A group of 4 of us catch up regularly over an afternoon tea session in London. This time we visited 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. read more

The Balcon - Bubbles first. Our waiter Alex included in a mirror selfie, ha ha. - French Near Me - London, XGL

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The Christmas dinner is a real festive dinner with a selection of meat, seafood or fish, and an awesome Christmas pudding. The only small complaint I may have is about the duck preparation. A bit too dry. This could be easily fixed though. The wine selection makes me think I need to shop for more bottles. The service is as great as you would expect in such a place. In brief, a great discovery. read more

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You walk into this place and it definitely makes an impression. it is beautifully decorated. The staff 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. read more

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Well then.....hello!! Found the Balcon on OpenTable with a cracking sounding deal of 3 courses for £23. When looking for a meal on a Saturday in London this ticket all the boxes. Located on Pall Mall this was my first trip to this part of town, the resteraunt is beaififul as are the surrounding buildings. Having arrived a little early the maitrede happily welcomed up and sat us. With the deal you could chosese a starter from their "small plates' menu which is different to their starts menu...anyway....then a main from a choice of three on the market menu and any of their deserts. Mum and I discussed some tactical odering and went for the brevette steak tartar and the foie gras terrine. Oh my these were unbeleivably good. The foie gras was insane.....so so so so so so GOOD! Mum and I have had our fair share of their controversial delicasy and both agreed this was excellent. I sort of felt sorry for the tartar, it was brilliant just out gunned. Great start to the meal. For the main I went pork fillet and mum went salmon. The pork as an overall dish was great, the meat for me was a little overdone, I like my pork fillet to be slightly pink. I really am just trying to pick fault there thoufg. I tried the salmon and again a great dish and very enjoyable. For desert I went fot the profiteroles - Mum just for a change went cheese. I was a little diappointed here...these were not profiteroles, they were overcook schoux pastry cut in half and stacked with a scoop of vailla icecream. The cheese was great but really thats hard to get wrong. For wine we went for the house Rothschild Viogner, at £27 not cheap but a great accompaniment to our meal. The Balcon comes Highly Jd Recommended! read more

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The Balcon, Pall Mall - walking into a champagne bar exudes the glamour. Big glass windows, high ceiling and flower arangements that set the style, The Balcon is part of the Sofitel London Hotel, with a separate entrance. I love a little poncieness in life. A place like that does not have too many waiters. No one would be seen doing nothing even when the rush hour crowd has thinned out. They will be polishing glass doors, have the tables laid out, interacting with diners and arranging bottles always with a task at hand. Uniforms which have been cleaned and steamed iron immaculately; more so than my finest frock, despite this, it was all very casual and not too intimidating. If The Balcon restaurant is too formal for you, Sofitel London also has a separate wine bar, St James Bar and a lounge for afternoon tea...with a live harpist! We started of lunch with this bread and butter. The butter dish is on proper stoneware. I love the weight and the simplicity of it but I thought that the butter was fairly normal. hand cut beef bavette tartare on toasted hazelnut bread GBP 6.00 - I had to ask what bavette was - which was just another name for flank steak, frequently used in Asian cuisine and often sold as a cut for stir fry. The tartare was slightly tangy on a nice toasty and sweet (raisin) bread. It was quite pleasant. homemade foie gras terrine on toasted country bread GBP 8.00 - a rich, tasty terrine of duck foie gras on toasted bread, a very good starter indeed pork chops GBP 20.00 - this was more of a chickpea with aubergine stew topped with tender suckling pig chops, very rich taste, with a good helping of the baby chops, which included some light crackling. I enjoyed the dish. brown trout with roasted vegetables - the freshness of the fish calls for simple cooking and seasoning. Unfortunately the onions and tian of roasted vegetable left a puddle of water making it very sloppy. It just lacked the finesse that the place exudes. Nonetheless, it was a very nice plate. You have to try their afternoon tea menu which looks amazing! The pastry trolley is just too tempting and it was a little cruel to have to choose ONE from the trolley. So, we went for a proper full on dessert portion. vanilla ice-cream profiteroles, hot chocolate and praline sauce GBP 5.00 - a really good surprise dessert option because profiteroles were not really my kind of thing, but in future, I am going to be ordering them. An ice-cream sandwich of three profiteroles drizzled with chocolate sauce, it is my answer for a dessert treat. The only downside was the chocolate sauce was not hot. chocolate soufflé tart with milk ice-cream GBP 5.00 - a very rich chocolate soufflé with ginger bits in a tart base, the milk ice-cream did not have any real taste but, considering the richness of the soufflé, this was probably a good thing. The Balcon is a restaurant suitable for business and corporate dining and entertaining but on a social level to impress your date or like me, just a comfortable dining atmosphere in splendorous décor and impeccable service was just right for a lazy Monday afternoon. After all, you should note that desserts were overall a winner! The Balcon is not a cheap place. Drinks, wine by the glass starts around £7 - £8 per glass. Cocktails are at £16.00 and bubbly at £ 22.00 per glass. You can still eat at a reasonable price at £25.00 for 3 course lunch menu including a glass of wine and coffee. read more

