Friends Restaurant

Visited for lunch on Sunday 28th September 2008. My wife and I agreed that the selection of starters was not very appealing, we eventually settled on the charcuterie terrine and kedgeree. The terrine was almost completely tasteless with some unidentifiable pieces of meat set in it, the wasabi dressing was very good but was sadly the only discernable flavour on the plate. The kedgeree had burnt onto the bottom of dish, but was nonetheless pleasant.

The main course was mainly roasts and we both settled on the beef which was served rare as promised with roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding. The side dish of vegetables was perfectly cooked but pitifully small for two people. Overall it would have been a good dish, but it was let down by the gravy which was a thin tomatoey liquid that resembled the juice you would normally expect with a spaghetti Bolognese.

For dessert we chose the hot chocolate pudding and the orange bread & butter pudding. The hot chocolate pudding was very good, slightly soft in the middle with lovely rich dark and white chocolate sauces. The orange bread and butter pudding was a poorly made bread & butter pudding that had been spread with marmalade which overpowered the dessert and made it sickly sweet.

In summary, the setting and service are as ever excellent, however the menu design, food quality and finishing was poor. At £25 per head, considering the quality of the food, it is not good value for money. I can't help comparing this experience to a recent meal at the two Michelin star restaurant at The Capital Hotel in Knightsbridge which was £30 for three courses.
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HamptonJim - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 4
Monday, September 29, 2008

very disapointed in this restaurant. Portions were absolutely tiny, and not very tasty either.

shockingly overpriced for what you get!
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Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Monday, July 28, 2008

Nice little picturesque location and cosy restaurant. The food was good. Lobster soup was good and main Salmon was good but not extra special. Service was pleasant but slow. We waited 20min for deserts and it was obvious it was waiting in the kitchen for a while. The meal overall was balanced and you feel full but not overfull. Fairly overpriced
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Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 6
Monday, May 15, 2006

I'm glad to see that Friends has now found its way onto this website. I was lucky enough to eat here in late February as a belated Valentine's day treat. The restaurant is situated on the very picturesque high street in Pinner in a charming 16th century building. The decor in the dining rooms is simple but stylish and complements the black timbered walls nicely. The only gripe I had with the general atmosphere here was the music which was eclectic in a bad way.

The service here is excellent. There were minor communication problems which led to us being asked our orders twice but I guess nowhere is perfect! The staff are very friendly and on this evening had the time to chat to some of the customers after their meals, which added to the pleasantly relaxed atmosphere.

It is no surprise that this place has been featured in the Michelin guide. The food is top quality and so beautifully presented you’d think they’d spent hours arranging things on plates. Somehow they manage to produce the dishes in a few minutes and the results are still excellent. I started with a game bird terrine which came with a lovely orange zest sauce. I was in my kitchen for weeks after trying to replicate it! I ordered the salmis of woodcock to follow. Unfortunately it was off but, guessing that I liked game, the chef offered to make me a venison dish that was not on the menu. It is not often you find a restaurant so accommodating. In the end I opted for the lobster with pistachio risotto and champagne sauce. I found the risotto to be a little too sticky but the lobster itself was beautiful as was the sauce. We finished with a tarte tatin with a cinnamon ice-cream. This was good, nothing very special, but again the presentation was stunning.

Of course, you get what you pay for and Friends isn't what you would call cheap. It would be unfair to say it was overpriced but I have had food of equally good quality for less money further away from London. Having said that, this is an excellent place to take someone for a romantic dinner on a special occasion. Definitely recommended.
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Ros - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Tuesday, May 02, 2006