Food review insights

"Cornbread" was inedible. The block is deep fried and soaks up the fryer oil like a sponge, it was served in a pool of oil in the box. Mac and cheese tasted like it came out of a box. Chicken sandwich was okay.

"I visited Hugo’s Cellar specifically to buy a dessert to go, but I was unfortunately rejected. The staff informed me that they do not sell desserts for takeout and that I couldn’t make the purchase unless I was dining in. It was a very disappointing experience to be turned away as a paying customer over a rigid policy. I was looking forward to trying their food, but this lack of flexibility makes me hesitant to return or even stay at the four queens again.”

$18 per glass of wine and when we went up to bar to request napkins and more water for the table, napkins from the bathroom and glasses of water were rudely shoved onto our table while our empty water glasses laid unattended on the table. Also, this place only has a few food items that are all salty items to ensure patrons keep drinking their overpriced drinks. Here’s a hot tip: If you have run out of napkins at a venue like this, have some sense send someone down the street to buy appropriate napkins to get you through your shortage. Do not commingle things from the bathroom on dining tables, particularly when you price your menu this way. There are much better cocktail and wine spots in Tribeca…and the city at large. So, that’s where I will go…

A $600 dinner for a couple is nothing to sneeze at. You could comfortably have the chef's tasting menu at Jean Georges in NY for example, or Le Bernardin, perhaps Morimoto in Honolulu, even Guy Savoy in Paris if you keep your Burgundy consumption in check. I've done all these and I'm not saying it to be arrogant but rather to show you that I know of which I speak. The first sign of trouble came when I was able to secure a Friday night reservation on Wednesday. How is it, I asked myself, that I can get a reservation to one of the highest rated restaurants in Miami, a restaurant that seats just eight people, with a two day notice...on a weekend no less. As I drove down to our late dinner I had this ominous feeling, either every one was inexplicably wrong about this place or Miamians can't appreciate a true culinary experience. A third option was too terrible to contemplate, this was a place for the gullible and I was about to become one. The place is small and has sitting available where you can see the chef prepare his food. If, after watching Jiro Dreams of Sushi, you are compelled to visit try to sit here, the chef's theatrics will enhance the culinary experience and perhaps you won't have the dumfounded feeling we had when we left. If sitting elsewhere, away from the performance, it is only the food that can entertain you and then you will be underwhelmed. The first course arrives and it's the bento box, there are various items there and the first thing I try is a soft velvety tofu, it is fine, nothing more. This is the problem here, all the food is fine, there's nothing bad. The tuna guts are salty and match well with the sake, the pieces of fish are sweet and delicate. After the bento box comes a succession of nigiri, all of it fresh and tasty. Does it make a difference that the skip jack tuna was flown in that morning from Japan versus caught this morning in Key Biscayne? If a sardine was flown in, first class, and grilled here and it tastes like any other fresh fish that could have been locally caught and expertly deboned and grilled here does it make a difference? This cuisine lacks inventiveness, it doesn't have the bold flavors of a Morimoto or Momofuku, instead the freshness of the fish, with minimum interference (some home made, in Japan, soy sauce, a grating of wasabi) does all the talking. This, of course, is perfectly fine but it can be had in Miami at a sixth of the price. One of the three desserts was two pieces of mangoes, "from the chef's backyard", it was explained. If I was down from Fargo mangoes might seem exotic but in Miami, where people pile mangoes in their front yard in the hopes that someone will take them, this dessert was emblematic of the irrational exuberance of this place. The service, at a hostess for every two dinners, is impeccable.

