Bistro Union — Restaurant in London

Ok so I had been meaning to go to this local restaurant for a while and i went yesterday for lunch at around 1 pm. This is not a 5 star review from 5 years ago. I’ll start with the good things. The space is nice and the food is ok. My issue starts with the staff.. When you arrive they emit a cold, clinical and non welcoming atmosphere. They act like you are entering a Michelin star establishment when even the best of the lot are more welcoming. They seem like they absolutely don’t want to be there and frankly it made the entire experience uncomfortable and pompous. We’re in Clapham here, on a family middle class street. Make it feel like that. When you have a 3 course menu that you charge 45£ which is 35£ under what a 3 Michelin star restaurant like the Bernardin in NY Manhattan charge, you explain the menu. You guide the client through it. However they were responsive every time I asked for water, bread, etc. The food. It was clean, light and not overdone. However it felt very thrown together and the non-overdone approach makes it feel bland and underwhelming. It’s not giving at all. If you’re going to go minimal to add focus on the ingredient, that’s one thing, but it shouldn’t feel disappointing or restrained. The smoked salmon was a joke. 3 pieces that are the size of a pinky and 5 thin slices of cucumber. Come on. No play with textures, platting was boring… If you go rustic, go with more. If you go minimal, be creative and surprise the client. The dumplings with pistachio. Again, light and home-y. However the dumplings tasted soapy and the minestrone like broth with chickpeas tasted bland and the presence of salt and carrots was way too overpowering. All In all it felt like a dinner one could cook at home. It wasn’t an experience. If you do a tasting menu, make it an experience. Especially when it’s for 45£ and when the staff acts so pretentious. Lastly, the terrace. Give it some more life. It deserves more than 6 chairs and two tables. I’ll be coming back with a notepad in a couple months, with a hopefully second chance that results in more positive...

Had great expectations given the hype but I really thought this was 'only okay'. Had the watercress soup (as did two others in our group) and all agreed it was an effort to eat it. I was starving when I sat down and managed to get through it but the others left half of theirs). We ordered steaks for 5 people and it was stated in the menu (750g between 2). We had 5 people who wanted steak. We asked if this would be an issue and were told no. The waitress returned to know if we wanted 5 steaks. We said we wanted steak for 5 people and if they only gave enough for 4 (i. e. 1500g)that would be okay. She said she understood but my husband went back to clarify as she just seemed a little confused. When the steak arrived 4 plates were put down which contained 3000g of steak. This would be for 8 people. It would perhaps have been understandable if three plates had come between 5 as this would be for 6 people according to their menu but common sense should tell you that bringing enough for 8 was ludicrous and so pricey. The desserts were absolutely delicious. My mom paid the bill which exceeded £500 but there were 7 of us dining. (two toddlers ate before we arrived). However my sister in law only had a main, my daughter had two starters and dessert. We took no issues with paying for food (except we paid for at least 2 portions of steak we didn't order) but a £60 service charge was applied which was insane considering my main was forgotten and therefore delayed and the order was wrong. The atmosphere was non existent. I definitely wouldn't go back...

I am slightly embarrassed as I had suggested to come here given that my previous lunches since the restaurant opened has always been delicious.. However, something has happened and I was incredibly disappointed by Sunday lunch yesterday. Albeit, the meat was good, but £30!! it was most over priced meat I have ever eaten. There were no vegetables served with it, we had to wait a while for the gravy and the portions were tiny weeny half a mouthful really!! We then had cheese for pudding and this cheese and a bit of toast was the same size as a babybell! for £5 it was totally pathetic. It genuinely looked like a meal from Oliver Twist. The meal really ruined our Sunday actually, and having been a regular customer here before, I was extremely saddened and disappointed. To top it all of, once we had complained about everything, the waiter spoke back at us in a patronising and condescending manner and did not seem to care, which I thought was terrible service considering we paid an extra £15 for service charge. Once I had mentioned the lack of vegetables he goes in an aggressive tone 'well why didn't you just ask for more?!', I hadn't realised that was an option! and once we mentioned the tiny cheese 'well, you clearly didn't know it was premium.' Regardless, it was tiny it was enough cheese for a small mouse. Anyway, I will not be returning here. I am sad as it used to be a favourite for lunch but something has changed and it's lost its charm and it is now overpriced for not amazing small portions - classic London. Do...