I felt very disappointed by the experience I had at Aubaine at Brompton Road this morning, and wanted to share with you this experience so that other patrons may benefit from the feedback.

I had booked for three people for noon, hoping to have a leisurely morning with some good food and a great atmosphere. I will congratulate you on having a warm, bustling atmosphere however I would like to share what our experience was this morning. Other than having to ask for a couple of coffees and twice for tap water, everything from the ordering and delivering of food ran very smoothly. It was only after we had finished were we asked to move tables to seat a larger group.

We happily obliged as we weren’t too bothered by where we were sitting, however I felt extremely put out when, shortly after, another waiter asked us to leave because of a prior booking they needed to fill. Admittedly, we did not want to order any more food and drink as were full, however we all felt this was extremely rude, and a complete contrast from what you have on your website (http://www.aubaine.co.uk/about/brompton_road.html), “You could spend all day here. This is encouraged.”

I do not intend to come across as rude in my email, I simply wanted to share what our experience was like in the hope that you can look at why this happened and prevent further patrons from suffering the same series of events that made our Sunday morning less than enjoyable.

Yours sincerely,

Patrick Kua

After walking around for the London Open House event, I settled in for a late lunch at the place that just won British Restaurant of the Year in the London Restaurant Awards. It’s been on my list for a while, and because they typically take bookings, and I know that its sister gastropub, the Anchor and Hope is hopelessly busy I was fortunate it was fairly quiet for that time of day. From the outside, it looks like an ordinary restaurant or pub, with only a picture of a crown amidst a dinner setting instead of name distinguishing it from its neighbours.

Dozens of tables inside huddle near the front of the restaurant, with only three or four alfresco tables outside. Even though they had plenty of tables to choose from, I decided to sit at the bar, if anything, just to get a better perspective of the entire place, and for an easy sideways glance into the kitchen, full of flames and a relentless stream of orders in and out.

Service wise, this place impressed me because not only was it fast, efficient but it was also friendly. Whilst perusing the interesting, apparently ever changing menu, they immediately placed a board topped with hearty bread chunks, butter, salt and coarse pepper, in front of me as well as a jug of chilled tap water and a small glass. I love this about places where you don’t even have to ask for it.

Despite the great service, what really matters to me is the quality of the food and I cannot express how delicious my meal ended up. With lots of tempting daily specials and many dishes resembling those you’d see at St Johns, I eventually settled for the seven hour lamb shoulder, and based on a recommendation, a side of green to go with it.

At the same time, as I contemplated a red wine to go with, the bartender graciously offered me a sampling of their wines including their Beaujolais wine, a lighter red wine whose full flavour peaks when it’s chilled. Although I settled for something different, I thought it very nice of them to offer.

Being a seven hour lamb shoulder, it unsurprisingly came out quickly since it didn’t really need any other cooking. Even at £13, I thought the entire bowl was going to defeat my normally fearsome appetite, only to be satiated by the soft, melt in your mouth flesh accompanied by sweet carrots, and other vegetables in the dark gravy. The bright green cabbage brought a sharp and fresh contrast to the almost overpoweringly rich flavours of the lamb, and let’s just say I walked out of there a very content person.

Great for groups, couples and individuals, Great Queen Street offers something for everyone. If only I had room for dessert, I’m sure it would have been just as amazing as the main dish.

TheKua.com Rating: 9 out of 10

Recently I went along to Alan Yau’s latest Japanese themed restaurant that also won Time Out’s Best Restaurant for Design. It looks impressive, yet I have to say the overall experience disappointed and I’d rather spend the money at more traditional places like Sushi Say.

The design…

Taking over what looks like the first two floors of an office lobby, you enter via automatic round doors guarded by a bouncer into a rather non descript lobby. We almost missed the place with tiny small lettering only visible when you’re standing almost right next to it. To your left as you enter, is a less formal sushi bar, with the dining room accessible by a set of two tiny escalators moving up and down. You check in at the tiny desk at the front before a an attendant seats you at the bar while you wait for your table. The tiny escalators, perhaps intentionally designed to induce a claustrophic sensation, take you to an even tinier coridor.

The dining room sits underneath an array of light wooden square frames creating sharp and contrasting options with soft yellow lights casting their glow in the circular dining room. Around the outside perimeter of the building, diners sit at more traditional tables where they need to remove their shoes before seating, with the inside used to host regular tables and chairs. Though impressive looking, I’m really not so sure why they got voted the best design as I’ve seen better at other places.

The service…

For a place that should have been astonishing with their service, I’m afraid these people are still practicing. I was already put off by being made to wait at the bar when the restaurant was clearly empty, and I’m sure our table clear. Instead we were made to wait at small tables near the bar, until we ordered.

We asked for tap water, that they ended up serving in a tiny 200mL glass. I wouldn’t have worried so much except that they didn’t give us a jug and the attendants only refilled them once throughout the night, despite the sodium rich food leaving you wanting more liquid. I’m sure that had we been paying their £3.75 per bottle of water, or more for wine, they would have been better.

When the food arrived, it somehow took two people to serve the samll plates of food each time – one to hold it, the other to put it and present it on the table. The final straw was when it took at least fifteen minutes for them to bring the bill after asking for it specifically and giving up trying to make eye contact with at least one attendant in another fifteen minutes.

The food…

Since they opened, it’s obvious that they have listened to the feedback offered by numerous reviewers. Unlike before, the menu is now roughly grouped into different areas like fried, grilled, stewed, appetisers, and the dishes significantly larger than the others marked as “for 2” or “for 3”. Their menu still lacks descriptions so be prepared to be very adventerous, read up before going, or already know a lot of Japanese dishes. Having eaten at many Japanese places, I didn’t really know what to expect from a number of them, although I could take some rough guesses.

We tried a few new dishes including the sesame aubergine, tempura figs with yuzu salt and the soft pork ribs. Out of them, I’d have to say the ribs were the best that, although not fall of the bone soft, were actually pretty easy to eat even with chopsticks. The meat was sweet with the vegetables served with it providing lots of flavour. The tempura figs provided a sharp contrast to the strongly flavoured citrus infused salt. I can’t say that the dishes, as good as they were are worth the money you pay for at this restaurant.

Conclusion…

I get the feeling most people dine here to see and be seen. As much as a unique Japanese experience Yau wanted to create, I’d rather go to a proper Japanese restaurant than return to a place that obviously still has teething problems.

Value for money: 4/10
Food: 7/10
Service: 4/10
Atmosphere: 6/10

Overall rating: 5/10