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After an awful afternoon Tea experience at another location, I booked at the Balcon and I'm happy to say I had a fantastic experience this time. -The interior was elegant and beautiful. -The waiters were incredibly pleasant and helpful! -The food was full of flavor, rich and satisfying. -The tea perfectly complimented the meal! -The price was so reasonable compared to other teas at 28£ a person. I highly recommend this place! read more

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They say you need to have tea in England to fully experience the English culture, no better place than to do it here. This place is FANSAY!! They have generous portion of delicious cakes and scones served together with some savory sandwiches. Nice deco, warm and friendly hosts. The scones, good lord was delicious. If you feel like spoiling yourself or a loved one on an nice sunny afternoon, I'd recommend this place. The price tag on this one won't come cheap, but it's a place you could bring someone on a special occasion :) read more

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My first time having 'decadent' tea! Booked her for a treat with a friend as a catch up location rather than having to shout at each other in a bar. There are a variety of tea which you can select with the sandwiches and cakes being set. We each had an individual pot of tea to ourselves and both opted to 'upgrade' our tea with a glass of champagne which, I thought good value given it only adds around another £5 to the bill each. Sandwiches were fingers nicely cut and filled enough to taste but not too much to be spilling out when you bit into it. A selection of egg, salmon and cucumber I think. Nice soft white bread. Best bit was the pastries (well I am more of a sweet tooth) little scones, some plain, others filled with fruit (apricots and raisin ones) served with pots of jam, clotted cream and lemon curd. There is also a selection of jams to be found on your table also. These come along with a variety of little pastries which were all very enjoyable. I would come here again as a treat. Great place to relax and catch up in a civilised way! Yes it might be a little pricy for sandwiches and cake (£24 could buy many of those in the shop) but, the overall experience is quiet lovely! read more

The Balcon - French Near Me - London, XGL

First thing we noticed when we walked in was the service we received. They took our coats and bags and escorted us to our tables. There was a vast range of dishes to pick from. I was expecting prices to be $$$$$$ but it was around £20 - £30 which was reasonable in my books for a fancier restaurant. We ordered a Grenache Syrah from the iPad which helps with selecting the wine with details of the tasting notes. For entree I had the scallop and dumplings with lobster sauce. The dish was so aromatic!! And it tasted soo good! For main I had rabbit and it was succulent. Cooked perfectly with balancing flavours. It was definitely worth the visit. Glad I picked this place out of 100s of others in london read more

The Balcon - Scallops and dumplings in lobster sauce - French Near Me - London, XGL

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Ate here on a Top Table deal, which made it great value! The food was not out of this world, but was very fine. And the service was excellent, the atmosphere was classy and refined, and the location is brilliant - 2 minutes' walk from Trafalgar Square. read more

This is as good as it gets for me. Anything better is off the charts rating. Came here for the Christmas menu. £100 per person for a 3 course menu. We had an amuse bouche of green pea gazpacho and some mini smoked Salmon sandwiches. The appetizers were relatively large and there was a two entree selection. The desserts were also a good size. We were so full by the first entree that we could finish the second entree and the dessert pretty much went to waste. read more

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We spent the Christmas holiday in London and were lucky enough that this was attached our hotel, St. James Sofitel. Our 5 day stay was top notch. We started every morning with breakfast, from the moment you walk in the wait staff is welcoming and professional. An array of fresh food awaits you and the setting is clean and comfortable. Top notch service that is hard to come by. Thank you Balcon staff for making our first trip to London a memorable one! read more

