John Walsh's review of Arbutus (The Independent)
Giles Coren's review of Arbutus (The Times)
Arbutus reviews
Great restaurant. Excellent food, loads of wines by the glass, can eat by yourself at the bar if you like without feeling self-conscious, and the set menu is probably the best value Michelin-starred meal anywhere on the planet.
by StuH "top london reviewer" (37 reviews), 03 Nov 2008
by StuH "top london reviewer" (37 reviews), 03 Nov 2008
I took my girlfriend here for a birthday dinner. Having read other reviews, was a bit concerned about the seating. But when we arrived we were greeted with a very friendly front of house who seated us immediately even though we were 10 minutes early. Our waiter then went on to show not only his extensive knowledge of the menu, but also the wines that would complement the food.
As for the food, it was delicious. I had the pork cheeks to start - very tender and moist. My girlfriend had the squid and mackerel burger, which was sublime to say the least. My main of pigeon was great. Her main, the fish and chicken (I can't remember the fish name) was extremely well cooked. The fish just melted in the mouth, not being overpowered by any of the other flavours. When they brought out her dessert, they had put a candle in her pudding as they knew it was a birthday dish.
And here's the winner. They sell a cookbook of their favourite recipes. Naturally you pay the cover price, rather than if bought elsewhere. But I said we'd only buy it if it was signed by our waiter and the whole kitchen. Which they did!! So it was above and beyond in terms of service.
I can't understand how others had such a bad experience, but I would recommend Arbutus time and again. If you're lucky enough to have Daniel as your waiter, you're in luck. He really was worth the 12.5%, even without the great food.
All told, go there. It was a lovely night out all round. And my initial reservation about being quite close to other diners in fact worked to our advantage too, as it turned out the people on either side of us were equally impressed and happy. One couple were also on a birthday date (who also bought a signed book!) and it made for an even more convivial night out.
Good job, well done!
by sebastianfg, 26 Oct 2008
As for the food, it was delicious. I had the pork cheeks to start - very tender and moist. My girlfriend had the squid and mackerel burger, which was sublime to say the least. My main of pigeon was great. Her main, the fish and chicken (I can't remember the fish name) was extremely well cooked. The fish just melted in the mouth, not being overpowered by any of the other flavours. When they brought out her dessert, they had put a candle in her pudding as they knew it was a birthday dish.
And here's the winner. They sell a cookbook of their favourite recipes. Naturally you pay the cover price, rather than if bought elsewhere. But I said we'd only buy it if it was signed by our waiter and the whole kitchen. Which they did!! So it was above and beyond in terms of service.
I can't understand how others had such a bad experience, but I would recommend Arbutus time and again. If you're lucky enough to have Daniel as your waiter, you're in luck. He really was worth the 12.5%, even without the great food.
All told, go there. It was a lovely night out all round. And my initial reservation about being quite close to other diners in fact worked to our advantage too, as it turned out the people on either side of us were equally impressed and happy. One couple were also on a birthday date (who also bought a signed book!) and it made for an even more convivial night out.
Good job, well done!
by sebastianfg, 26 Oct 2008
Average food, very rude and condescending waiter. A real shame. Actually overheard the waiter being rude about customers to other staff. Not a good feel about the service in general. There are no excuses for that. Decor bland and brown. Food is good yet nothing exceptional. Standard on a par with what you would find in a neighbourhood brasserie.
by Tripe, 10 Sep 2008
by Tripe, 10 Sep 2008
Ate here last night before a show, so decided to go for the pre-theatre menu. We both had the porchetta for starter, which was flavoursome yet in no way exciting. For main I had smoked eel risotto, which I found quite salty, and the portion size was small compared to my partner's salt beef pot au feu. Dessert was very ordinary - strawberry sorbet. Service was friendly and quick. Overall though, quite disappointing. Highlight was the wine list. Having second thoughts about going to Wild Honey.
by simive01 (2 reviews), 21 May 2008
by simive01 (2 reviews), 21 May 2008
My food would have been OK (nothing exceptional) but was over-salted. I even tried my partner's starter and main course, and they were over-salted as well. But to add insult to injury, when I complained about the salt I was met with a sarcastic reply: "I hope your dessert is not going to be too salty, sir"... The desserts, by the way, were about as good as any bought-in ones from your local pizzeria. One Michelin star? You must be joking!!
by the chef, 03 May 2008
by the chef, 03 May 2008
Surprisingly poor. The food was good but not great - starter salad ordered by a friend was really not great at all. The most disappointing aspect was the dreadful service - warm champagne at the bar topped up from a second bottle, we had to ask twice for a menu (seriously!), 4 times for bread, repeatedly for water and wine. We were asked to move from the table to the bar for coffee by the matire d', even though there was no second seating at our table; eventually the waiter asked why we were moving and we told him that we had been asked to! I have never ever had such poor service in a reputedly good restaurant.
