The Grill at The Dorchester — Restaurant in London

I have always considered The Dorchester the epitome of elegance and luxury, but my recent dining experience at The Grill by Tom Booton was nothing short of disappointing and inadequate.

From the moment I arrived, the service was disorganized and impersonal. A hotel bellman had to search for a hostess to assist me, and when she finally arrived, she seated me in a rush without acknowledging my name, introducing herself, or even properly setting the table. I was left sitting there without menus, without any service, and with no idea who would be assisting me.

After a couple of minutes, a waitress came to ask about water, only to be followed shortly by another waitress asking the same thing. The process was chaotic, and when someone finally removed the extra cover from my table, they bluntly asked, "Are you alone?"—not exactly the level of sophistication I expected. I had to request menus from yet another staff member.

After carefully looking the menus I made up my mind on getting some Milk Rolls, 1 starter and 1 main and getting one cocktail to start followed by a nice glass of Bordeaux. I also noted that the Head of Wines, Head Sommelier, and Sommelier were all Italian, like me. Despite this, my Italian name and phone number on the reservation, and even a "grazie" from me, went entirely unnoticed.

After nearly ten minutes, the Head of Wines finally took my order. I asked for recommendations and proceeded with my selections. However, after finishing my starter, I realized my cocktail had never arrived. The General Manager, who checked on me at this point, apologized for the oversight and assured me it would be brought immediately—on the house. Unfortunately, my cocktail arrived alongside my main course, ruining my plan to enjoy it beforehand and eliminating the idea of the wine glass.

If the staff had made an effort to recover from these missteps, I might have reconsidered my overall impression. Instead, the GM, Head of Wines, and a waitress stood behind me speaking in Italian about the service—unaware that I could understand every word. Their conversation included curse words such as "cazzo" and "merda," which are universally recognizable. At that point, I felt compelled to remark on their inappropriate language. Both men apologized, and the GM attempted to make amends by offering a complimentary dessert and another cocktail. However, by then, the damage was irreparable.

Some other bullet point about the experience:

-No one in the restaurant ever called me by my name. -No one in the restaurant ever introduced them self using their name. -Even the GM when trying to make it up to me, after mentioning my reservation and giving me his business card, never mentioned my name or his own. -The table next to mine (too close if you ask me) was not returned properly, showing the naked table below the tablecloth. -The Italian waitress that was talking behind me after the remark laughed inappropriately and kind of arrogantly. Just inadequate! -The chef came out to touch some tables with a too small uniform looking, once again, inelegant and inadequate. -With the dessert I have been asked if I wanted more water and I declined. They brought the water anyway and it was still while I was drinking sparkling. On the check they charged that last bottle of still, which I did not want, and forgot to charge the sparkling I regularly ordered.

Speaking about the food: -The Milk Rolls despite looking delicious were too dry. The most disappointing thing is that to the table in front of me they served them with 2 different kind of aromatic butter, to me only with one. I was alone but I paid the same price they paid, so serve me the same dish! The Scallop was literally 1 single scallop for 29 £. The taste was ok, nothing special. -The Pigeon, again was 50£ for not more than 30/40 gram of pigeon. The taste this time was delicious! -The dessert was the course I...

Hello guys! Here I am 🤗 have to admit bit sleepy, but hey happy to talk about my food! Let me start with absolutely one of the best dining experiences and customer service I have received lately! I truly believe that this is one of the most important factors in regards to any dining experience. The point is you want to feel welcomed and leave that place with a smile on your face and wish to come back again soon! The manager was beyond helpful and it made us feel we were like family! He even took us on a kitchen tour, and I was so pleasantly surprised and impressed! Being a foodie and someone who loves cooking, I truly appreciated it! So thank you for that! Also thank you to a lovely bartender who came to greet us and offered a fantastic limoncello! Grazie! Now about the food. I enjoyed so much crispy semolina with Gouda cheese and salami on top! Delicious! Must try. Fried Shimeji Mushrooms were ok. Need some improvement in the batter and less fried. Lamb skewers were good. The grilled monkfish with lingonberries was amazing. Tender, juicy and done perfectly! Bravo Chef! Also, Cornish Plaice with anchovies and warm tartar sauce was so tasty and light. The fried anchovy was so good, (and I am someone who doesn’t love anchovies) but this one was so wonderful! Next was the double fried chips and I enjoyed them so much. Crispy and soft inside. Of course I always have space for something sweet 😂 the fig tarte tatin with fig leaf soft serve was so nicely done and super tasty. I personally adore figs and they were so delicious. Almost forgot my lobster Cesar salad, it was lovely and I am so picky with my lobster. It was fresh and light and properly cooked. You will love it! Cheers to...

Went for my 40th Birthday. Unfortunately worst meal I have had in many years. All I wanted was a good steak. Ordered the Rib Eye. Steak came covered in fried crispy potatoes straws. Started eating and found the dish extremely salty. Thought it was the was sauce. Carried on eating thinking to avoid the sauce. Still extremely salty. Moved the potato straw off the top of the steak to find sautéed mushrooms underneath. These mushrooms had been seasoned with what tasted like a bag of salt. I had to stop eating as my throat and mouth felt like I just drank a litre of sea water! Complained to the waitress. They offered me a dessert and £25 off my bill. I found that insulting. At this level and standard and pricing and perceived standards of the venue we would expect the minimum standard where the food is not seasoned with so much salt you literally had my eyes watering. I could not eat anymore, felt sick and just wanted to leave. Complete disaster. Will never return. All style and no substance. Chef was not interested. Sent out the waiter to give a half hearted apology. Still charged me for the steak! You let a customer down and have the audacity to still charge for something inedible? You have no idea of customer service or hospitality. You have earnt yourself 1 star. If I was in charge of your establishment I would not charge a customer for food that was reported as extremely salty. I should have immediately called the manager and sent the dish back. Thanks for ruining my birthday dinner with your low standards and lack of customer care. Cant even season food correctly. Need to go back...