Stanley's Chelsea — Restaurant in London

Our first experience here was great, I'd give it 10 stars. Ben was our waiter. He was very friendly and attentive. The food took a bit to get to us, because it was a little busy, but he kept us updated on the kitchen's progress. Our order came out perfectly, drinks were good, service was outstanding. Our second experience here, a week later was really bad. We had a different wait staff who seemed a little scatterbrained. We ordered waters, a couple of cocktails and an appetizer. She brought us the cocktails and then asked to take our order. When asking about the gnocchi flavor of the day, she said she didn't know and stared at me like a deer in headlights for a few moments. Then she was like, "I'll go ask". She came back and gave me two choices "risotto cheese or mushroom". I was kind of confused because I had never heard of risotto flavored gnocchi, so I asked her if risotto was a flavor and she said yes. I asked her if it was good and she said she liked the mushroom better, so I told her I wanted the mushroom gnocchi. It was about 45 minutes before we got our food after ordering and a different person, the guy from the bar, brought it to the table. We still had not gotten our waters or appetizer, nor had our waitress checked on us. When the guy brought me my "mushroom gnocchi" it was not gnocchi at all, but risotto. I told him about my conversation with the waitress and how she said it was a flavor and how she liked the mushroom better, then he got really offensive and said "he knew the waitress told me they no longer served gnocchi and only risotto (which I don't really care for) and that I would still have to pay for it even though it was not what I ordered." I kept my cool, even though I wanted to give him a few choice words. I then went to ask him to take the appetizer off my bill because we never received it, but he then brought it to the table. The bread was cold and hard and we still didn't have any water. My husbands food was over done and fries cold, soggy, and almost burnt. It looked as if they had tried to heat up leftover overdone fries from lunch and let them sit until they were cold. One of my friends orders was incorrect as well, and the guy got an attitude -again- when they told him they didn't get what they had ordered. He did bring out the rest of her order, which she said was good. We finally saw our original waitress and asked her for the bill and told her we never got our water, so she brought the bill and water to the table. It was our last day in the UK, so we just ate what was edible, paid and left. Had our last experience been our first, we would have never went back. The only reason I'm leaving 2 stars is because the first time we went...

When we arrived at the restaurant we were surprised to see a rat on the steps of the locale. My friend and I entered the restaurant which had the gates open in the front, and said we were here for a work event to which the employee rudely stated, “We are closed.” We then explained that it was reserved and the event was supposed to be starting in 17minutes to which the employee stated, “We are setting up. We are closed.” We were not offered a seat to wait or even told a time to return which would have been appreciated as my friend is older and has trouble standing for long periods. When we returned 40minutes later, the same employee greeted us as if nothing had occurred and pretended to be welcoming. Whilst we understand that the staff may have been completing work, the level of rudeness and customer service was appalling. During the actual event, staff were very pushy and constantly coming up to members of the group telling them to move to the back of the restaurant and to sit down, despite the fact that there were no other customers present at that moment. I was told to take my seat twice in the span of 5 minutes despite the fact that there were another dozen people standing as well. Following this, the same employee wearing a gilet would stare at our table and give dirty looks towards us. The younger waiters were very kind and pleasant however the rest of the staff were absolutely vile. The food itself was subpar and overrated. The croquettes were bland and lacked any real depth of flavour. The steak was well proportioned but the waitstaff did not ask how it would like to be cooked therefore it was up to luck if you enjoyed the level of searing. The dessert which was a chiffon cake with rhubarb was dry. When a member of the group asked for other condiments for their meal like mayonnaise, they were told that they do not have such sauces and only had mustard. Overall, this restaurant is attempting to be upscale but lacks basic understanding of customer service and human decency. Save your money and go...

I wanted to love Stanley’s I really did. From its quirky outdoor area brimming with the cosiness of sheepskin seat covers, candy coloured rugs and heaters to the welcoming staff. Settled with drinks the only challenge was what to choose from a menu that promised the deliciousness that brought us here in the first place. A selection of small plates ordered we were given warm sourdough bread we didn’t order, generously told to have it anyway but when we mentioned the mistake it was then swiftly and confusingly snatched away. All small plates descended. Pretty presentation showing thought in some dishes but clumsiness in others. Beef Tartar (an eye watering £18 for a tiny portion with no obvious beef provenance as even an excuse) decorated with tiny expertly placed mushrooms and egg yolks no doubt placed with tweezers verged on the fussy whilst the Beef Cheek (£15) although the best dish we ordered was hard to see under the mountain of toasted crumbs that buried it. I honestly have no idea how what appeared to be a small section of a cabbage in the King Cabbage Caesar could conceivably warrant a comparable price to the meat dishes of £14 when a whole cabbage costs less than a tenth of it but I was willing to go with it and be wowed by its added value. Sadly it was neither raw nor cooked and neither of us could cut it or chew it. Blanched sometime probably earlier in it’s lifetime it resisted us till we gave up. With more focus this could be a great restaurant. Clearly others are happy to pay these top dollar lunchtime prices and I would be too if the food actually delivered in better value and presentation in all the dishes. Maybe I’ll give it...