Reviews by Geordie Kidston

Connolly (Leather Goods Shop)
08 September 2007

Wonderful taste with brilliantly sourced, high end goods. Look is beautiful. Joseph's taste is evergreen and these items are utter fashion classics - some, if not most, you'd wear forever. Excellent service, good sales and a pleasing, well set up and cleverly run shop. Ladies side is superb and little known (2007). I really cannot account for the odd crabby comment below as they are just miles off the mark. Best UK couture shop with a practical bent to it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

La Trompette (Restaurant)
24 August 2007

I've lived locally since 1989 and am really dedicated to La Trompette. The food is simply very good, reasonably priced and I'm told the wine list is great. My issue is dead simple: I booked and ran late, coming from the Opera House with two Royal Ballet members. We rang in regularly, explaining we were behind but the Eastern European staff member encouraged us to continue - this was entirely their error.

When we got there, all our coats were taken and we were moving to a table when the French manageress stormed up to us, refused us the table, forced us to our coats and ejected us. I said we'd warned 3+ times en route, were only 5 minutes over time as it turned out (itself unspecified until then) and she relented (!) by offering the three of us "a little cheese".

In effect, we were thrown out, humiliated in front of a restaurant plainly still 100% in full swing, and the staff refused to admit their own complicity in having created the entire problem. We could have eaten late easily in Covent Garden at Sheekeys or elsewhere, as Royal Ballet folk get respect, especially post a first night. In W4, you get shown a wet street on a Bank Holiday, your coat handed back and frankly offensive passive-aggressive abuse from the manageress. I wrote carefully to Bruce Poole but with him now being a rich, important restaurateur, he wrote a pretty offhand and vague reply. That's what you get for being a regular of his from Day 1. Good on you, Bruce...

POSTSCRIPT: Further to my complaint to La Trompette, I have written to Nigel Platts-Martin and Bruce Poole simply to discuss the issue. They refuse to reply. It is odd that the cooking industry is now an aristocracy of haughty omeletteers. Bring back the Berni Inn, pineapple rings and a tangy prawn cocktail. At least the staff towed the line!

The staff at La Trompette were deeply in the wrong, unprofessional and their French manageress was unpleasant to us all. My girlfriend, A Royal Ballet principal, was left in tears. As even these media chef heroes know, the Royal Ballet is the world's finest company and ruthlessly difficult. Perhaps La Trompette could train their booking staff accordingly?

Why do seasoned professionals such as these grand restaurateurs refuse, when faced with shameful facts, to even address my complaint? They ruined an important evening casually and I surely deserve some reply.