Madera at Treehouse London — Restaurant in London

This is a tough one because there were aspects to this restaurant that were OK and I am going to start with those. First the manager of the restaurant, a very nice lady who is clearly being bullied by the head host was willing to seat me but only at the chefs counter. I want to make clear that I arrived at 4:45 (16:45) this afternoon and the restaurant was 70% empty. Yet the male host refused to seat me. He said that they were not allowing any walk-ins. This is a restaurant that is very hard to find in an area of London that has a lot of competition. But I spoke to the hotel front desk and asked if they could refer me to the restaurant manager so that I could discuss the situation with her. I worked in the restaurant industry and I know for a fact that the restaurant owner does not want empty tables going unsold. Especially when 3/4 of the tables were unoccupied. More on that later. She came and told me that she would be allowed to seat me at the chefs counter which I accepted. I ordered a margarita which was delivered to me 3/4 full. Please see attached photo. I am not kidding when I say this was the margarita that was delivered to me …for 15 pounds. I also ordered guacamole which was preserved with sour cream. Of course anybody who makes guacamole knows that you do not put sour cream in it but this is a technique that is used by restaurants that are trying to save money in order to preserve the longevity of avocados. It of course ruins the taste of the guacamole but it does save money on avocados. Again, one would think that a restaurant that is so keen to save money on the cost of avocados by adding sour cream to its guacamole would, just maybe, decide to seat somebody at 4:45 in the afternoon in an empty restaurant. But that brings me back to the rude host who pretended that he could not make space for me. The photographs that I am attaching of the restaurant were not taken at 4:45, but rather more than halfway through my meal at 5:20 (17:20). As you can see, the restaurant remained largely empty. It did get more crowded by the time I left, around 6:00 (18:00) but I did notice as I was leaving that there were at least four or five two-tops available so they could easily have accommodated me at a two-top instead of at the chefs counter. Nonetheless, I did not mind being at the chefs counter because I appreciated the opportunity to see the chefs working. They work hard. I could not help but notice however that they do not seem very happy. Of course who would be in a restaurant run by an out-of-control host who doesn’t have the judgment that God gave a lemon. The enchiladas that I ordered were a chicken Tinga and they were very good. I enjoyed them a lot. There was a rotation of people waiting on me because again due to the fact that I did not merit a table, I also did not have an assigned waiter. However the servers were all very sweet. I also ordered the strawberry tres leches for dessert and it was uninspired. Overall, the enchiladas were delicious. The rest of the meal was not very good. The main host (the man who’s in charge of the others) was rude and obviously a huge liability to the company since he doesn’t have the judgment to understand the concept of running a restaurant for profit. And further to that thought, the cost for one 3/4 full cocktail, one order of sour guacamole preserved with sour cream, one very good entrée, and a drab dessert came to 67 pounds (that’s almost $80.00 to you Americans). I wish I were kidding. Sadly I cannot recommend Madera. And I am quite sure they will close because the experience is not good enough to warrant the price or the surly, and quite frankly economically stupid, attitude of the...

The first thing that grabs you about Madera are the panoramic views of London. They are stunning, especially as the sun sets and an orange glow lights up the restaurant and bar. Of course, one might say the same about any restaurant in a high rise building in Central London, so Madera's job is really to offer a dining experience which lives up to the view.

On this front, the view is more mixed. The cocktail menu is varied and interesting. The drink I had, a concoction of vodka, strawberries and milk was delightful - well balanced and artfully served. At £17 apiece, the cocktail menu is on the pricier side, but just about worth it.

The food was less so. Decent but nothing to write home about. There's a lot of coriander so good luck if you're one of those for whom it tastes like soap. The chicken enchiladas were small, average, and mostly absent of meat. The patatas bravas served in a thin orange gruel, a touch of spice but nothing behind it. The beef tacos were rather good, but mostly on account of being served with generous helpings of cheese.

What really disappointed me about the restaurant was the deafening music, the volume of which incrementally crept higher and higher over the course of the evening. I appreciate this sounds like the whining of an old person (I'm 31, by the way) but by the time we were half-way through our main course, I could barely hear the person sitting across from me.

When we asked a waiter if he'd mind turning down the speaker nearest our table, he seemed to agree and walked off to do that. Some moments later, we were accosted by a surly manager who barked that the restaurant maintains a "party vibe" which is "listed on the website", and he wasn't "prepared to ruin someone else's experience just because the music was too loud for us."

Personally, I would argue that restaurants are not quite the same as night clubs and "party vibes" don't need to be quite so boisterous at 7.45pm on a Wednesday night. I suspect, if this fellow had been so minded, he could have taken a straw poll of the few tables of middle-aged diners around us to find out exactly how many people had chosen Madera for those vibes. I expect he would have been disappointed by the answer. Still, unlike this manager, whose eyes appeared to be popping out of his skull at the time, my keys are generally used for opening my door and I don't consume a healthy amount of Coca Cola before beginning a shift, so what do I know?

Ultimately a ho-hum evening then, stunning views, great company, delicious drinks, but average food, and service that did leave something to be desired. But the next time I fancy a club night and can't get in anywhere else, I'll know where to make a...

Mother’s day ruined, a celebration turned sour.

We had a deeply disappointing experience at this restaurant on Mother’s Day, which was meant to be a special occasion for my wife and our child. Unfortunately, it was ruined by the poor handling of a promotional offer and the unprofessional attitude of the management.

We had booked a 50% off food promotion through The Fork, which was still active when we made our reservation. However, when it came time to pay, the management refused to honor the discount, claiming that it shouldn’t have been available for Mother’s Day, and that was an error on Fork. Instead of owning up to their mistake, the manager chose to argue with us publicly, attempting to shift the blame onto us. They repeatedly insisted that The Fork had contacted me about the issue an outright false claim rather than admitting their own failure.

What made matters worse was the lack of organisation. Our reservation should have been flagged upon arrival, preventing this unnecessary confrontation. After a long and frustrating debate, they reluctantly honored the discount only because I stood my ground. But by then, the damage was done, my wife was very upset, our celebration was spoiled, and our 7 year old daughter had to witness an unpleasant scene that should never have occurred.

Beyond this incident, the restaurant’s website is misleading. The menu prices are outdated, and several advertised dishes (such as pan plano, octopus, and tomahawk steak) were not available. While for the prices variation for example, a glass of Lisboa Tinto wine was listed as £9 online but charged at £10.50 in the restaurant.

As for the food itself, while the presentation was acceptable, the flavors were severely lacking, hardly what one would expect from a Mexican restaurant.

This entire situation could have been avoided with better management, honesty, and accountability. Instead, their failure to acknowledge their mistake and their dismissive approach left a lasting negative impression. The only redeeming quality of our visit was the stunning views, but sadly, that wasn’t enough to make up for...