Cats Cafe des Artistes Thai Restaurant — Restaurant in London

Me and my partner were looking for a Thai restaurant to eat at last night and we didn't want to travel that far. We were greeted by a waitress who offered us a table. She said we could have a place by the fireplace, which looked enticing, but it was unusually close to the fireplace so we passed. When looking around the place we noticed the decor inside was very unusual. I was faced with a wall filled with pictures of loads of random children. I understand it might be a quirky, experimental approach to decor but I couldn't really gauge what theme they were going for. Some of the decor is really nice, some of it not so much, but that's just my personal opinion. We were looking at the menu and the waitress who seated us came back over to take our order. I noticed there was something very off with the service. She seemed very on edge and anxious and she couldn't really give us any sort of recommendation from the menu. We ordered our food and we were served 'Pad Thai cashew noodles' and 'Pork stir fry.' The noodles were overcooked, lacked flavour, the beef pieces were hard and it overall did not feel fresh. I get it might have been a sweet dish but the only flavour in that dish was sweetness and nothing else. We gave it just a 3 out of 10. The pork stir fry was the best dish but once again it did not taste fresh. The consistency of the pork was more chewy, the sauce was not bad but it tasted like a lot of additives were put into it. Also in that dish there were a lot of dubious looking vegetables. To conclude with the food none of it tasted fresh and it left us feeling sick. Now to talk about the drinks. The beer arrived promptly, but unfortunately the whiskey sour was an abomination. It felt like straight, cheap whisky stirred in with all the ingredients and it resembled absolutely nothing of a whisky sour. Another thing to add to our experience was the kitchen staff came out twice and looked at us. A young man gave me an upset look when passing by our table. The other two members of the kitchen, a woman and a man were checking on us with some concerning looks. One of the men in the kitchen asked us if everything was ok. The waitress also asked us if it was ok. My partner was able to keep a straight face, but I could not. I said it was alright but I was unable to look them in the eyes as I really struggle to hide my real feelings. It was a very uncomfortable situation to be in and I hope, this honest review can save other people from the horrendous meal experience we subjected ourselves to. The meal left us not just sick but really ruined our evening. If you are planning a romantic date with your partner don't come here. You would both feel miserable by the end of it. Trust us! When we paid for our food we were offered a takeaway bag. I appreciate the offer, but it was pretty clear from what was left we weren't that interested in taking it home. It felt very awkward to say no and I just couldn't shake this underlining tension between us and the staff. Overall, we were very unsatisfied with the experience at this restaurant. When I looked on Google reviews it had a 4.3 out of 5. It isn't the best rating but far from the worst. I was reading some of the reviews going back 7 years and there is a mixed reception. I also noticed on some negative reviews the owners actually replied a very unprofessional response. I wish I had seen this before entering, but it's not that I take the time to scan negative reviews before trying a place. Another interesting point to take into account when considering this place is the similarity between all the 5 star reviews. It's as if a lot of them have been written by the same person, but hey ... I guess I am just speculating. If you are going out and looking for a restaurant I strongly advise you to go somewhere else. We could have got better quality food of deliveroo and for a lot cheaper. We in total spent £50 here and we have learned a valuable lesson to never go anywhere too quiet or a place with a rating less than 4.6. Thank you for taking the time to read...

i have been in this place once a week, maybe once every two weeks for the past 6 months. food is really good, but you'll often the service can be borderline luke-warm ok to pretty terrible based on who they have working. expect a group of teenagers who spend most time at the bar chatting than they do waiting on tables. to date, they have never asked if the food was ok or asked if i wanted another drink or desert. I usually have to obviously wave them over if i need table service. i tend to go back there purely because i like a couple of dishes and its priced ok... but every time the terrible lack of service is obvious and does tend to grate on my nerves. if you want thai food and have a nice time, dont go there. if you want thai food and can except bad service, go there. best part is yet to come through, you will get the bill served on a little black tray. when you pay, they whip the receipt away for a sellotaped message underneath to read "service charge not included"..... rofl.... i usually try to tip one of the asian guys when hes working. he seems to be the only one who understands they are there to wait on tables....

I absolutely loved this restaurant. Had been recommended by a friend but I had no expectation, and wasn't expecting to turn up and discover the most beautifully, brilliantly camp decor. dark wood tables and chairs with leopard and tiger print cushions and walls adorned with all sorts of delights, from princess Di to Tom and Jerry to cats of varying descriptions. With a playlist of 1960s crooners (the kind your nan used to sing along to whilst hoovering) to help aid the digestion of our delicious curries (Ruby and Jade). Lovely service! only lost a star on atmosphere cos the head lights were quite bright and the heater was making a buzzing sound, but these details for me were absolutely not an issue, because in the age of the instagram induced homogony in restaurant and cafe design, to find somewhere so delightfully unique and 'itself' (not trying to be anyone or anything else) felt both thrilling and refreshing. There was no performance, just a joyful quirkiness with delicious Thai food. Thank you Cats! I will be back (and next time i will...