Tom's Kitchen reviews
We arrived at Tom’s Kitchen at 11am for brunch. Since it was a spur of the moment decision to visit the restaurant and we hadn’t booked, we couldn’t get a table. So we were sat at the bar, as the waitress explained that they were fully booked. The whole time we were there - around an hour - there were 3 empty tables that were unused which we could have sat at (which we informed the manager of when we had finished our meals).
As we were sitting at the bar where the staff were making drinks and preparing sauces, alarmingly we saw one of the waiters serving a pot that appeared to be mayonnaise with an expiry date of the previous day and taking it to a table with 2 adults and 2 children, which is unacceptable.
We ordered a full English breakfast and a breakfast of scrambled egg, tomatoes and beans with toast. All were tasty, though the second breakfast was individually itemised and so was slightly overpriced.
The only complaint was for the drinks - orange juice and black coffees. The coffee tasted as if the ground coffee had been reused over and over again, and frankly it was the most appalling thing I have ever tasted. The orange juice was not freshly squeezed (which at £5 a glass we would have expected it to be), but tasted more like it had been poured out of a plastic carton and was very sugary.
Good points: food and friendly staff.
Bad points: terrible coffee and overpriced 'fresh' orange juice.
by Bruno M, 04 May 2009
As we were sitting at the bar where the staff were making drinks and preparing sauces, alarmingly we saw one of the waiters serving a pot that appeared to be mayonnaise with an expiry date of the previous day and taking it to a table with 2 adults and 2 children, which is unacceptable.
We ordered a full English breakfast and a breakfast of scrambled egg, tomatoes and beans with toast. All were tasty, though the second breakfast was individually itemised and so was slightly overpriced.
The only complaint was for the drinks - orange juice and black coffees. The coffee tasted as if the ground coffee had been reused over and over again, and frankly it was the most appalling thing I have ever tasted. The orange juice was not freshly squeezed (which at £5 a glass we would have expected it to be), but tasted more like it had been poured out of a plastic carton and was very sugary.
Good points: food and friendly staff.
Bad points: terrible coffee and overpriced 'fresh' orange juice.
by Bruno M, 04 May 2009
A poor excuse for a 'restaurant'. I will NEVER go back. Horrendous service/attitudes/food... Even booking a table was a painful and rude process. I am disappointed with you Tom! HOW have you let it get that bad?
by annabelletann, 20 Mar 2009
by annabelletann, 20 Mar 2009
As a fan of Tom Aiken and Tom's Kitchen since its opening not so long ago, I returned recently with friends, explaining what good value for money everything was. Times have changed, and surprisingly quickly too. What's the justification for knocking up the price of the steak by almost a tenner, for example? I also have to agree with the other reviews - the service was poor, it took ages to get one of the waitresses to understand what I was saying, and some of them insisted on being aloof, which was hilarious to watch really. None of us will be going back there in a hurry. What a shame!
by mattrgroom (2 reviews), 29 Jul 2008
by mattrgroom (2 reviews), 29 Jul 2008
Went there recently. The food was good, but the service was so amateurish and almost embarrassing. Tom should be ashamed of putting untrained staff in front of customers. The upstairs bar is great.
by nshamim (5 reviews), 11 May 2008
by nshamim (5 reviews), 11 May 2008
Good food, very poor service, arrogant waiters. Even after booking our table, we were asked to move upstairs to order desserts at the bar as our time slot had expired! Make sure you CHECK YOUR BILL - their first take was £330 but the final one came in at £250. What made it worse was that there was no apology or offer to remove the service charge.
by nikkit (2 reviews), 05 May 2008
by nikkit (2 reviews), 05 May 2008
Had a great lunch. Lively crowd, but staff in the bar and at the front desk were very unfriendly... perhaps because we are Americans? However, we will go again since the food was good and not overpriced.
by KHJONES, 13 Jan 2008
by KHJONES, 13 Jan 2008
Never having eaten there before, we chose this place on the basis of a good few nights in the bar. Although the food is very good and the menu well balanced and quite extensive (though actually not that exciting), I was slightly staggered by the price, considering the setting is less than comfortable and the service was only adequate. There are considerably better restaurants where the food is more exciting and the setting more in line with the the cost, thus offering better value for money.
by Kelly M (3 reviews), 28 Nov 2007
by Kelly M (3 reviews), 28 Nov 2007
We just stumbled across Tom’s Kitchen and popped in because it looked good. Restaurant was fully booked but we got a seat at the bar, where we ate our food and watched the chefs at work. Busy, lively atmosphere, friendly staff, tasty food, good service, reasonable price. We’ll definitely go back, and we’ll book a table in advance next time!
by DirtyMartini, 24 Oct 2007
by DirtyMartini, 24 Oct 2007
Average, noisy, too many kids, not an exciting menu, not bad value for money.
by cystalhaze (20 reviews), 06 Oct 2007
by cystalhaze (20 reviews), 06 Oct 2007
Staff were lovely - very friendly and efficient. For example, I was suffering from heatstroke that day, so they put my food in a box for me and allowed me to take it home (even though I would've loved to have stayed and finished my meal there, because it has a great atmosphere).
by kiddo (6 reviews), 07 Sep 2007
by kiddo (6 reviews), 07 Sep 2007
Great food. Great atmosphere. Friendly staff. Ooo, and great chips!
by nexthammertime (6 reviews), 15 Jul 2007
by nexthammertime (6 reviews), 15 Jul 2007
From the moment we arrived we had a really good feeling about the place. Cocktails were delicious and the service and food top notch. Their chips are to die for! Cannot wait to go again and try another treat from a perfect menu. Congratulations to one and all!
by sprog, 18 Mar 2007
by sprog, 18 Mar 2007
Absolutely superb! Just what Chelsea needed. Food and service impeccable. Very friendly but not invasive. We had the special starter fish platter for two, followed by the rack of lamb, and duck confit. We shared the baked Alaska to finish off. Not a bad word to say!
by SRK, 01 Feb 2007
by SRK, 01 Feb 2007
Having been to Tom Aiken on Elystan Street I was keen to try out Tom's Kitchen. We went on a Monday night and the restaurant was busy. The menu is simple but covers all the bases and is reasonably priced. The food was delicious and the service was friendly. Definitely a welcome arrival to Chelsea.
by Anonymous, 22 Jan 2007
by Anonymous, 22 Jan 2007
Have we missed a great restaurant in London? Let us know.
