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The Gate Islington

The Gate Islington

370 St John Street Islington London, EC1V 4NN, United Kingdom

Pizza • Juice • Global • Italian


"Would like to add that all the other staff, especially our server, Fatima, were brilliant. Advised food intolerances during booking process and received great email the day before: “I have come across your booking notes and wated to share our menu with you. We have a few gluten free options for all courses and we also have a three course set menu £38pp our guests can also opt for. The Set Festive Menu does not offer GF options for starters, however we welcome our guests to choose this course from out A La Carte.” However, on ordering, the server fed back that I would not be able to choose a starter from the A La Carte and could not have the Festive Menu. She offered to bring the person who had said this to the table to explain. Oh wow bad move. This turned out to be the defensive and accusatory owner manager: This restaurant does not cater for “people like you” who “demand” things outside of what is available and “expect to get them”; and that “the system will not let him order” a starter from the A La Carte for the Festive Menu. “If I wanted to have the Festive Menu I would have to have the Aubergine starter from it”. Blah blah blah blah blah . . . The Aubergine starter was not marked GF on either menu (as per the email). I pointed out that his accusation about people like me making demands applied to him: he was “demanding” I eat the 1 item he selected for me from the menu and it was something I could not eat. Additionally, a quick estimate showed the order would come in a few pounds below the £38 for the Festive Menu. I didn’t bring up the email, because my patient companion asked if they could give their order, which included the aubergine dish. Owner Manager suddenly realised that this might work with the technology and clearly felt a need to share every step of his thinking process about swapping our starters with us. With much huffing and puffing he messed around with the order terminal for several minutes right at the table. After 2 failed attempts, he eventually muttered he’d “have to just write the order by hand” and stalked off. When the order arrived, we received a cup of salad instead of the broccoli side that had been ordered. When the broccoli arrived, it was steamed not sautéed as described in the menu so it was sent back. If having diners in your restaurant is an inconvenience for your technology, business and self, then maybe you’re in the wrong business? We didn’t need to know all the drama and detail about whether our starters can be swapped so that it can be input in the technology and we didn’t need to be party to all the huffing and puffing too. Finally the food: excellent margarita and Oyster mushroom starter. Highly recommend these. The Wild Mushroom rotolo mains was not as great as the starter but still very good. The festive snow bombe dessert presented beautifully, with the bombe melting under a pour of hot chocolate sauce, but tasted average. My take is that the pear filling was bland and didn’t complement the chocolaTe"

Cucina Cafe

Cucina Cafe

Unit 3j-3k Belvedere Road, SE1 7GH, Lambeth, United Kingdom

Cafés • Pizza • Pasta • Asiatic


"We visited on Saturday, the night before the marathon. We booked a table. Came in, seen it was busy, so thought this is going to be good. We were seated late which was fine, no problem. We sat next to another couple, (tables were close) we ordered some drinks then our meal. Drinks arrived on our table, weren’t ours, it was the next table. We waited an hour for our starters, tables were coming in and getting served. A table of 6/8 came in and got their starter and mains before us. There was a lot of cross words at the boy in the hair band which I thought he was doing all the work and was very kind if I am honest. Garlic bread came was so dry. They kept going by saying have you eaten? Have you ordered? Have you had mains? Our mains came out an hour later and they didn’t know who it was for. The table next to us actually had to point out it was our food they heard our order. Being a restaurant manager I would like to say… 1. Don’t argue or talk to staff badly, anywhere, but especially not on the floor, I actually think it was maybe husband and wife, it’s not good in front of customers and I know it’s hard and frustrating work, but I don’t even think any of the customers were being rude, the people I heard ask where food was were all being polite. 2. We understand it was busy and every business needs money but don’t take in more people than you should. 3. When you sneeze please do it into your arm and not your hands then don’t wash them, I genuinely couldn’t believe it, hygiene is huge, especially in catering. I’m genuinely shocked I still ate my food after the person touched my plate later on. as they didn’t go anywhere near a sink or a sanitizer. Our mains were lovely. I hope the famous athlete who was in the restaurant at the same time got his food on time and amazing service. But, I do genuinely believe on a normal busy night this restaurant would be fine, just a few tweaks needed. 2 stars lost due to my hygiene comment and how they were openly arguing with one another."

Brasserie At The Royal King's Arms

Brasserie At The Royal King's Arms

United Kingdom, LA1 1JG, Lancaster

Wine • Full • Steak • English


"The Brasserie is a lovely decorated restaurant that played smooth jazz throughout our visit. As a birthday meal out, we were excited to try somewhere new in town. The first waiter was prompt at taking our drinks order, but barely apologised at the lack of gas (so no draught ales) and didn 't know too much about the bottled beers. Two couples order the charcuterie boards. The ciabatta bread was toasted and sharp, so it didn 't make for a pleasant bite. It snapped rather than crunched... And the rocket wasn 't dressed, so we were eating dry leaves. After this, the second waiter came to apologise that there wasn 't any creamy polenta to accompany the main, wild mushroom ragu, so he offered mashed potato or rice. When this meal turned up, there wasn 't any of the vegan cheese or rocket, which was also supposed to accompany the meal. What a waste of money, knowing that vegan cheese can be fairly costly. Nobody came to ask the party if the food was alright. We weren 't seen to for a good 30 minutes, despite being the only people in the restaurant. As well as the ragu, the steak dishes were underwhelming as well, even these salads weren 't dressed. Dry leaves make for a sad meal. We are sorely disappointed as we were really looking forward to the food here. The waiting staff were pleasant but didn 't have the experience or training that they really needed. A memorable moment: What 's the cheesecake of the day? Oh, it 's JUST the new york cheesecake. Just vanilla. Don 't undersell your food! Just vanilla is still great!"