Restaurant Story — Restaurant in London

My wife and I purchased a Restaurant Story digital gift card from their website as a Christmas gift for my parents, who love to eat out and try new foods. After looking at their menu online, we purchased a 100GBP gift card which we read is enough for a four-course tasting lunch for two. And when we clicked on “Menu,” the menu (at that time) confirmed that the lunch is four courses and 50GBP per person (plus service charge).They were so excited when they opened the gift card! They booked a table at the restaurant soon after the new year and, on 23rd February, visited the restaurant.

My parents loved the experience at the restaurant. They said it was “the most interesting eating experience” they have ever had. They told us that the food was exquisite and the service was impeccable - unlike anything they’ve ever experienced before. I compliment Restaurant Story on providing such a brilliant and memorable meal for my parents.

Unfortunately, I learned that when the bill came they were surprised to see a charge of approximately 250GBP, more than twice the amount of their gift card. I expected they would need to pay for drinks and a service charge; I did not expect them to have to pay another 100GBP on top of drinks and service charge.

After speaking with my parents last week, I took another look at their website and noticed that, since we purchased the 100GBP gift card just two months ago (which they still claim on the website is sufficient for a four-course tasting lunch), they no longer offer a four-course tasting lunch but only an eight-course tasting lunch. My parents were not made aware of this upon arrival on February 23; they did not know they were sitting down to a meal that would cost them over a hundred pounds out-of-pocket. We would not have bought them the gift card if we knew that was the case. Restaurant Story notes on their online menu page that prices are subject to change at any time. Regardless, I am so thoroughly disappointed that we purchased a gift that ended up costing my parents more money than they were planning to spend.

Again, they thoroughly enjoyed the food, the service, and the experience. They have nothing but positive comments regarding their time at the restaurant. But removing the four-course option we intended them to use (after we thought we had covered the total cost of the tasting lunch for two) seems misleading.

I emailed Restaurant Story a week ago to inform them of this disappointing gift card experience. I encouraged them to clarify information on the website to ensure others do not experience a similar, disappointing issue. I have not yet received a reply.

The whole situation has, unfortunately, left a bad taste...

Out of all the dishes, only two came with a story—one was a brief mention of the Oreo, while the bread received a more detailed explanation, which I found quite creative. Given the restaurant’s concept, I expected more storytelling throughout the meal.

I found the appetizers and amuse-bouches consistently heavy. The oyster tempura had an overly thick, greasy crumb, the rabbit—while flavorful—was dry, and the yellowfin tuna tartelette was dominated by sesame seasoning, lacking the brightness and freshness typically expected from these opening bites.

The mignardises were uninspired and, once again, too heavy for my taste. After so many courses, the last thing you want is to feel weighed down rather than satisfied.

Moving on to the main courses, the dishes were fairly classic, but none stood out as particularly inventive or memorable. The sea bass, prepared ceviche-style with caviar, was fine, but at a two-star restaurant, I expected something beyond the ordinary—this felt like a familiar dish simply dressed up with caviar for added luxury.

The artichoke and black truffle ravioli were enjoyable but unremarkable. The lobster, served with bisque sauce and butternut squash, was well-executed—the low-temperature cooking achieved the perfect balance between raw and cooked—but beyond the precise technique, there was nothing unexpected or particularly exciting about the dish.

The duck course was especially disappointing. Two pieces were served, but one of mine was overcooked, completely brown when it should have been pink. At this level of dining, such inconsistency is unacceptable.

The pre-dessert felt like an afterthought—while not bad, it lacked refinement and could have come from any restaurant in London.

The main dessert was confusing. A rhubarb-based creation seemed like a good choice for its natural tartness and freshness, which should have provided a light, refreshing conclusion to the meal. However, the execution failed in this regard. The pistachio element was overly dense, and a cream-based component (which I can’t quite recall) further contributed to an unexpected heaviness. Instead of feeling cleansed and uplifted, I felt weighed down, and the mignardises only exacerbated this issue rather than balancing it out.

On a positive note, the service was excellent, and I enjoyed the ambiance. However, the cuisine itself failed to impress me—it lacked the creativity, precision, and balance I would expect from a restaurant of...

The meal was nice, but I was craving badly for more protein in the end. Fish and meat portions were tiny. For this reason alone, I would conclude with "very low value for money" for a £250 menu as I left with a "hungry" stomach. The general feeling of the menu was lacking a choreography as one story, given the expectations by the name of the restaurant. There may be lots of stories behind each creation (I read the book they put on the table as much as I could) but those could be irrelevant to the diner, whose stomach was looking for more primitive satisfaction. The story had to be in a physical form, to be seen and heard and tasted and digested. Each dish had a lovely story, unique and with emotional weight to the chef. For the diner, we might expect a simple yet memorable story to counteract a stressful day. Perhaps the chef might consider the tasting menu one whole story with little twists of "chapters" that were inspired by his own experiences.

Although the server offered more bread, at that time, the beef oil had already turned cold, white, and solid. I was not fond of the taste and texture of the bread, oil, and the dips anyway. Counting this as a course was rather strange, considering bread was usually served in a European menu as sides.

Sharp acidity and noticeable saltiness in sweets were used in the dishes a few times, but I considered them failures in those scenarios. I enjoyed distinctive, powerful dishes while twists were not always necessary.

I wonder how long ago the chef last tasted the entire menu in one go himself. The spoon was not the right size and shape to the depth of the plate/dish; finger food could be messy, and the hot towel should be offered before serving. Towel was not pure white, by the way, with markings from wear and tear or a long stained mark.

Another point worth mentioning was the cleanliness of the server's fingernails. As a lot of dishes require some level of operating at the table, fingernails with black dirt rim was genuinely a big letdown.

I could write about every dish while my memory was still fresh, but Google review was probably the kind of succinct review to help diners make a decision to book a restaurant or not, so I'm leaving it here. The restaurant didn't seem to care as the servers on the dining floor were not interacting to get some feedback for the entire evening, or perhaps I wasn't their target customer. Anyway... London is very...