Creamed Spinach
Hawksmoor Guildhall

Hawksmoor Guildhall

10 - 12 Basinghall Street London, EC2V 5BQ, United Kingdom

Bars • Steak • British • Breakfast


"the dining room is down and a surprisingly large room, wooden dressed and maybe because the noise levels are high. but the tables are well spaced and you never feel crowded, and the ambiente has failed. Although there is a...excellent selection of starters, we decided to move directly to the main event that is necessarily the steaks at hawksmoor. I traveled a lot in the usa and have often eaten at legendary US steak houses, but my sirloin (rare) was so good or better than the best I had in the usa. beautifully seasoned, perfectly cooked and completely delicious. a good steak is a thing of beauty and that was, without asking, a good steak a very good steak. the sprouts were also excellent, the beef-dryries were crisp and full of taste, the creamy spinat rich and tasty, the buttered greens al dente. desserts did not disappoint me that I chose the cheese selection, with the proposed oloroso as a reference. my friends the rhubarb pavlowa and the ambassadeur a nutritious concoction. both annoyed that they were more than happy with what was presented, and their tellers enjoyed the eye and the palate. the staff was very well informed, attentive, without pushy, engaged and charming a credit to the restaurant. So why only four stars, instead of five, because of the weeping prizes, I'm afraid. the selection is impressive, but the prices are, candid, on the optimistic side. the bottle corbieres has been charged and that is quite galling if you can buy it at a decent wein dealer for a ten. it was a beautiful wein, safe, but very much to the cheaper end of the list, where the prices climbed quite steeply from per bottle to dizzying heights. I am carp, because it was a wonderful meal, in a very pleasant environment, with very friendly and competent staff only ready to cover for the vino:"

The White Hart

The White Hart

Station Road, TN22 4DP, Wealden, United Kingdom

Full • Steak • American • Bar-lounge


"Absolutely disappointed beyond belief. Why even bother opening and advertising that they do food? We really should have walked straight back out the door upon entering. But we had read reviews and really wanted to try this place. The staff were disinterested. Pointed to a table where we were to sit for our evening meal. We were given what can only be described as filthy sticky pieces of paper that were supposed to represent a menu. The table was dirty and sticky with drink stains. Nevertheless we proceeded to order 3 main meals. Over an hour later we still had no food and not once did anyone come over to the table to explain why. The place was by no means busy. There were 4 tables with customers! After approximately an hour and 10 minutes we asked if there was a time that we could expect our food to be ready. Bearing in mind our order was for baby back ribs, a steak burger and a chicken skewer. So not overly complicated. We were told that there was only 1 chef working!. And that the manageress would go and check for us. She returned to say that food would be ready in 5 minutes. Approximately 10 minutes later the baby ribs and steak burger arrived. We had to wait a further 5 minutes for the chicken skewer meal. When it did arrive the chicken was cold and absolutely cremated. So much so that the chicken itself had started to disintegrate and a powder of charcoal remains were on the plate. Absolutely disgusting and inedible. Our entire party left all the food and we went to the bar to pay and left. Disgusted, disappointed, disillusioned and would NEVER RETURN"

Habit

Habit

Friary Court, City of London,Westminster, United Kingdom

Steak • British • Sandwich • Sandwiches


"Davy's wine bars have been a part of the London scene for more than 30 years. They have a deserved reputation for good wine and well-cooked simple fare. We were disappointed, though, in Habit. The decor is typical of Davy's, having the appearance of what I imagine a city coffee house might have been like. There are plenty of oak and barrels about the place. There are bar and restaurant areas with lots of alcoves and semi private rooms. In times gone by, a Davy's would have been jam packed at 8 o'clock on a Friday evening but there were just four people watching TV in the bar area, a group of six dining in one of the rooms and my wife and me. It is true the Rio Olympics on TV were a counter attraction but ... The menu is basic and brief. We chose crab toast to start. This comprised two slices of barely toasted bread spread with marie rose sauce and piled high with crab meat. The whole thing was topped with a fennel, avocado and chilli concoction which in colour was grey to the point of looking unappetising, and whilst it did not taste unpleasant, the fennel masked the avocado. Our main course was fish and thrice cooked chips. The fish was fine, although the batter could have been crispier and the portion larger. Cooking chips three times is something of a foodie fad that is fast becoming a cliche. The chips were soggy and waxy rather than crispy and fluffy inside. The accompanying mushy peas were well minted and tasty but an unfortunate luminous green in colour. Service was prompt and cheerful seemingly in apology for the lack of ambience. The bill, including a glass of wine each was a reasonable enough £50. I can't help feeling, though, there is better to be had elsewhere for not much more money. I hope Davy's can put some quality into the food and some vibrancy into the atmosphere and that in so doing they would attract more customers and create a venue that would capture some of the popularity of Davy's from the 1980s."