Poets — Restaurant in London

It's not too often that you want to rush off home after dining at a restaurant to write them an outstanding review…but my experience this afternoon at Fed & Watered in Acton was so deserving of this. I'm not entirely sure why I left it so long to visit this place considering I am a local, but I only have myself to blame. Never have I kicked myself more.

Firstly, I was tempted in by the endless list of people who told me it was so good, the reviews really do speak for themselves. So last week I thought I'd try their breakfast as this would surely be a good place to start. It is both rare and unique when somewhere can re-invent an English breakfast the way that they do with such creativity and flavour. To say I was hooked would be an understatement. It was sensational and really did take it to another level. The hash browns, smokey beans and delicious buttered bread alone are worth the visit alone.

Then it was onto lunch today to see if they could up their game and boy did they over deliver. To highlight any one course in particular would be impossible because they were all sensationally good. When you can say you ate the best the best gnocchi you had ever tasted, the best beef and the best 'lightest' sticky toffee pudding might seem to be exaggerating but it is simply the truth. Your chefs should be applauded because they are nothing short of first class.

Time stood still whilst eating several courses, it's so rare when you can say that there was no weak link. Back this up with an atmosphere that makes you feel so warm and welcomed it's only a win-win situation. And I haven't even mentioned the incredible Rioja they serve.

Chris and your team thank you for the sensational service that backed this up, great food is nothing if not delivered by people who are both passionate and enthusiastic. This shone through. You made the whole experience so much better for your wonderful service. It really was a privilege to experience this.

To have this kind of food experience on my doorstep makes me one of the lucky ones. I can't wait to take people back and spread the word. I can pay you no higher compliment.

You'd be crazy not to give...

A massive, massive disappointment I'm afraid. We live very locally and had been really excited try this place out. Unfortunately the service was utterly abysmal – we spent two and half hours in total waiting for food, and literally (I mean literally in the true sense of the word) spent 5 minutes actually physically eating.

I usually don't give a damn about sloppy slow service, but when it's this bad and you pay this much you just feel like you're being totally mugged off – and it's not like we were rude or bad customers. Quite the opposite: We were patient, extremely tolerant, and gave them the benefit of the doubt, etc.

But that just made us feel even worse about the way we were treated (being told our next course is 5 minutes away when it was clearly not). The worst thing about it is that there appeared to be no excuse for delays: it was a set menu with the same dishes for all customers, and 3 of the 5 courses were cold courses that seemingly required no actual cooking!

I think several other customers also complained on the night. We saw a waitress a spill glass of red wine on other diners because she was trying to cram another course of dishes onto a table before actually taking away the empty plates of the previous courses (not her fault, by the way). Again, in a pub or Greek taverna in the Cyclades I wouldn't care about that kind of thing, but the trouble is that Fed and Watered is supposed to be something of a fine dining experience. At least it presents itself that way.

Important to note that I'm someone who leaves far more good restaurant reviews than bad ones. I'm not a serial moaner, I don't have particularly high standards, I don't expect to be treated like a god, and I'm usually very easily impressed.

I still wish Fed and Watered well and hope it was just a bad...

Fantastic loooong lunch early dinner at Fed & Watered, great to see the doors open again serving delicious food in Acton! We made it through most of the menu, saving the steak and salmon for the next time. Steak Tartare was perfectly seasoned with a creamy golden egg yolk and had a lovely mustardy zing, fantastic on truffle butter toast. Truffle Mushroom Parfait with fried shallot to give a great crunch and the Buratta rounded off our trio of shared starters! For main course we had the Scallops which had a lovely freshness with slices of apple and then and added notes of saltiness with the seaweed. Pea Risotto with slivers of asparagus spears was a great accompaniment and creamy with slightly crunchy al dente rice was on point. Cod was perfectly cooked as the catch of the day with flakey morsels with a crunchy crust. Lamb Shoulder was a winner with a lovely richness to the slow cooked meat off set by the Bonbon and Mint Lamb Sauce, I could have eaten it twice over! Chicken Brioche, a soft bun and crunchy and tender fried chicken is a winner for the kids, and is on the lunch menu for a quick bite for grown ups too. Caramel Tarts and Trio of Ice Creams with a glass of LillyPilly Noble Blend finished our meal on a sweet note! Couple of bottles of Vino Verde, Espresso Martini and a couple of impressive Old Fashioneds helped to wash everything down in our lunch to dinner food journey. Well done to Elly and Chris on the soft launch and we expect that they will be solidly booked once they are able to fully...