

When I walked into a loud, crowded pub, I was kind of dreading the experience. Thankfully I was…read moredirected upstairs to the tables reserved for our group. Tucked away with a view of the pub, it was still loud and warm but not crowded. Our server was extremely attentive, checking in every time someone arrived and throughout the evening. Service was quicker than expected. The food and drink menu was extensive. With fare from Belgium, mussels and fries were a must for me. I went with the miso and ginger broth, super flavorful and a little spicy. Loads of mushrooms tucked in with the mussels. They were smaller than you will find in Brussels but delicious. Bread and fries to boot! The beer selection has all the European staples and something for everyone, even wine lovers like half of our group. I had a tasty brown ale, very rich and deep. Overall it was a good evening, save for the bathrooms under construction where I saw a dead cockroach in the toilet. Skip the loo if you can!

Gorgeous restaurant built into the Renaissance hotel in King's Cross and run by celebrity chef +…read moreMichelin-star awarded restauranteur Marcus Wareing. The Gilbert Scott is modelled after an old rail station, so lots of arched ceilings and a vintage feel. Choose to sit in the bar area for pre-drinks, or the main dining hall for the whole shabang. You can also rent out private dining rooms if you're looking to host an event or do a chef's table. I would advise placing a reservation ahead of time for sure. The staff are very friendly and accommodating, so feel free to ask them any questions you may have. Our meal started with complimentary cocktails - some sort of fizz drink. We ordered mezcal cocktails to follow which were decent, but I think the bartender needs to work more on bringing out the mezcal smokiness rather than treat the spirit like a gin or vodka. For starters, we ordered the pigs head and terrine. Absolutely lovedddd the pigs head, but the terrine lacked serious flavour and the texture was almost rough. For our mains, we ordered the lamp rump and steak. The lamb was pretty decent but overall not the most creative dish. The steak was chewy, however tasted fine. For dessert, we ordered the bread pudding, which was very yummy and not too heavy. I enjoyed the Gilbert Scott overall, but I'd like to see some elevated elements in terms of dish flavour. I'd advise coming here for a date night, Sunday roast, or evening with friends. No children recommended.

What a beauty! Once…read morethrough the superman style revolving doors, I was transported into a time where women were ladies and men were gents. Shortly after seating us, our coats were taken, given the drinks menu and one of my favourite snacks was placed in front of us - popcorn! However, this was no ordinary treat, it tasted like bacon! I kid you not, it was delectable, and at a guess I reckon that the kernels were popped in bacon fat. That may sound gross but I don't give two hoots, two of my favorite things pig and corn! It was splendid and I'd suggest tasting it at least once, is a must. It's hard to fit the bar into a single time period but something about the geometric iron structure that the bar was housed in, brought to mind the Jekyll & Hyde thriller, with perhaps also a dash of Sherlock too. I went for the 'Queen Mother' cocktail which included gin, rhubarb and champagne - more of the things I love, in one glass. Happy days! To finish I'd like to add this short description from the official website, not only the perfect ending to this review, but Gilbert Scott would be the perfect ending to any day... 'Through the revolving door (originally one of the first in the UK) our Bar at The Gilbert Scott occupies the former entrance to the Midland Grand Hotel. With ornately painted ceilings and wondrous bell chandeliers you are instantly swept up in the grandeur of the space. Exuding elements of sophistication and wonder, the Bar sets the scene for an afternoon of enjoyment or an evening sampling the cocktail or champagne lists.'

We visited here on our first night in London. It is near our Airbnb and recommend by our host…read more The Ham Hock Terrine and Smoked salmon starters were very good. The cod was good and healthy but the pork chop was overcooked and tough for our taste. Loved the British Cheese plate for dessert but really wanted to try the Sticky Toffee Pudding. Sadly, they were out of it on our visit. Service was good and there is definitely a local clientele. Everyone was vibrant, friendly and seemed to be having a great evening. We would definitely return and try a few of their other items.

1. we thought we had a reservation, but we didn't. they didn't even hesitate and found us a table…read moreoutside even though they were packed inside. 2. awesome service. waitress was super funny and personable and made sure we were ok. I think her name was emmeline, she was very nice 3. AWESOME FOOD! most delicious food I have had in London so far. get the Portuguese chicken i recommend!!!