by BarbaraLondon, 10 Mar 2008
by BarbaraLondon, 10 Mar 2008
Thoroughly average, like many other restaurants - it completely blurs in with them. Food was boring and not particularly tasty.
by cystalhaze "top london reviewer" (20 reviews), 06 Oct 2007
by cystalhaze "top london reviewer" (20 reviews), 06 Oct 2007
After having 2 great lunches had a very hit and miss affair on Sunday early evening. Both mains were bland and underseasoned - the bavette of beef especially, which I was really suprised at (the other was the Elwy lamb). The service, apart from the female maitre d', was fairly solemn. Perhaps not the very good value that it had previously seemed.
by putney1, 11 Jun 2007
by putney1, 11 Jun 2007
Without doubt the best restaurant I have eaten at in London. Good service (not overly fussy or pretentious), excellent, simple food that's well cooked and presented, and great prices too. A lively and quality restaurant, without reservation. Go!
by shorty12345 (2 reviews), 30 Apr 2007
by shorty12345 (2 reviews), 30 Apr 2007
I can't understand why the people below went to this restaurant. It's clearly not about pretentious service, but honest, relaxed and quality food. I thought the food was excellent and the place had it just right, even if the staff are a bit unshaven.
by BenjaminSpeed, 15 Mar 2007
by BenjaminSpeed, 15 Mar 2007
I've had to rate this restaurant badly, not because of the food, but because of the service (after all, it's the overall impression that counts). For a restaurant so applauded, I couldn't believe how we were treated.
Our party of five snaffled down the delicious starters, then came the main course. It all looked good. My partner and his father both ordered the slow-roasted beef risotto. My father-in-law's beef was deliciously tender and fell apart with the help of a fork; my partner's, however, was tough as old boots. When he complained he was spoken to in a condescending tone and asked if he would like to order anything else, since he didn't like the dish itself. He explained that it wasn't the dish, but the meat quality and inconsistency between servings. We were told that if he re-ordered the same dish, he might run the risk of 'this happening again"! So annoyed was my partner with the way the manager patronised him, it put him off his food and he didn't order anything else.
A good test of a great restaurant is how they deal with a problem, and I am sorry to say Arbutus failed miserably.
by Tidy (7 reviews), 14 Mar 2007
Our party of five snaffled down the delicious starters, then came the main course. It all looked good. My partner and his father both ordered the slow-roasted beef risotto. My father-in-law's beef was deliciously tender and fell apart with the help of a fork; my partner's, however, was tough as old boots. When he complained he was spoken to in a condescending tone and asked if he would like to order anything else, since he didn't like the dish itself. He explained that it wasn't the dish, but the meat quality and inconsistency between servings. We were told that if he re-ordered the same dish, he might run the risk of 'this happening again"! So annoyed was my partner with the way the manager patronised him, it put him off his food and he didn't order anything else.
A good test of a great restaurant is how they deal with a problem, and I am sorry to say Arbutus failed miserably.
by Tidy (7 reviews), 14 Mar 2007
We waited at least 5 minutes before being greeted (but not seated - that took longer). Our table was on the same side as the entrance, which was a big draughty mistake. Some of the staff had a language and charm problem, though others were more helpful. First courses were fine. For our main course my daughter and I chose 'bavette de boeuf', which was lean, very rare and totally tough. My husband declared himself extremely happy with his rabbit and the veal was also good, even if the presentation could have been livened up.
In all, we didn't think we would return. But to give credit where it is due, on complaining about the beef it was taken off the bill.
by MMB, 17 Feb 2007
In all, we didn't think we would return. But to give credit where it is due, on complaining about the beef it was taken off the bill.
by MMB, 17 Feb 2007
Definitely one to keep - great value set menu, with something for everyone (except veggies); interesting ingredients done justice and nothing overdone. I've read excellent reviews of this place and feared it would be aiming for Michelin grandness - nothing of the sort, just good food, good wine and a good time had by all.
by Anonymous, 13 Jan 2007
by Anonymous, 13 Jan 2007
Absolutely superb! Interesting combinations, great presentation, informal, not up it's own arse, not overpriced, and amazing food!
by Anonymous, 16 Nov 2006
by Anonymous, 16 Nov 2006
The staff are very friendly, and the atmosphere good. The food is above average but not superb (I found it a bit too heavy). Sweets were rather bland - we had to go to the nearby French cake place later to reach a point of satisfaction!
by Miss Babyface (2 reviews), 07 Aug 2006
by Miss Babyface (2 reviews), 07 Aug 2006
Have we missed a great restaurant in London? Let us know.
SacoCovent Garden »
Stuart PhillipsCovent Garden »
JLTFitzrovia »
MichaeljohnMayfair »
