Lobster Bisque Lobster Bisque

Rich and creamy lobster bisque, infused with sherry, offering a luxurious blend of smooth texture and savory seafood flavors.

Beach Blanket Babylon - Notting Hill

Beach Blanket Babylon - Notting Hill

45 Ledbury Road London, W11 2AA, W11 2AD, United Kingdom

Fish • Steak • Cakes • British


"My friends and I had probably the worst “hospitality” experience due to the manager of this restaurant. First, the restaurant run out of water. Secondly, we have been asked to move table after 20min seating) since the manager had double booked our seats. We kindly accepted to move and they mentioned “the drinks will be on the house”. During the diner, we heard clients complaining about a similar double booking of table and the staff were trying to move the clients to different locations. The peak of this extremely poor experience was when receiving the bill. The drinks were added so we kindly asked the manager to remove the bottle of wine £50) and keep their word. The manager, coming to our table half hangover) replied we should be happy to have a table on walking and mentioned “I cannot remove the bottle of wine but I will give you 1x sparkling water and 1x bottle of Coca-Cola for free”. We were shocked and told him to call the “proper” responsible person of the restaurant assuming it couldn’t be him managing this place of high-end reputation. Unfortunately, he arrogantly said I’m the manager of this restaurant. This is all I can do for you today. Long story short, we were so angry with the manager behaviour that we said “fix the bill now or we will walkout without paying”, to which he reply “feel free to get out” and literally left the restaurant without telling anything to his staff. We had to wait 10min to understand he actually left the restaurant and left his team to deal with the situation without any feedback whatsoever. Thankfully the team sort it out instead, they were wonderful and apologies on behalf of the manager who apparently gets lot of amazing reviews reading the previous comments. Great food, beautiful decoration and a manager to take care off immediately!"

Guildhall Tavern

Guildhall Tavern

15 Market St, Poole BH15 1NB, United Kingdom

Pubs • French • Seafood • European


"So we went to the restaurant with some friends the other day. I dropped my partner and her friend at the entrance until I parked since there is no parking in front of the restaurant and one of them is pregnant. It took me a total of 19 minutes to park the car and het back to the restaurant during those 10 minutes the waiter went twice to ask them if they'd like something to drink and although they initially replied that they were waiting for their partners he sent the manager out the bar to ask them in a more intimidating way and so they ordered water. Highlighting that this happened in between 10 minutes. When we arrived at the restaurant, we ordered the roasted bread, which you can actually see it wasn't roasted or warm. By the time our mains arrived the table next to us was empty and remained empty for until the time we left so made me question why the staff asked my partner a few times on what they would have making it look as they were in a hurry since there was ppenty of sitting space within the restaurant. During the whole time we were in the restaurant, there were a few flies around us which you wouldn't really expect in an indoor space restaurant of this price point. The food was amazing. We had 2 of the hake fillet and the sea bream. On the other hand my friend who ordered the sea bream was expecting it this with asparagus but instead it came with another green which would be nice to know from before. I got a creme brulee for a desert, the short bread biscuit was amazing the top of the creme was crunchy but yhe inside could have used some extra taste. All in all, if the service wasn't this poor and the flies weren't present, this review could have been way more positive."

Kona

Kona

51 Buckingham Gate, City of London,Westminster, United Kingdom

Steak • British • Seafood • European


"You'd be forgiven for assuming that Kona would be in keeping with the opulent design of Taj 51; however, the restaurant is surprisingly modern. Neutral tones give the dining room a light and airy feel, with a variety of paintings hanging on the walls and elegant furnishings providing a sophisticated finish. Tucked away at the back of the restaurant you'll find The Library a warm and inviting space with plush sofas and armchairs; the perfect place to enjoy a night cap after you've indulged on some fine cuisine. Soft lighting helps to create an informal and relaxed ambience; the perfect setting for a romantic evening out. Our evening started with cocktails an off menu Strawberry Bellini for me and from the St James' Collection, Indy chose the Thanking Lord and Lady Dacre a fruity number but lacking any real alcoholic taste. This was followed by a delightful amuse bouche of cauliflower soup topped with a soya foam. A perfect creamy texture and rich in flavour, it set the tone for the standard of the cuisine we would be enjoying throughout the evening. Kona's dining menu offers chef Thomas Cruise's interpretation of the flavours and vibrancy of Southern European cuisine, married with traditional cooking techniques of the Cote D'Azur and Mediterranean coasts. There's a strong focus on fresh, sustainable ingredient across all the dishes which are, where possible, sourced from within 120 miles of London. Whilst the starters on the dinner menu seem limited, don't let this fool you into thinking decision making will be any easier. We contemplated for some time on what to order and finally settled on the king scallops and lobster bisque. The scallops were the real highlight, lightly seared and tender on the inside, complemented well by a butternut squash puree and light dressing of vanilla powder. Unfortunately, the lobster bisque was a let down. The presentation was fantastic, with the bisque being poured over the other ingredients from a teapot; however, the overly salty flavour and watery texture just weren't that great. For mains we ordered the sea bass and Gloucestershire free range chicken. The sea bass was cooked to perfection a crisp, golden coating giving way to a moist, flaky texture with the calamari and chorizo orzo adding another layer of flavour. And again, presentation was on point! The Gloucestershire free range chicken was also a delight with a crisp parmesan crust and a tender centre, with Indy declaring it was the best chicken dish he's tasted to date! The panzanella added a Tuscan twist to the dish and complemented it well. Our side orders of broccoli with red chillis and parmesan and creamy mash provided the perfect accompaniments to our flavoursome mains. No three course dinner is complete without dessert and Kona's dessert options do not disappoint. My previously undiscovered sweet tooth chose the orange and chocolate ganache; a truly indulgent dessert with rich flavours, edible flowers and brandy snaps. I just wish they'd made more use of orange as the chocolate did get a bit overwhelming. Indy's dessert induced some food envy on my part. He chose the thoroughly English fare of roasted apple on brioche with cinnamon ice cream, hazelnut crumble and berry foam. The apples were perfect sweet and juicy and were nicely completed by the cinnamon ice cream and berry foam. Although the restaurant was quiet throughout the evening, service was unobtrusive but attentive, let down only at the end of our meal when we had to request the bill on numerous occasions. Kona is the perfect venue for a discreet but indulgent dining experience and chef Thomas Cruise has done well in executing such a unique and flavourful variety of cuisine. We really enjoyed our dinner here and would definitely recommend it as somewhere to enjoy a romantic dinner or raise a toast for a special occasion."