La Maison Ani London — Restaurant in London

My wife and I had what transpired to be, and what I call, a "farewell lunch" today at LMA: that is to say, a final, parting lunch with this restaurant.

For some context, my wife and I used to come to lunch at La Maison Ani on some weekends as a course of habit, and the habit was fairly consistent. We were on a rotation of restaurants that consistently delivered each weekend, and LMA was squarely on the list of refined options. We would come, we'd order the harissa prawns (with the bread basket they give to lap up the oil – remember this detail, because it's important) two Izu burgers, and whatever else we might have the appetite for.

We then left for a while, maybe a couple of months, before coming back to the UK and trying again. Now, we always thought the service was LMA was par with an average, casual restaurant, and we even made a bit of a game of it in seeing which one of us they would 'wrong' (I would say, generally, the service warrants a 3* rating). Today was a little different, however.

Cutting to the chase a little bit, we had ordered the harissa prawns, and when they came to be served, the waiter – remembering the oil from earlier – angled the dish in possibly the worst way possible, and the oil spilled on to the table and, secondarily, spattered some on to my trousers. It could have been worse, but nevertheless, oil did get on to my clothing, and it is a fairly vicious oil that you do not want on your clothing. It is the sort of stain that you would really rather blame yourself for rather than someone practically pouring it on you.

The next few minutes, while the prawns gradually cooled down to tepidity, were spent scrambling; I asked the same waiter who had spilled the oil for baking soda so as to absorb the oil, but he seemed confused as to why I would want something like this, and perhaps too shy to ask the kitchen for this common substance. He went away while the oil gradually settled into my clothing, and of course, did not return. Again, cutting down the details, we were silently given a new, much more attentive waiter, and another waitress approached with a napkin with some foamy substance on it that supposedly fixed oil stains. Fortunately, it did.

So, surrounded by alcohol wipes and napkins saturated with a certain oil-alleviating chemical, lap still damp from said chemical, we set to work on the now-tepid meal, which is still flavourful, but has some of the charm taken away by the experience thus far. We continue, the prawns are taken away, and the oil drips – yet again! – from the plate on to my lap, although fortunately directly on to a well-placed napkin, not my clothing.

Finally, we came to the Izu burgers – or, rather, burger, since the other one was forgotten. A quick complaint and a quick rectification and the other burger arrived, although with a bit more of a poor taste in our mouths because of the mayhem described above. (Someone also really ought to tell Chef Izu that the fries are absolutely dreadful. It's almost like a third of the fries are hollow and are just the fried husk of the potato, a third are the sharp, firm, unenjoyable end-pieces, and a third are regular, but taste almost undercooked. McCain's frozen fries doused in oil and thrown in an air fryer are somehow higher quality.)

Our waiter was kind enough at the end to remove the service charge without me asking, and this is what I had intended to do, saying "you really shouldn't be charged a service charge in this case".

Will I come back? If you had asked me yesterday, you would have heard me say "most likely". If you ask me now, you will hear "If I must". I find the staff very inattentive, and I have to perform some of the most ridiculous and rude-looking gestures (as in a full 180-degree pivot in my seat and possibly some – or a lot – of hand-waving) to get anyone's attention since the waiters seem to avoid everyone's eyes. It's all such a shame, because I really...

