Augustine Kitchen — Restaurant in London

My husband and I had booked a table for 2 at Augustine as part of our Christmas Day out on Friday 23 December 2022. We arrived excited and very much looking forward to our meal following all the lovely reviews however it didn’t go well at all! Our booking was at 1.45pm and we called to say that we were running 10 mins late. This didn’t go down too well as the kitchen closed at 2pm. We arrived at 1.54 after sprinting down the road to make it and apologising profusely. I can honestly say that I’ve never received a greeting like this.. I think I have greeted a plumber to my home better than that! Clearly she was VERY upset that we were 10 minutes late. Well it didn’t get any better, the menus were placed in front of us (with no word spoken) and she came back probably around 3 minutes later to take the order and of course we hadn’t really had a chance to look, we were still trying to catch our breath and dab the sweat from our brows! So we didn’t really have time to take the menu in and had to order something quickly to avoid upsetting her any further. Unfortunately the service didn’t get any better, the whole experience was rushed and we just felt uncomfortable. It was like sitting in someone’s house who doesn’t really want you there! The food and wine itself was nice and the set lunch menu is excellent value but the service unfortunately let it...

This place defines the term ‘hidden gem’. My partner and I had seen this place hidden in plain sight on the high street for about a year and decided yesterday was the day we try it. From the outside, it looks a tad bland but when you get in, the restaurant is stunning with ambient lighting and plants littered around. Agnes, our waitress was incredibly attentive and gave us lots of information about our food and its French culture. The food itself was delicious; I had the pate and my partner had the onion soup (a very French dish apparently) which was followed up by a fantastic steak. Additionally, the wine selection was vast but not unaffordable. Dessert did not disappoint either, having the ‘floating island’ which was amazing. It was extremely tasty yet not too heavy. All in all, an extremely good restaurant. Will be back...

I don't know whether it's because I had a bit of a cold but the only thing I really tasted was the few hazelnuts that were used to compliment the venison. The French onion soup was OK as far as it went but I've had alot more tastier and satisfying in a regular bar in Paris than the one presented to me this afternoon. The atmosphere was OK, but there was still something missing. A far more realistic representation of a Parisienne restaurant/bar can be found half a mile away in Battersea High Street courtesy of The Quecumbar. For the £35 I paid for the 2 courses with a beer I was expecting something a little more special. Perhaps the a la carte menu would be better but I'm not intending to spend nearly double what I paid this afternoon...