Counter 71 — Restaurant in London

I celebrated my birthday at Counter71, and it turned out to be a truly memorable experience. The restaurant offers three distinct concepts: a classic à la carte restaurant, a bar, and the Chef’s Table Experience counter, which is where we dined.

The Concept

The Chef’s Table Experience is an intimate, limited-seating dinner where the chefs prepare everything right in front of you. They explain each dish in detail, while also walking you through the wines paired with the menu. The personal attention and interactive style make the evening feel special and immersive.

The Food

We enjoyed a 13-course tasting menu, starting with beautifully crafted amuse-bouches, moving into seafood and fish dishes, before finishing with game and red meat, and finally dessert. • Highlights included a turnip dish with monkfish sauce, where the flavours and textures worked brilliantly when eaten together. • A simple but outstanding beetroot consommé, paired with pickled beetroot and apple, stood out for its depth of umami. • The venison with blackcurrant sauce and mushrooms was a showstopper – rich, perfectly cooked, and beautifully balanced. • For desserts, the one that stood out most for me was based on plum – mousse, shaved ice and jelly – a clever play on textures, temperature and flavour using a single ingredient.

Throughout the menu, what impressed me most was the creative use of contrasting textures, which added a layer of surprise and sophistication to nearly every dish.

Wine Pairing

We opted for the seasonal wine pairing, which was excellent. Each wine came from a different region, with varied grapes and production styles. The pairings felt thoughtful and elevated the progression of the menu perfectly.

Atmosphere

From the outside, Counter71 is understated and easy to miss – there’s no signage, and the exterior looks quite simple. But once inside, it’s clear the priority is on the culinary experience rather than flashy décor. The focus is entirely on what happens at the counter.

Final Touch

As it was my birthday, I was surprised with freshly baked almond madeleines at the end of the evening – a warm, thoughtful gesture that capped off the experience beautifully.

Verdict

Counter71 is not cheap, but the level of innovation, attention to detail, and intimacy make it well worth it. If you’re looking for a unique fine dining experience in London that combines creativity, flavour, and storytelling, this is a place to put at the top...

I went there last week as a follow-up to another kitchen table experience, but I must say I left this place with a bitter taste (not only from the overly bitter soft pairing).

I should start by saying I attended a Development night, so I came expecting certain flaws, but this really needed some refinement.

Overall, the meal needed more seasoning, as the whole thing felt bland and a little lacklustre. Intriguingly, I didn't see them trying any of the sauces, which may have been the cause of the lack of seasoning. In my opinion, it would be better to cut one course from the tasting menu and really refine and add one component to the rest of the courses.

In terms of improvements: the lobster claw came out smelling strongly of fish, which was a bit unsettling. The langoustine mousse was mushy and bland but had a nice sauce with it. The cuttlefish was honestly not great; there was way too much of it, and it effectively felt like eating a bowl of elastic bands in a bland dashi. The rest of the dishes ranged from okay to pretty good, with the duck being the standout dish for me, cooked to perfection.

That being said, I saw real talent in the sous chef, who was putting great effort into his work, and everything he handled was fantastic, especially the duck and razor clam dishes. His cooking felt inspired, and looking back, the highlights were what he worked on. He also came around asking for feedback and was very constructive when I pushed back on some of his ideas.

I felt the attitude of the head chef and waiter was a little below expectations. There was a wine pairing and a non-alcoholic pairing (which I had) on a menu that he admitted he hadn't tasted, which led to one fantastic pairing, three average ones, and one very bitter, a little unpleasant one. However, that is down to personal preference; all of the drink pairings were fantastic, but I felt it a little strange that he hadn't paired them, which somewhat showed. The head chef approached me at the end and asked how it was, but did not ask for feedback.

Given I dined here on a development night and gave lots of feedback, I was surprised not to receive a follow-up call. However, I understand it...

I’m going to give a slightly different perspective on our dining experience at Counter71 to the rest of the reviews (which are all glowing) as I wish I’d read a review like mine before I considered whether to dine here.

The good: The service was fantastic. I think as there are only 14-16 folks that can dine at once you really get individual attention throughout. The restaurant is beautifully decorated and has great vibes due to its intimate nature. Great location as well. The drinks were tasty. I did the £60 half alcohol half non-alcoholic drinks selection and it is an innovative idea that makes sure you don’t feel too inebriated at the end.

The not so good: I don’t think you can bill yourself as a 10 course meal when three of the courses are tiny (one mouthful) “snacks”. It would be better to say you were a 7 course meal and then the “snacks” would be viewed as extras and it would feel like better value. Of the 5 starters and main courses, 4 were fish. Whilst I love fish I didn’t think the menu was balanced and really one fish course should have been substituted for another meat dish. Whilst the food was sophisticated, a lot of it lacked flavour and that “je ne sais quoi” you expect from a potential Michelin star restaurant. It needed something more. Whilst the service was fantastic we were aghast at the fact that there was a 15% service charge added at the end. Since when is that normal in the UK? The cocktail bar downstairs also has a 13% service charge. I actively avoid restaurants which charge such high rates. Speaking of cost, the meal is expensive. You’re looking at £350-£400 in total for a meal and drinks for 2 and sadly I don’t think it’s worth that. Prices go up in April as well by £15pp. A small detail, but key for the price and elevating this place to “Michelin” level (if they want to get there) is that a lot of the plates were chipped. Not a problem for us, but not a what you’d expect to see for a £130pp meal.

Overall if you want to try this spot, I’d recommend trying the lunch menu which launches in April and is a reduced selection of dishes (6 courses) from the main menu and a much more...