Terrace at le Meridien

First things first, the open space and feeling of grandeur at The Terrace is not to be sniffed at. A massive, airy, light and well presented room that manages to find acceptable levels of privacy and intimacy relatively easy to achieve given its vastness.

We arrived on time and were seated immediately without being offered a drink at the bar, which was no great loss as the tables were perfectly comfortable, if not a shade large for just two people, but rather too much space than not enough i suppose.

The staff softly spoken and pleasant but not one of three waitresses serving our table reccomended a particular dish or wine for the evening, which is no great crime im fully aware, but can head you in an enjoyable direction of something new and untried.

Left to our own devices with the food and wine menus we opted for a reasonably priced bottle of prosecco which was really rather nice, however, left on a table behind us about 15ft away, not easily accesible, and made more annoying by the fact that we had to summon staff (most ive experienced keep an eye on your glass and top as and when and they were in no way rushed off thier feet at all) to pour it for us. I like to be left alone mostly during meals, but they were pretty non existant other than the delivery of food and when summoned to pour!

Starters were foie gras, which was as rich as expected and an enjoyable experience with the mini brioche (which wasnt toasted as deescribed) but by no means world beating. The goats cheese brulee however, was very very tasty indeed. Excellent cheese and set off by mildly garlicked mushrooms and the crunch of crisp like potatos made for a texture and taste sensation.

The Sea Bass main, was both light and refreshing, the lemony butter working well with both the fish and the potatos, served with spinach which although fine enough couldve been helped by getting involved with the lemony butter. The pork belly was mouth wateringly tender and fell apart when probed with a knife and melted away in the mouth, much to my delight. Overall, two perfectly tasty and well executed dishes.

the two coourse were enough for our appetites so we skipped dessert.

Booking through toptabble we were entitled to 50% off the food bill which made the meal very very reasonable indeed. £81 including a bottle of prosecco at £28 and a bottle of water at £5, i think is good value.

Overall the whole experience was one we both enjoyed and with a cushioning 50% deal through toptable, would go back again.
Comment on this reader review

christian thompson
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Monday, June 30, 2008

The restaurant is really quite beautiful, situated in a giant conservatory which creates an airy atmosphere. This gave us a sense of expectation, despite the restaurant being barely half-full on a Saturday evening. This made the wait for our booked table something of a mystery, as the venue really was not busy.

Friendly staff led us to a table with both chair and sofa seating. We were initially offered cushions for the sofa - which were needed badly, given the lack of support - but these were not forthcoming and had to be requested more than once. Although the staff we encountered were perfectly pleasant and friendly, we were very surprised not to be brought bread before our first courses arrived - possibly it was an oversight, as it would be very unusual for a higher-end restaurant not to offer bread.

Apart from the lack of bread, the food was good. My foie gras starter offered nothing surprising, but was executed well. To follow, my monkfish main course was inventive and enjoyable. For my companions, the seabream was notable - and it looked delicious too. In general, all of us generally enjoyed our three courses, although the vegetarian risotto lacked inspiration. The puddings are decadent and tempting - my soufflé with passion fruit ice cream was very good.

Although the service was polite, it was disorganised. 3 requests for sofa cushions, 3 requests for a jug of water... I ended up taking responsibility for serving wine to the table as we were so neglected. The meal was good value with the a 50% deal, which would be the temptation to return - otherwise, i would not, as there are numerous excellent places to eat in London where the service is less frustrating.
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dawnage - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Monday, June 09, 2008

Pretty setting, nice staff if a little nervous. Vastly overpriced for small portions, £24 for two tiny pieces of tough chewy lamb? Even at 50% thats pretty hard to swallow.
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Anon
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 4
Thursday, March 15, 2007

Visited "The Terrace" yesterday as part of a theatre package which included a three course meal at this restaurant. The food was very good and the setting was superb. However be warned that water was given to us at the table without enquiring if we wanted it and was then added to the bill at £5.00 a bottle. We had to return our bill 3 times as it was completely wrong and clearly belonged to another table. Service was somewhat laid back to say the least and there was a service charge added to the bill of 17.5%. Also be aware of the air conditioning vents above the tables as they give ocassional blasts of icy air.
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Brian.
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 5
Sunday, January 08, 2006