Finally got around to posting the review of Restaurant Gorden Ramsey his three Michelin starred signature restaurant in London which was a very special treat for my 50th.  To set the scene we opted for the 7 course taster menu called the prestige and matching wine accompaniment.  The good stuff Firstly the food was outstanding. The flavours the chef managed to pack into the crystal clear consume was amazing. Layers of flavours coming in waves telling the story of what ingredients were used in its creation. Truly the finest consume I have ever tasted.  There were a couple of other things that neither of us thought went together in our opinion but food and taste is very personal and the rest was fantastic.   The lows: The cheese trolley was a real disappointment to be honest. It was stacked full of various cheeses from local to French and the waitress responsible for this gave her suggestions on what we should try. Firstly I should say that the portions of cheese were tiny and neither of us liked two of the cheeses but we weren't offered any replacements despite these two being the cheeses that she suggested.  The biggest let down was the service. We were one of the first tables to arrive, three tables arrived together, to start with they were so attentive you felt like you couldn't have a conversation as they were on top of you all of the time. It got so bad at one point,  I picked up a pallet cleaners off the plate and just before I could put it back down a waitress tried to take the plate away!  The last service disappointment was as the evening went on the service got slower and slower which is to be expected and not a problem at all. But we paid a lot of money for the accompanying wine matched to the food for each course. The wine servings were so small that we ran out 3 times between courses!  We were only offered a top up to make up for the delay in service on the final desert wine as we had finished this before the long awaited desert arrived, but we went short for the main and fish dishes having to finish these course with only water.  All in all a great experience and fantastic food but at this level there are too many others we want to try so we wouldn't rush back.

Not sure if it was an off day considering other good reviews but was really disappointed. First time I've been and wanted to eat near Union Chapel before a gig. Waited 45 mins for our meal after asking twice where it was. When it came (with no apology) the pork souvlaki was almost inedible. Meat was gristly and chewy and in a dry pitta. The moussaka was even dry. Left most of the meal which never happens as I'm proper greedy. Best thing were the olives and an ice cold beer but can't really go wrong with those. Won't be returning considering all the great med/Turkish options on Upper St.

I recently visited this restaurant and was a bit disappointed. The food was just okay, nothing special. The mojito was honestly terrible—the worst I’ve ever had. On the positive side, the music was good. Overall, I’d give it a 2 out of 5, especially since my friends’ meals weren’t great either. I recently visited this restaurant and was a bit disappointed. The food was just okay, nothing special. The mojito was terrible, the worst I’ve ever had. The positive thing is that the music was good. Overall, I give it 2 points, especially since my friends' food wasn't good either.

Review rating: 2.0

The atmosphere here was friendly and lively, Our waitress was brilliant and I can not fault her, We never had an empty glass, the food was very quick to come out, however, for personal preference I didn’t enjoy it, the chicken was very chewy and hard, the mac & cheese lacked flavour but the fries were incredible, I also absolutely did not like the fact we were given sharp knives for the kids meal, I didn’t think that was appropriate, There were a few mess ups, we received food that wasn’t ours, charged for drinks we didn’t order, but it was all rectified and we made sure to leave a tip, To my personal taste I wouldn’t return, but I’m glad to have experienced it

Review rating: 3.0

"Cornbread" was inedible. The block is deep fried and soaks up the fryer oil like a sponge, it was served in a pool of oil in the box. Mac and cheese tasted like it came out of a box. Chicken sandwich was okay.

Signal: 0.0%

"I visited Hugo’s Cellar specifically to buy a dessert to go, but I was unfortunately rejected. The staff informed me that they do not sell desserts for takeout and that I couldn’t make the purchase unless I was dining in. It was a very disappointing experience to be turned away as a paying customer over a rigid policy. I was looking forward to trying their food, but this lack of flexibility makes me hesitant to return or even stay at the four queens again.”

Signal: 0.0%

$18 per glass of wine and when we went up to bar to request napkins and more water for the table, napkins from the bathroom and glasses of water were rudely shoved onto our table while our empty water glasses laid unattended on the table. Also, this place only has a few food items that are all salty items to ensure patrons keep drinking their overpriced drinks. Here’s a hot tip: If you have run out of napkins at a venue like this, have some sense send someone down the street to buy appropriate napkins to get you through your shortage. Do not commingle things from the bathroom on dining tables, particularly when you price your menu this way. There are much better cocktail and wine spots in Tribeca…and the city at large. So, that’s where I will go…

Signal: 0.0%