La Petite Auberge — Restaurant in London

Absolutely shameful. Firstly, the service was mediocre. Instant thought was 'Don't point at the table I am going to sit at! Take me there and pull the chair out for my pregnant wife if you will!'

But straight to the point - The Starters: Being French and being a 'Food Enthusiast' (obviously it's in our nature), I was familiar with the 2 dishes I ordered therefore knowing what they should have looked and tasted like. So here it comes, 'Salade de Foie de Volailles'. To translate, "liver salad". A sad bed of salad - most likely - pulled out of a plastic bag containing mixed leaves and surprisingly grated carrots!?! Topped with piping hot liver drenched in a dark sauce that I'm still trying to define. Oh I forgot, the "chef" added his little touch by sprinkling the whole thing with red onions and by the state of it - probably chopped it using his teeth but we'll settle for a butter knife. And the second starter my wife chose, 'Champignons de Paris Farcis'. Four various sized mushrooms doused in watered down cheese bathing in butter. 'Farcis' means 'Stuffed' and 'Legumes Farcis' is a traditional Provençal dish, usually consists of minced beef and lamb along with other necessary bits to make A STUFFING.

The Main: Pulled out of the "special" menu, I ordered a dish where the main attraction should have been the duck. Unfortunately - the entertaining part was me vs knife vs duck. Basically I couldn't cut through the meat. In addition, served with a smoky 'bacon' mash - so French... No not really. And the fig... THE FIG - was green and doused in the brown sauce. Of course I didn't touch it. I couldn't differentiate between my dish and my wife's chosen Boeuf Bourguignon (And if you're French -you probably would call the laughable dish ''Bof" Bourguignon).

Oh and the fruit flies having a little dance off above our table was pretty entertaining as well. Sitting next to a poster of "Cannes", I'm sure it would have cried - if only it could. With a total of five different clueless waiters serving us I'm still wondering if the chef would have ended up bringing us the desert if we'd stayed until the end.

I should've known when I saw the decor. Exaggerated and almost trying too hard to have a 'cosy' French atmosphere correlating the predicted shoddy food that came...

Walked past here many times, seen the great reviews, so booked peak time Friday night. Staff were friendly but the place was very busy, which is also a great sign. Frogs legs and snails to start were delicious. There were a couple of problems with my mains order. I asked for entrecote et frites with garlic butter, but when it came it was with peppercorn sauce, so I mentioned this ro a team member and the plate and not just the sauce 'pan' was taken away and then a minute later returned with the garlic butter placed on top, however the steak along with the vegetable side I ordered was cold and it was quite apparent it had been left on the pass for a while, the garlic butter on my steak didnt really ever melt down into the steak because the steak too, had already cooled before the replacement butter for the wrong sauce was put on. I mentioned to my waitress/management, and insisted i didn't want any money off (I appreciate times are tough for the industry and I just blamed it for their being busy,) but I always feel strongly that the manager should be aware when things are not up to the mark, as ignorance is not always bliss. I would like to relay The drinks and creme brulee were also delicious. When the bill came i noticed they had undercharged me even though I asked them not to so mentioned this before I paid. But they insisted. It was a lovely gesture, and not one I expected for the reason I gave above. The issue was enough to mention, not enough for me to ask for a discount. Because of this, I hope my next visit to be closer to a 10/10 experience..and yes, there will be...

I have been going to Le Petit Aubergine for over 20 years. Until my last visit (January 2025), I have always thoroughly enjoyed the food, ambience and service. Unfortunately, on this occasion when I requested the bill and informed the staff member that I had a ‘Tastecard’, he informed me that he needed to speak to the manager.

The female manager then popped her head around a corner (did not come to the table). She proceeded to shout at me (the entire restaurant could hear & indeed everyone ceased eating) that I did not mention ‘Tastecard’ when I made the reservation and ‘as it is Company Policy’ there was nothing she could do. She emphasized, that she had answered my telephone reservation, and recalled the detail of our conversation, which I was aware, but unwilling to accept that I had informed her I had a ‘Tastecard’. I have used a ‘Tastecard’ in the restaurant for 20 years. A hugely unnecessarily embarrassing situation. Perhaps of case, where recollections may differ.

This may be a one-off situation but despite 20 years attending this restaurant I would not return, nor would I recommend. The risks associated with such a volatile manager are too great and will only ensure that a diner will again be subjected to such a public humiliation. To add, the manager insisted that I lied when I made the reservation, ensuring everyone in the restaurant could hear. The manager tried to make excuses “I am busy”.

Her attitude was aggressive, rude and so incredibly astounding, I just wanted to get out of there as quickly...