Elystan Street — Restaurant in London

Far, very far from Michelin standards.

Extremely noisy place, could barely hear my partner speaking to me.

Sommelier didn't seem passionate about her job at all or happy to be there, not engaging, not smiling....

Olives and almonds rather than a pre starter mise en bouche...

Luke warm espresso.

No attention to details, I specifically mentioned I was coming for a birthday dinner, nothing done for that. Most of Michelin star restaurants would try to make you feel special, they don't. You're just another customer and fair play to Elystan Street they do seem to have a lot of big customer base.

For that price (even cheaper) opt for Petrus by Gordon Ramsay is it way superior in ALL aspects.

In terms of the actual food I went for the tasting menu which started (after the olives and almonds lol) with a mackerel velouté which was probably my highlight of the night, very well executed although a bit salty but the amazing rillettes toast was the perfect pairing.

Then we had the cashew nut hummus, nothing could really go wrong with that. The roasted carrot that came with it was overcooked though. Would have appreciated a bit more risk taken for that dish. Very basic.

Then came the pasta (forgot the name) with a chicken stock and truffles. It's was okay, truffle not really tasty, not the of the greatest quality and pasta slightly overcooked. Stock was flavourful.

That was followed by a fillet of John Dory with a hazelnut croûte which was superbly cooked! Too many hazelnut though, became sickly very quickly but overall a solid dish.

The only meat dish came at the end. A beef rib with a red wine sauce and chanterelles. I don't know why you'd combine such a delicate mushroom with a strong meat like that. Made absolutely no sense to me and I would have maybe preferred if paired with the pasta and chicken stock starter. The slow cooked beef itself was succulent but once again not much risk taken on that one.

The dessert was a poached pear with a fig ice cream. I love poached pears and figs so was an easy win for me but it was very very sweet. My partner couldn't eat it hers because of that. What a shame that is because it would have been a perfection to end a big meal.

Overral a deception for a Michelin starred establishment but might be worth it for a good quality...

This was my first time trying Phil Howard's cooking and it was so good. The food was satisfying and presentation, not at all fussy. I also rather liked the dining room as the decor and colours had been thought out well.

There was a choice between a 3-course à la carte or a 6-course tasting menu. We opted for the former. To begin, I ordered one of Phil Howard's signature dishes, strozzapreti. It was prepared with Australian black truffle. This was undoubtedly one of the best pasta dishes I have eaten. The pasta was cooked to a perfectly soft texture and the sauce it was served in was as umami-rich as a sauce could get. The truffle added an extra depth of flavour and a distinctive aroma. However, I did feel that £40 was too expensive for this starter.

My main course of duck was also a real delight. Tender and succulent pieces of meat were served with an orange purée and cherries, adding some nice sweetness and acidity. A side dish of a salad accompanying either my or my mother's main course was just excellent. The fresh and crispy salad leaves and the tasty vinaigrette went together perfectly. It was so simple yet so delicious.

My dessert named 'Milk many ways with gooseberry and elderflower' was very unique and nice. The creaminess of the milk and the refreshing element of the fruits balanced the dessert. While the dessert itself looked like one single dish, beneath the white foam were a couple of different mini preparations using the same ingredients. I thought this was really cool!

Meeting and having a little talk with Phil Howard was also a pleasure. The only real thing I felt could have been better is if we had been given a little more explanation of the dishes. When receiving them, there was little or no explanation. Personally, I like a bit of talk regarding the preparation and 'behind the scenes' would I say!

Nevertheless, this was a great meal with generally pretty reasonable prices, considering the location and food quality. I would...

On a short trip to London for a ‘celebratory week’ we decided to try here to treat ourselves to a ‘dining night out’.

The location is easy enough to get to and was a short walk from our hotel. On entering we were treated to a sort of stylishly modern room which elevated our expectation.

The staff were great, we were seated and the usual stuff occurred. We chose our courses and the sommelier introduced us to a very good English bubbly, a brand we noted. Starters arrived just after the wine and off we went.

My wife’s starter was fine and my partridge ‘salad’ was very good too, the last partridge I ate was probably from a pharoah’s tomb, so the delight of having succulent flesh was a joy.

The mains though, sadly a bit of a disappointment, my wife’s ‘ravioli’ pasta dish was nothing special. My fish fillet was dry, although edible the sauce it had come with was overly powerful, bitter and salty.

The dessert for me redeemed the efforts of the kitchen, crême caramel which was just delicious, one of my favourites. The better half though, not quite so enamoured of her pud, a sorbet of some sort.

The restaurant was not full but the noise from a table of gentlemen also enjoying a night out on the far side of the room quite substantial. A bit of noise cancelling furniture could be a good idea.

Mixed feelings about standards, as said, the staff were great, agreeable and served us well, however the noise and the low standard of the ‘amenities’, (the mens were not up to snuff I’d expect of a good restaurant let alone a Michelin starred one and the ladies, according to my source, had nothing to dry hands on!)

Not the night out dining we were expecting, rather a disappointment. We do eat at a number of starred establishments at home to compare with in...