Rhubarb Tart
The Anchor Aspley Guise

The Anchor Aspley Guise

United Kingdom, MK17 8DF, Milton Keynes

Wine • Steak • Cheese • Chicken


"Don 't bother. This restaurant is part of the Unique Hospitality family/group. We referred here by the staff of another of the family: The Three Locks. The Three Locks has superb food, fantastic service and staff, and we found ourselves revisiting within the same week. Anchor Inn, on the other hand, is severely disappointed. It 's billed as the high end restaurant in the family, but it 's not at all what it believes itself to be. What they did right: We were greeted by a friendly host and immediately seated. The decor is nice, clean... and it all went desperately downhill from there. (though, the squid starter we did stick around to try was delicious What they did wrong: Ignore (forget? their customers. We received NO service. The host had taken our drink orders before leaving us, and when a waiter dropped them off, he refused to take our orders and headed off to join a group of ALL waiters in the busy, filled restaurant of diners already eating, etc. We heard them being schooled on the night 's specials, taking their sweet time asking and answering questions and talking about the service plan for the night. Once 15 minutes went by and my husband and I felt our business was completely unwanted, we interrupted the group to ask for the chance to give our orders. We were still brushed off. Later, one sympathetic waitress finally wrote down our orders and we asked how long it would take to prepare them, if the chef was also occupied we were on the brink of leaving. The waitress assured us there were many chefs in the kitchen. We wondered why no one was providing them with any orders. Surprisingly, the starter arrived quickly; the mains, less timely. And they were incredibly disappointing. Tasteless. Well presented, but completely lacking flavor or any reason for them to cost money. They were cooked well, prepared with fresh ingredients, but boring. I 've never dreaded a bit of chicken breast so much in my life. I forced myself to get a decent portion of the meal down because we waited so long for it and I needed the nourishment, but I lamented every bite. ...while being forced to listen to another diner 's continuously yipping dog sitting on her lap at a nearby table. Every customer was annoyed by this young woman 's canine dining partner, but no staff member seemed to care. Paying for our meal, we had to ask the waitress about the Unique Hospitality discount card we were supposed to receive, as every customer, eating there, for visiting any other of their family of restaurants. She seemed put off by the request, but did later deliver the card we were due. As we left the restaurant, absolutely no staff member looked up at us, acknowledged us, or said goodbye except the original, friendly host when we reached the door, never to look back. We 'll swear on any holy book you desire that we will NOT ever return to Anchor Inn. We LOVE great food, seek it out around the globe, appreciate a great meal for any appropriate price. The Anchor Inn seems more of the place one might be inclined to gloat to their friends and family that they can afford or do frequent, but they 're all terribly misguided when it comes to what 's worth putting into your mouth and fueling your body with. You should snub the Anchor Inn just like the staff snubs its diners."

Plate Restaurant

Plate Restaurant

151-157 City Road, London, United Kingdom

Fish • Coffee • Cheese • Chicken


"Plate Restaurant in Old Street at M by the Montcalm Hotel offers top notch dining in a relaxed and modern setting. Although there is a ground floor bar and cafe in the hotel, my tip would be to head straight on up to the restaurant on the second floor. Here you can sit in the sleek glass fronted building, watching the hustle and bustle go by. Owner and Chef Director Arnaud Stevens has previously worked with the likes of Gordon Ramsay, Jason Atherton and Richard Corrigan. With that experience, Plate restaurant in Old Street is bound to be something special. A particular highlight of my visit were the signature Plate cocktails – designed by the bar’s own mixologists. These amazing cocktails are worth visiting for alone! My absolute favourite was the Naked Negroni – light, summery and refreshing, this cocktail was very drinkable! The staff were knowledgeable and attentive – they definitely knew the menu inside out, as they came up with spot on recommendations for me. I had the Plate signature bread flight to start, which is an absolute must if you visit this restaurant. The trio of warm, freshly baked breads were outstanding with the accompanying trio of whipped butters. The mushroom brioche was so light and flavoursome (not an overpowering taste of mushroom) and the onion whipped butter with crispy shallots on top was stunning. For mains, we had the Parmesan gnocchi with sprouting broccoli, almond puree and elderflower dressing and the Rump of lamb, with tomato fondue, anchovy, basil dressing and charred gem lettuce. If you are hungry, I would suggest getting a side to accompany your main. The buttered green beans were a great accompaniment to the lamb. Although the portions are not huge at Plate restaurant, the well balanced dishes were spot on to allow you to enjoy three courses and not feel utterly stuffed. This is particularly helpful, as saying no to desert here is not an option. This desert menu will appeal to anyone with a sweet tooth. I tried the Valrhona caramel chocolate mousse, with pain perdu, hazelnuts and passion fruit. This beautifully presented pudding didn’t leave you stuffed, as the passion fruit cut through the mousse and brioche perfectly. I was reliably informed that the British menu with a French twist is frequently changing to match the latest seasonal produce available. The relaxed, but smart setting, stands this restaurant apart from your average hotel restaurant. Whether you pop in for just a cocktail, or a three course meal, Plate Restaurant at M by the Montcalm is definitely worth a visit."