The Telegraph — Restaurant in London

The Telegraph has a very pleasant, welcoming atmosphere. The building and garden are well maintained. (I've seen staff tending to the garden). The current system in place for covid is similar to most. There is a queue at the entrance to the garden where there is a test and trace qr code for scanning (by each member of your party) however if you do not have the app or a smart phone, the team will collect your details via the trusty ink to paper technique. The team explain all of this to you.

Dont be put off if there is a big queue as it goes down quickly and its worth the wait. We were once told that there was a 20 to 30 minute wait, we were seated within 10 mins. I feel they over estimate the time to be on the safe side.

If you booked a table ahead you will bypass the queue. The tables under the canopy to the right of the building are the bookable tables which have a "normal" (whatever that is these days) restaurant table waiting service.

All the picnic/garden tables are first come first serve but you're given a guide time limit on the table. I am yet to see someone be told their time is up though so whilst I am not encouraging people to abuse the system, I wouldnt be put off or worried about time limits.

The staff members that greet you are always friendly. And more than happy to take time to explain anything you arent sure of. Every table is fully sanitised between customers.

Once you are seated there is another qr code on the tables next to the table number. The preference is for the customer to scan the code and order and pay through the website to reduce contact but you can still order via a person if needed.

Now if I could deduct a quarter of a star, this is where I would do so. The online ordering menu is not great. I had a malibu and coke ordered via a person on my first visit (phone battery died) however on the following visit according to the website menu they dont serve malibu and coke (along with a lot of other bar items) Not only that but there are no options to add or remove ice (I have sensitive teeth) So I ordered my families drinks via the app but had to order and pay for mine separately through a person making the contactless endeavor a little pointless.

I've eaten twice here, every single thing about the dining experience is exquisite. From the gorgeous crockery and quality cutlery to the presentation and generous portion sizes. Each mouthful of each thing that I ordered screamed luxury and fine ingredients. From the perfectly cooked and seasoned huge garlic and chilli king prawns to the beautifully moist sticky toffee pudding lashed with smooth toffee and garnished with what could have been the freshest half a strawberry I have ever eaten in my life, and a side of gorgeous vanilla ice cream in a perfect little ball and a fresh mint sprig on top! The food honestly makes you feel like you are on holiday! It is definitely worth the money. It's a real pleasurable experience.

One thing I notice is a lot of posh/wealthy/ upper class people come to this pub and yet there is nothing pretentious about this place and I see that as a massive positive.

The Telegraph is a "what you see is what you get" very honest place.

It's a beautifully kept friendly, welcoming, family and dog friendly public house that serves delicious food and slightly expensive drinks (maybe not expensive but I have only just moved to London and we havent been allowed out to drink for a long time lol) to all members of the public with out judgments by the very attentive and happy looking team members.

I'm very happy to call the telegraph my local and I will be a regular here.

It's clear to see the staff members are happy and enjoy being there, perhaps as much as...

We went for a Father’s Day meal. I dont think we will eat there again. Really impressive pub and in a place we love, but bad experience and not necessary. I sent back the risotto because it didn’t contain the ingredients advertised and literally tasted like an old drain. (menu says broad beans but they were Edamame beans, then they were cubes of cheese on top that tasted really nasty. I was told this was vegan feta but tasted more like really terrible goats cheese to me). The alternative risotto was brought back out by someone more senior who seemed quite cross as she served me. The original waitress came back to say admittedly the risotto on the menu did not at all match the risotto I was served and that they would be changing the menu accordingly. All was fine. Then we ordered the summer fruit pudding among many other puddings for the table. The waitress had very kindly helped us select things we would be able to eat as one of the children had wobbly teeth and needed something soft. One bite and I had to spit it out because the fruit in the centre had started fermenting (effervescent ‘off’ flavour completely inedible). I sent it back and we ordered ice cream instead. Once again the senior lady came out and this time argued with me telling me that there was nothing wrong with the pudding. It had been made fresh that day, the chef had tasted it and it wasn’t off. I explained that I could not accept this explanation. The fruit may have fermented within a few hours and this was a risk with summer fruit pudding. It would also have been foolish of us to eat it an risk getting sick. I wonder what she hoped to achieve by this display of inhospitality? Does making sure your guests know you think their opinion is incorrect add to the value of your business or the happiness of your staff? Of course the chef would tell the front of house there was nothing wrong with the dish. I doubt they tasted it as i had spat back onto the plate. My mother sniffed the pudding and recoiled at the smell of fermenting fruit. I was pleased they didn't ask us to pay for the pudding but the staff ego trip has cost them a poor review and return custom.

Manners cost nothing and making otherwise well behaved guests feel valued and respected counts for everything in the front of...

There’s over a thousand reviews and they average out to over 4.5 out of 5 at the time of writing, and I’m sure this is fair and more typical of the experience I had, so just take this review as a caution that the service here can be inconsistent.

We arrived to our booking midday on a busy Saturday of the latter May bank holiday weekend. Seated immediately, and then reseated with little fuss when we requested some place slightly further from other patrons, because our dog is nervous and this pub is dog friendly with a large outdoor seating area perfect for better behaved pups than ours.

The menu has a couple of vegan choices, the usual slim pickings for mains in a traditional pub, but plenty of choice for nibbles, which our table took full advantage of. The problems began with the mains. One of of party ordered a fish stew and our table was not informed that there was no fish for the stew until we had been left waiting without as much as an apology for thirty minutes. In this time, to our chagrin, we watched the bulk of our order (fish and chips and vegan burgers) delivered to tables who were seated after us. When we were eventually informed and offered an alternative, the food still took another 20 or so minutes to arrive.

Thankfully, the two young kids at our table were patient and sated enough to not cause a big fuss, this was a small miracle considering the long walk we had taken them through the common to ensure they had an appetite.

So, my three stars are for the setting, the sunshine, the space, the quality and the plating of the meals (when they eventually arrived). The two missing stars are for the service and what felt like a lack of consideration (1. consider taking proper stock counts in the kitchen and then informing your waiting staff - at the start of the bank holiday and before you begin service, 2. If you’ve made a mistake, show consideration to the table without food and with kids waiting expectantly).

An apology eventually came, but only to me and only because I caught the manager’s eye as I came back to my table from the loo. Three stars...