Sessions Arts Club — Restaurant in London

My wife and I ate dinner at Sessions Arts Club last night and we left feeling empty and confused. I normally don’t leave negative reviews but after last night’s experience, it seems appropriate.

Entering the ground floor of the building felt promising.. dim lighting and candles, antique leather lounge with a woolen throw. Chic?

Up the lift.. seated promptly. The space is beautiful. Other diners seemed happy. Our server was pleasant and informative.

Simple drink order taken. Fig leaf spritz. Was cold and bubbly. fine.

Was told by the server that the bottom half of the menu contained dishes of more substantial portion and that made sense since they were priced as such. Ordered bread and butter service, Eel and potato, raviolo of lovage, quail stuffed with sausage, and Hake swimming in pumpkin purée?

Eel and potato was crispy but I detected no eel at all. So essentially was a large tater tot. Raviolo contained almost no filling aside from a few leaves of lovage but was bathed in lovage oil and butter? Strange and unsatisfying. And now we wait. After around 40 mins our “mains” arrive. The quail was sitting in a sort of shallow yellow soupy sauce that had a real lack of depth, just sort of buttery tasting. The andouille sausage inside the quail was decently seasoned and probably the most satisfying element of the dish. The bird itself was somewhat difficult and messy to eat. But that’s quail I guess.

The hake was under seasoned and swam in an amber color sauce? ..that I could only compare to winter squash soup. I had forgotten what the actual ingredients were because of the long time that had passed between ordering and eating. Both proteins were plated and presented in identical ways which was puzzling because it seem liked a missed opportunity for the chef to create something as visually interesting as the space itself.

After forgoing dessert and ordering the bill I paid £126 (no alcohol) and left feeling I had been bamboozled. My wife and I walked to the Tesco to get a premade chicken sandwich to stave off the hunger I still felt. Overall a funny and memorable experience, but for all the...

Adored this place! Came for an anniversary dinner and this place was definitely a perfect pick for a special occasion meal.

It’s a small lobby as you enter with a server at a small table checking you in. You then enter a (again) small lift all the way up to the restaurant. We got a call ahead from the place that the lift was out of service so we were prepared to walk up stairs, however when we got there it was working again! Would definitely check with the restaurant about accessibility needs though because if the lift isn’t working the restaurant becomes inaccessible for wheelchairs.

Our waiter was so sweet and attentive and explained each plate beautifully. Recommended lovely drinks for us too! No pressure to order a lot, but they did guide us on what they thought would be best for the table.

As a someone who is not a huge fan of seafood I was worried about enjoying the food because there was quite a lot of seafood on the menu, however i LOVED everything! Started off with one prawn croquette each. The menu changes so they might not have the same things we had, but this is a must order if it’s available. Then went on to an eel and potato dish which was divine! Quite fishy but I still found it so yummy. My friend opted for this cold crab dish which I wasn’t a big fan of but they loved it. I also had this clam and bean dish and… oh my god. It was one of the best seafood dishes i’ve ever had!! So sad I didn’t get a clear image of the menu because I’ve forgotten what each dish is called exactly but if you can go for any of these dishes I would recommend.

We got two deserts. A fig and custard for me and a cake with choc sauce for my friend. Lovely sweet treats but didn’t beat the mains.

The interiors are stunning and I would recommend popping to the restroom even if you don’t need to use it because the decor was stunning!

We spent roughly £60-80 per person i think, 100% worth the price and I hope to...

Stunning venue, disappointing food. Feels exciting and fun, arriving at an unassuming door with gas lanterns lighting the way. It’s an old courthouse, and the whole concept is done with great care and style. The design and the building were the stars of the evening. The food is very bland. The vast majority of the starters were fried, which made them all kind of similar in taste. The croquette (singular) was nice - given it’s all sharing plates, and it’s not cheap, I think they could push the boat out to two croquettes. The deep fried artichoke was sort of fun, but the heart was raw. The eel was like a posh fishfinger. We were told (by our brilliant waitress, who was super helpful and friendly) that the plates get bigger as they go down the menu, going from starter size to larger sizes. Imagine our surprise when the last thing on the list (and therefore supposedly the largest) - lamb in a celeriac, champagne and lovage sauce - arrived and it was simply two small chops with some sauce. For £30. It tasted nice enough, but nothing very special. Mandarin sorbet was totally flavourless - didn’t get that citrus hit and not enough sugar, and the chocolate tart while delicious, came with the teeny tiniest drop of decorative cream and caramel. We saw another table ask for more cream, because you do really need it to cut through the rich tart. There should be enough to have a bit with each mouthful. It’s a place to see and be seen, and the booking process makes it feel like an exclusive/desirable place to dine. But once you’ve got used to the surroundings, at those prices the food should really match up. And it...