We came here having booked through LastMinute.com - 3 courses, a glass of wine and coffee for £25pp. When I booked I informed them that 1 diner required gluten-free. When we were seated, we reminded our server and they brought both types of bread. D asked for dietary information re: menu as there was no printed indication re: allergens. He was very helpful but then her starter arrived with regular toast. There was a long wait for it to be replaced. The next failure was the chips we explicitly ordered to share were delivered with the comment they were not gluten-free. The food was ok - my squid starter was bland, under seasoned and mostly potatoes, not squid. My main, the hake, was wonderful but it would have been helpful to know it came on a bed of potatoes, making the chips side redundant. The wine included was not on their menu and a choice of Sauvignon blanc or merlot. The cheapest glass on the menu was £8 and a G&T a whopping £12. It's an expensive eaterie but let down by poor service. When our bill came it was wrong (we were not charged for our meals i.e. £50 out) and had to be corrected and despite a catalogue of errors and our honesty no goodwill comp was made and the service charge included at 12.5%. Not a great experience and not great value for money read more

Amazing food and service for our pre-show dinner. The dishes were absolutely stunning and well-balanced, could not recommend enough. I especially loved the ratatouille with duck egg (starter) and the desserts raspberry souffle and the crepes suzette (made at the table!). Will come back when next in London. read more

Expected a great deal and was not disappointed The Balcon, in the St. Regis Hotel, was a last minute decision before the theater. The Foie gras ballotine and the Smoked haddock croquettes were served hot and were extremely tasty. The Sea bream fillet and the Smoked duck breast, along with their sides, were prepared and served flawlessly. The server was available when needed, but did not hover. The cocktail menu, a separate booklet with illustrations, was informational and whimsical. We didn't have dessert, so we can't comment on it. read more

Gorgeous setting, excellent food, attentive service. My companion and I both opted for the fixed-price 3 course meal, which arrived so quickly and offered such ample servings that we asked for a pause before dessert was brought out. The cost with a glass of wine and coffee was less than 30 pounds, a deal for any British eatery and certainly for such an upscale setting. It's a quick walk towards Trafalgar Square from the Piccadilly Circus tube station, but far enough to get out of the maddening crowd near Eros. The interior is something between Art Deco and Coco Chanel; I kept thinking of the sets in the movie "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day". Lovely. read more

Stunning dining room, quick friendly, informed service. Food was classic French fair - all cooked and presented well. The bread basket alone is divine! Wine is standard west end prices starting at about £25 for a decent house. Would most definitely dine here again, also a great place to wine and dine clients read more

Good for pre theatre meal This is the restaurant of the Sofitel St James. we dined there before going to the theatre. We ate from the fixed price menu which we enjoyed. service was attentive and quick which is what you want when you are going uto the theatre. The house whine which we each had by the glass was excellent. whilst not cheap it was no more expensive than the tourist trap restaurants that abound the West Endi and far higher quality. read more

Lovely French service and ambiance. We had perfect discrete continental service with exceptionally delicious French food and wine. If you can't make it to Paris, this is your best bet in London. I enjoyed every bite! read more

Balcon is an excellent restaurant with great service and high end food. Attached to the prestigious Sofitel Hotel, Balcon offers an upscale experience where the host is friendly and the servers are exceptional. The high ceilings and natural lighting from the large windows make this restaurant very warm and inviting. Within a stone's throw to the theaters, Balcon proves to be the perfect place to enjoy a meal prior to attending a show. The food is amazingly fresh and tasty without over seasoning the primary protein. On this occasion, I ordered the Sea Ream which was incredibly tender and tasty. Our meal was topped off by the Crème Brule which was excellent, sweet but not overbearing. They were also kind enough to prepare a Birthday plate filled with pastries that was amazingly moist. So accommodating to foreign traditions in the midst of such an high quality restaurant. Thank you Balcon and Bravo!!! read more

This fabulously French restaurant- named for the champagne balcony that serves as a focal point when you enter the front door- had its soft opening just over a month ago. When I dropped by on a Thursday, two of London's master chefs were dinning incognito. The decor, including salmon skin seats in the Coco Chanel-inspired boudoir-esque bar, and the beautiful chocolate tones of the wood floors create an opulent feel that will pair well with your seared salmon fillet and the richness of your chocolate soufflé. Power-lunching by day and romantic-dining by night...The Balcon has raised the bar to new heights, and I literally do mean the bar...such a seductive place to drink a sneaky cocktail. read more

The service was great, the food was pretty good, the tea was ok, but all of this is pretty difficult to find in London it seems. We left pretty satisfied with the tea. I wouldn't say this was the best, but you could definitely do worse. read more

Really very good - surprisingly so. Set menu and a la carte both offer a great selection; food first rate; great wine list; good service; nice ambience. Only loses a star as it's a little over-proced for what it is. read more