On the evening of July 21, we went over to La Maison Ani for dinner… Upon arrival the host checked us in and asked table for 7 we said yes and she went to make sure our table was ready before seating us, then comes host #2 and with full attitude without even allowing me to say that we have been helped and all rudness “You got reservations?” Yes “name?” I gave her the name n spelling and says NO u dont have reservations, I then added yes we do and the other host went to check if the table is ready, right after I said that the nice host said right this way. After getting seated we ordered still and sparkling water for the table (mainly the sparkling is for me lol) so the waiter came poured water for 4 guests all asked for still then the 5th guest arrived as he was pouring the water and she asked him politely there was no host at the entrance but do you mind taking my jacket? with all rudness he responded “ NO no no not now, im pouring water later later” then asked her “ still or sparkling” she said still with his response “ why order sparkling if everyone is having still?” keep in mind there are two more guests who he still didnt serve yet. He came to me and before he was able to say anything I told him I do not like your attitude and you were very rude to my friend. Then he wanted to be like no i was not I was not having it (n if u know me and u kno my im not having it face you wont even say another word lol” so he went to the floor host and said i cannot wait on this table she doesnt like my attitude. Now do you blame me for not liking his attitude? A lot of Arabs come here, I mean its attached to Jumerah Carlton tower almost 80% of your guests are arabs and they usually will let your attitude pass but not me…. Plus have a bit of decency… anyways putting the rude waited and the host aside, lets talk about the dishes… Personally, it was normal… (not worth all the hype — n hard to find reservations) Onion Soup: lacks bread and cheese… it has some but they felt like garnish rather than being part of the soup Steak Sandwich: it was nice, i would have a different type of cheese but it was nice Shrimp: could have used garlic? Burrata Salad: nice (but how can you go wrong with a burrata salad) Carpaccio: was nice we all enjoyed it Beetroot salad: for those who like it enjoyed it (it ain’t me) Beef tartar: Horrible, no one was able to eat it and sent it back to the kitchen Veal Milanese: decent, everyone enjoyed a piece Dover Sole: Delicious… Penne Pasta: saucy the way i like it Mushroom risotto: t’was ok Dessert: they totally forgot we wanted the soufflé and we were celebrating a birthday and told them to put the happy birthday sign on that not the ice cream and creme brûlée combo (which i enjoyed) but they took an extra 20 min to bring out the soufflé they forgot to serve with the soft serve n creme brûlée and when they did… they should have left the ice cream out cause the amount of ice cream served with the soufflé was just sad… very sad Bathroom: was a disaster its like they forgot to clean it but when I was leaving the attendant arrived… so I’m happy for the next person who used the bathroom…. Would I come back here? Capital En to the Ow… overpriced over rated and 2 rude employees (our replacement waiter was much nicer) sorry for the long review but this is how...

Overall disappointing experience, especially given the restaurant’s French branding and premium pricing.

Service: Poor. Staff were inattentive and disorganized. When I pointed out the confusion about the so-called Wagyu burger, the waiter rejected my comment and insisted it was my misunderstanding. That alone shows a lack of professionalism. Even if there was a mix-up, a good waiter would never shift the blame to the customer. They would acknowledge the confusion, take responsibility, and try to make it right. Instead, I was met with denial and no effort to resolve the issue. For a French restaurant, the standard of service was far below what is acceptable.

Food: • Snails: Flavor was flat. Even worse, they didn’t provide enough utensils for us to eat them. We were five people and they didn’t bring enough snail forks. For a French restaurant serving escargots, this was both careless and ironic. It made the entire experience feel unprepared and rushed. • Wagyu “Burger”: This was the most misleading item on the menu. When you see something labeled “Wagyu Burger” next to “Chicken Burger,” you expect an actual burger with a patty and a bun. What arrived was a steak sandwich in a baguette. It tasted decent, like a street food sandwich, but it had nothing to do with a burger. I ordered two thinking it was a real burger, had one cut into four pieces, and then asked for what I thought was a different steak sandwich I had heard about. It ended up being the same thing. This is a clear naming issue. Call it a Wagyu Baguette or Izu Steak Sandwich, not a burger. The confusion is on them, not the customer. • Lobster Pasta: Easily the highlight. Rich, flavorful, and well prepared. • Pizza: Nothing special. Just okay. • Speed: All dishes came out very fast, which makes you question how much of it was freshly cooked or simply reheated. • Straws: A small positive. The quality was good and they didn’t melt in the drink.

Summary: The restaurant does not live up to its image. Poor service, defensive staff, and misleading menu descriptions ruined what could have been a decent meal. The lobster pasta was excellent, but everything else ranged from average to frustrating. I would not return unless serious improvements are made to both service and...