London Basque Kitchen Ltd — Attraction in London

We hired LBK to cater and coordinate our Trinity Buoy Wharf wedding in December 2022. We wish we handn't. While the food was tasty (Monica is a talented chef), everything else about the experience of hiring LBK was terrible. Their failings fall into three broad categories:

Unjustifiable cost creep and broader dealings in bad faith Poor attention to detail in the planning phase and on the day Thread-bare event management service, which failed to supply the bare minimum levels of service expected of a premium caterer

I will address each one of these failings in turn, but feel so strongly about their impact on our special day, that if anyone is looking to hire LBK and would like to hear more about our experience, please do reach out directly.

Unjustifiable cost creep / dealings in bad faith On a like-for-like basis, non-ingredient & chef charges increased by 49% between the point we hired LBK in October 2021, and the wedding 14 months later. These were line items like wait staff, table and tableware hire, kitchen hire etc. and comprised the majority of the bill. This cost creep was flagged to us so late on in the process (deliberately, I believe), that we had little choice but to continue with LBK, and when we pushed back against usurious price increases, Chris Adnitt (who runs the business side of LBK) threatened to drastically reduce what they were offering, and to charge us abortive fees. I have an excel that tracks their various invoices that I would be happy to share if prospective future customers would like to take a look.

Despite successfully challenging the premise for many of these price increases (e.g. a 31% increase in the cost of wait staff), LBK maintained their price, and then didn't even turn up with the level of resource they had committed to on the day, which is tantamount to stealing.

Poor attention to detail In our run through prior to the day, we had explicitly pointed out a part of the venue where a cloak room was to be set up. Instead of this, coat racks were haphazardly laid out in a private area where my wife was waiting prior to the ceremony, which meant everyone saw her in her dress. When this was flagged, items were moved and lost in transition, which meant my glasses went missing, as well as c.£1k worth of belongings.

LBK / Wedding arrangers also supplied the bar for our event, and agreements on which alcohols in what quantities would be supplied were not kept to. No acknowledgement was made of this moving of the goalposts (which happened last minute), so I had to self-supply and deliver all the spirits, mixers, and soft drinks for the wedding. The wrong fizz was also procured, and despite catching this well in advance of the wedding, Chris Adnitt refused to effect a return and a refund. Despite agreeing a margin for Chris for the supply of the drinks, no pro-rated refund of this margin was ever issued.

Thread bare event management service LBK were supposed to liaise with the site and manage any queries about set-up and derig for our various suppliers. They did not perform this role, which meant I had to step in to ensure the site knew what was going on (taking me away from my family and friends visiting in the days running up to the wedding).

They were also supposed to supply us with a master plan for the event. A draft version with lots of gaps was supplied three weeks prior to the wedding, and then nothing further, which again meant I had to step in and do their job for them on the night before the wedding.

They also failed to communicate with me about items left at the venue (a simple email the following day would have sufficed), which resulted in all lost property going inexplicably missing. It took over a week and 5 attempts to reach out to them following the wedding for them to get in touch, after which it was too late.

Don't be taken in by their polished instagram presence, and an excellent taster meal provided by Monica. Their food is undoubtedly delicious, but the experience of hiring them is one I wish we...

We recently had the pleasure of working with London Basque Kitchen for our wedding in March 2023. The food and service were both absolutely outstanding. From the very beginning when we met Ben for a tasting, to deciding on the menu, Monica and the team went above and beyond to ensure that our day was perfect.

The menu that we put together with the team was a combination of sharing dishes and everything was executed to perfection. The canapes were beautifully presented and delicious. The main courses were equally impressive, with perfectly cooked meat and seasonal sides.

We opted for a dessert table with a variety of delicious desserts which were beautifully arranged on a table.

The one thing with Monica and Ben is they will NEVER see your guests go hungry.

The service provided by the catering staff was excellent. They arrived in plenty of time to set up quickly and efficiently, and they were attentive to our needs throughout the entire even making sure that our glasses were never empty.

We have had so many compliments from our guests on the food, I wish we could eat it all over again.

Overall, I would highly recommend Ben, Monica and the team at London Basque for any wedding or event. The food was delicious, the service was impeccable, and the team truly went above and beyond to make our day unforgettable.

You are the BEST guys!!!...

Monica and the incredible team at London Basque Kitchen gave us the wedding breakfast of our dreams! From a love of Greek food, we wanted our guests to enjoy a shared feast across banquet tables and enjoy a sociable experience enjoying the meal. From the most delicious taste, to the most beautiful presentation, Monica had thought about our meal to the fine detail and her love and passion was shown in her food!

We had our drinks reception on a boat that could not have a kitchen on board, Monica created THE best canopes that guests are still talking about being the best canopes they’ve ever had. No location, no barrier was ever an issue for the London Basque Kitchen team, it was always a pleasure for them to help make the food a fantastic, exciting part of our special day. We will be forever thankful that we chose LBK to be our caterers, and will keep in touch for many more events of ours in the future.

Our guests have all said it was the best food they have ever experienced at a wedding- and it really was just the BEST! Thank you will never be enough- Mr and Mrs...